Big Studly Tuna

Read the interview with Phil Vischer (Veggie Tales creator) here.

For now, I'll spoil the ending for you:

What advice do you have for pastors trapped in a false gospel of impact?

First, there is a danger in applying business principles to ministry. Businesses use numbers to measure success and ministries shouldn't. Using numbers to convince ourselves that we are doing God's will is dangerous. Second, remember that nothing is scripture except Scripture. We shouldn't look at a model another church is using and simply adopt it. Because God has uniquely led someone doesn't mean he is leading you into the same thing.

How are you employing these new ideas in your ministry now?

My new company is called Jellyfish Labs because jellyfish cannot choose their own course; their direction is derived from currents. As a Christian I should be thinking of myself more as a jellyfish than as a big studly tuna. I have a wall full of new ideas. But the moment I pick one and call it my dream—my big, hairy, audacious goal—I'm holding onto it too tightly. And that's a big change. God is now my dream, my deep desire, not what I can do for him.