What can church planters and pastors learn from the demise of Google Wave?

What happened to Google Wave?  The next generation of web communication was supposed to revolutionize everything.  It was supposed to be better than email, better than chatting, better than chocolate, and better than sex.  (Okay, so the last two weren’t exactly promised, but if you bought the hype, that’s what you expected.)  And yet, earlier this month, Google announced that Google Wave was finished.

So what can the church learn from Google’s failed venture?

Google Wave was a fantastic idea – a complete rethinking of how things are done.  It was amazing.  Invitations to join the beta group sold for $70 on ebay before they opened registration.  But, to my mind, there was one major problem that the church must learn from.

Despite the strength of your product or program, if you launch it and fail to tweak and course-correct along the way, it will be doomed.  You can have the most incredible idea or program or design or church plant in your head and on paper.  You can have Bible verses and footnotes.  You can have everything set in place before you get started, but once you push the “send” button and get going, you’d better be ready to adjust.

Pastor, we’re not called to create programs or start churches on paper.  We’re called to a community or church context.  Make sure that the church or program or product that exists in your head and on your notepad doesn’t get in the way of the one God has called you to start in reality.

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