What Church Plants Can Learn From Google

Google is legendary. Many of us have read through articles on their state-of-the-art facilities and gawked over their employee meal plan. Recently we came across a great article about Google that got us thinking about what churches can take away from the practices of this multi-billion dollar international organization. While not everything Google does can translate into the church world, a few core principles certainly can be passed down.  

• Failure to Launch. Sometimes we spend so much time planning and preparing for the “What-If” moments that we delay launching a new program or ministry. When you have enough momentum to launch, move forward. Don’t be afraid of failing and allow the community around you to show you what’s working and what’s not. Once you’ve discovered what’s really clicking, focus on perfecting those elements of your project.  
• Fail Quickly. It’s hard to admit failure, but it’s going to happen – especially if you are always creating (which we hope you are!) Acknowledge things that aren’t working and move on quickly, learning from your mistakes.  
• Serve. Is what you’re doing focused on some self-promoting goal or are you truly trying to serve the best you can and reflect the image of Christ in your work? Everything should always be done with this servant-hearted philosophy in mind. If something isn’t genuine, your true motives will eventually be exposed.  
• Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission. This mindset will empower everyone on your team to grow and see the right actions without always having to cut through red tape. Will mistakes be made? Certainly. Allow grace for these. Those who take risks should be rewarded.  
• Meet Needs. The culture of your church should be shared, meaning if someone notices something is amiss and have the power to fix it, they should fix it. The mantra of “Well, that’s not my job” should never be spoken. Even if somebody can’t fix the problem, they should at least contribute to it being solved.  

These five values are guaranteed to bring innovation, creativity and responsibility to your church. As you grow your ministry, you’ll grow together.