As the coronavirus pandemic continues, it’s easy to feel increasingly disoriented and unsettled. Life has changed in some disconcerting ways. Social norms—the unspoken rules that guide how we interact and relate to each other—are now different. And how long they’re going to remain that way and whether they’ll ever return to what they were before—no one knows. Not to minimize the hardship and difficulty of this for those who have contracted the virus or lost loved ones from covid-19, but I’m so weary of every night on the local news getting an update on the number of cases in our area and the number of people who have died.
We were used to seeing our colleagues at the office … hugging our friends … going to church … taking our kids to school … eating at restaurants … going to the barber shop or hair salon … taking in concerts and movies and sporting events … cheering for our favorite pro teams … getting together with friends. But now, and for the immediate future, we can't do those things. And if what experts tell us is true, some of those things will be off the table until a vaccine is developed—a process that could take up to a year or more.
Given that I’m not part of the pharmaceutical or scientific community, I was a bit puzzled as to why it takes so long to develop a vaccine. I recently read an article that helped enlighten me. The writer said the scientific community is, for the most part, guided by a “zero risk principle”—the idea that its first responsibility is to do no harm. That’s why proposed vaccines must go through all manner of rigorous testing. Before a drug is introduced to the public, developers want to be absolutely sure it has no unintended or unexpected side effects. The only way to determine that is through a meticulous and thorough testing—a process that understandably takes time. To rush a vaccine to market, in spite of the obvious demand and health concerns surrounding the virus, is to open themselves up to the possibility of adverse and unwanted repercussions. They want to mitigate and eliminate all risk before moving forward.
While I appreciate and applaud pharmaceutical companies for doing this, it occurred to me how this approach to risk is at odds with the way we assess risk in many other areas of life. For instance, if we’re involved in a military endeavor, we’ll try to minimize risk, but we’ll take a calculated risk. Perhaps some lives will be lost and there may be some civilian casualties, but we’ll take a calculated risk knowing that the failure to do so could introduce and present other or additional risks. If we’re involved in a business endeavor and are looking to expand operations, we’ll take a calculated risk. Yes—the market may turn, and we may encounter conditions we weren’t anticipating. We may happen upon situations that weren’t forecast or calculated. But if we put off moving until there’s virtually no risk, we will have squandered the opportunity. To wait until risk is eliminated is to fail to seize the moment.
The thought occurred to me that many churches approach the topic of risk like pharmaceutical companies—they want to make sure it’s absent before they take the next step. They talk … and study … and calculate … and strategize … but never get around to doing! I believe, particularly in a day when our surrounding society is changing at a such a rapid pace, that a zero risk approach is incredibly risky in and of itself. For to shy away from risk is to functionally squander the opportunity.
At the same time, changes shouldn’t be introduced thoughtlessly or carelessly. We should try to anticipate problems—prepare for them and head them off as best we can. We should not be impulsive or impetuous. But should not be totally risk averse either.
As I reflect on this, a couple of thoughts come to my mind:
(1) When it comes to the local church, we have to decide between appealing to the people we’re trying to reach or appealing to the people we’re trying to keep. While you never want to intentionally alienate anyone, I do believe at some point you’ve got to come down on one side of the fence or the other. For me, I always believed my top priority was to try and connect with those that were estranged from God or distanced from the Body of Christ. That meant making some changes, because what appeals to the person who’s a product of the church subculture of the past is typically not the same thing as what’s going to appeal to the person who is estranged or distant from God. And implementing change involved taking some calculated risks.
(2) When it comes to the local church, we need to be willing to fail. The other day I was reading an article about legendary basketball coach John Wooden. He was a very thoughtful and cerebral man who often had a unique take on things. One of his observations had to do with his players and how they practiced. He said, “I wanted my players to be active … to be doing things and initiating. I didn't want them worrying about mistakes. Mistakes made while expanding boundaries are what I wanted. If we weren't making mistakes, we weren't far enough out on the edge. If we weren't pushing against the walls of our capabilities, we weren't practicing properly. The time to cut down on turnovers is during games, not during practice.”
In other words, John Wooden wanted his players to take risks. He knew a basketball team that wouldn’t risk mistakes typically wouldn’t outscore its opponent. In fact, he summed it up this way: “The team that makes the most mistakes usually wins.” The kind of mistakes he was referring to are not the result of carelessness or sloppiness, but the result of assertive action based on a proper assessment of risk. If a team wasn’t willing to risk, then it wasn’t willing to do what it needed to do to win.
One of these days the restrictions associated with this pandemic will lift and the local church will be allowed to gather. My hope, when this new season arrives, is that we’ll be willing to engage in appropriate, calculated, and worthwhile risks in order to engage people that are alienated and estranged from God … people that He values and people who matter to Him.