~858 words. A quick, light-hearted, 3-minute skim. Though if you watch the Andy Griffith clip, that adds a minute.
Why this is important: Sometimes the right word can bring a flash of insight that leads to real change.
As Mark Twain said: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter –‘tis the difference between lightning-bug and lightning.”
Last year I wrote an article about how the right word can trigger a deeper understanding. The right word leads to clarity and unlocking of a concept.
It contained some borrowed words and some I have created in my consulting to give insight.
Very few of you liked it. If you measure by readership, shares, and new subscribers, it was the worst of the year.
But I persist.
My favorite from last year was LIMPLIMENTATION– the lack of follow-up from a plan as it heads towards implementation.
While this is a problem in churches, it really is a problem everywhere. You can read the others here.
Here are some for this year:
Squander+opportunity = SQUANDERTUNITY. A squandered opportunity. Squander is a great word. It is when we waste a moment, or resource.
The covid comeback for many churches was a squandertunity. Many churches had a good opportunity to rethink, simplify, and tune up their ministry to fit this post covid season. But they didn’t.
It was a good chance to recraft their next chapter story. But they didn’t.
They decided to “go back.” But in many cases, the people they serve did not.
FUZZLED – think fuzzy puzzle. I see this most often when mission and vision statements are unclear and don’t quite cohere.
“The mission statement has a lot of good words, but in the end it fuzzles the people. It’s fuzzled.”
Hey – I know getting to clarity is not easy. But when it’s lacking, our cohesion wanders off.
Entropy always happens in an organization. Order naturally unwinds to less ordered.
But restating, resetting, and reemphasizing it is always important.
(I borrowed this from foozled – a golf term that sort of mean muffing it.)
#GOODWILLING – I actually saw that on a billboard in Atlanta. In this case, it meant going to the Goodwill store to shop. “Let’s go Goodwilling.” For many of us, that is a treasure hunt.
Or it’s when we take gently used goods to the Goodwill donation store to donate so others can benefit.
But it is a great word I think for churches to be about. We need to be people of goodwill wishing goodwill onto others. It is reminiscent of the FOR campaigns some churches use, but we need to drive it down to individual lives. Let us be people of “goodwilling.”
The idea is a complement to WEARYMAKING, another word I use often to describe situations, events, and activities that are a high level of input, low level of output, and impacts.
It’s not just being tired or fatigued, but a level of consistent low return on investment that spreads the weariness to a team of people.
We need to cut as many of these out of our church programs.
This one is not mine, but I loved it – FRIENTIMACY – a word author Shasta Nelson uses in this TED talk.
Think Friend+intimacy. This video was pre-pandemic but is the need of the hour now, especially in the research with the younger generation.
“We know more people but feel more isolated and lonely.”
We all need a certain number of friends we can count on to walk with us through ups and downs.
(See the ad for one of the ways for Senior Pastors)
It’s what many churches hope happens when someone gets connected to faith at our congregation.
Last word after the ad
Every month, I talk with pastors attempting to engineer and drive their own succession process. “We thought we had it all figured out….but we now realize as we are into it that we don’t. Can you help us?”
After a good discussion, I often get this question: “When should we have you come to meet with us?”
My usual answer: “In your case, about 24 months ago!”
But I have developed a short 20-point checklist for Senior Leaders and Boards to review together.
It’s a start for those that think they have it figured out.
If you want a FREE PDF copy of it, email me directly. Dave.Travis@Generis.com.
As mentioned above under the Frientimacy word, everyone needs a core set of friends to lean on, advise them, and walk with them.
Those who have joined our Wednesday Senior Pastor Forum Call feel that with the others involved.
It’s free. It’s one hour a week.
You have to be a Senior Pastor of a Larger Church to qualify to join, but we welcome newcomers.
If you want to apply, email Linda.Stanley@Generis.com
New words continued
I’ll close this year’s list with WAGGLYZED.
It’s the combination of Waggle and Paralyzed. A waggle is what many golfers do as they approach a shot. They wiggle their hips and arms to release the tension. Sometimes a swing thought enters their head and they re-waggle. Then they get so caught up in not mis-hitting the shot, they get paralyzed.
It’s reminiscent of this Andy Griffith clip.
[They repeated this joke several times over the life of the show.]
I see this in churches as well. Often, I speak to a leader who is always “a fixin to” address a situation or lead in a new direction. But then they get to finding reasons to delay or put off the matter.
I remember a case at Leadership Network where a young pastor knew the right move was to retire with honor a long-serving pastoral assistant. She was a precious assistant in her mid-80s and not really up to the tasks, but previous pastors kept putting it off, hoping she would step down. (or they may have hoped for graver occurrences.)
Every time this leader would put on his plan to “finally address the assistant situation.” Each time there was a new plan to make it happen. My recollection was it never happened.
He got wagglyzed by fearing the worst outcomes from the power move. At the same time, the whole church team was suffering from non-performance.
Don’t get WAGGLYZED.
Strategic delay is ok sometimes. You rarely have to move as fast as you think. But sometimes you must make a hard call and try it.
Do you have some for me? Please send them to me. I love them. And maybe they will appear on next year’s list.