Small is beautiful - the US Marines Counter Insurgency Field Manual says so:
Remember: Small is beautiful
A-48. Another tendency is to attempt large-scale mass programs, In particular, Soldiers and Marines tend to apply ideas that succeeded in one area to another area… Often small-scale programs succeed because of local conditions or because their size kept them below the enemy’s notice and helped them flourish unharmed…Keep programs small. This makes them cheap, sustainable, low key, and (importantly) recoverable if they fail. Leaders can add new programs - also small, cheap, and tailored to local conditions - as the situation allows.
We too easily under-estimate the force of really good simple and small ideas. Here are 3 brilliant small and simple ideas I have heard in the last week:
- The Hallway Challenge - how simple is this idea? Have a pile of gospels on your landing pad where you keep the mobile & wallet. Before you head out door, stop & pray for opportunity to give one away that day.
- Invite mum to church for Mothers Day - gotta be a no brainer, but I didn’t think of it. Did you?
- start a running group. No link with this one yet as its in it’s infancy. Pete was talking to me about this one after church on Sunday. He’s a keen runner (we’ve got a few at church.) He’s been thinking about how to connect with his mates and talk to them about Jesus. Why not start a running group? He could work out a training program that would help them finish City to Surf and maybe go on to the Blackmore’s Half Marathon. We could maybe even tap into Anglicare’s winter appeal for the charity support side of City to Surf. Get fit. Get to know that Christians aren’t as weird as you may fear. Connect with locals that are unchurched - that sounds good. We could even have a Celebratory Sunday the week after City to Surf - get someone from Anglicare to say thanks and talk about what they do. Preach about ‘physical training is of some value..’ You can see there’s some work to do on it yet. But its simple, small, local… and it might just work.
Last week, I copped a bit of flak for the story on Mars Hill Global being too negative. Some comments asked where the positive ideas were.
OK. Here is your chance. Give us your one small simple idea. How can you best connect to the tribes around you? It can be something you’re doing, something you’ve heard of, something you’d like to do.
