
In recent months, I have been reading much about the world of open-sourcing and/or crowd-sourcing. To put it simply, it’s a philosophical approach to development that invites “the crowd” or public (in many cases) to participate in the formation, refinement, and distribution of goods and services that have traditionally been centralized in closed systems or structures. Some of our popular cultural icons including Amazon, Google, and Wikipedia have each, to various levels, attempted to capitalized on the ever-growing web-culture of crowd sourcing (to varying degrees of success).
Open-sourcing is more than just creating a hub of ideas like an online forum. It is a more intentional attempt to collaborate on projects and ideas that may be mutual beneficial to the parties involved in the interaction. [For examples and case studies, see the book "We are Smarter and Me" by Barry Libert.] The root idea is that innovation and development occurs more quickly and with better results if people are invited into the formation process. In addition, collaborative efforts naturally help in the marketing of any idea or product.
The reason I share this is because I would like to invite you to participate in the formation of a web community that could potentially benefit churches by creating an environment in which ideas may be shared and formed together. Currently, there are some websites that allow churches to upload work to share with other communities of faith (e.g., Powerpoint slides, media, audio files, text files, etc.). Nevertheless, I don’t see much that allows for collaborative formation of ideas.
From my past experience and numerous conversations with church leaders, it is pretty evident that some churches have great ideas that are about 50-60% actualized. Unfortunately, these churches with great ideas lack the necessary resources to overcome obstacles for actualization (e.g., strategy, finances, supplemental ideas, time, design, etc.). What if an online community could be created where churches could share their “almost” actualized idea with others who may help them get there? In return, both churches could have joint ownership of the idea at the end and find mutual benefit for God’s Kingdom (that’s what it’s about, right?).
I currently have a handful of web & graphic designers, programmers, business developers, potential investors, and church leaders helping with the formation of this resource. I thought it would be important in our infancy (given our open-source nature) to invite YOU (yes, you) to contribute any ideas you may have in the formation of such an endeavor. Would you take a few minutes to answer some of the following questions?
- Would you use and contribute to this kind of open-source church resource?
- What strengths (if any) do you see in such a web resource?
- What concerns (if any) do you have for such an endeavor?
- Do you see yourself helping us out in creating this? If so, how?
- Would you help us get the word out about this once it is formed (via social networking sites, blogs, websites, etc.)?
- Is this idea consistent with the values and principles presented in the Bible?
- Do you know of anyone (including yourself) who would financially invest in this kind of endeavor?
In closing, this is still a new idea. More will develop in the weeks and months to come. I would love to have you be a part of this journey to actualization.
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