Two of Google's architects have analysed what they think worked to make Google indispensable to people's interactions online. They have published a book, "How Google Works" by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg which was reviewed in the Economist Magazine September 27th, 2014. I see parallels to SpiritJam.
1. Think extremely big - the "moonshot," as it is called in Silicon Valley. Instead of seeking a 10% improvement, they seek a 10x attempt. SpiritJam and other models of lifespan faith formation in the 21st c. need to think big to reach the 80% non-churched "SBNR's" (Spiritual But Not Religious). My treasurer and minister both told me to "think big" when developing SpiritJam.
2. Fail fast. That way people can learn from failure and move on. "Learning" trumps "knowing." SpiritJam staff meets weekly to review and revise each Sunday's plan. The staff has become responsive and flexible while creating the Jams. We learn about what works and what doesn't for each Jam and modify between Sundays. Lydia likened it to "taking off in an airplane while still tightening the bolts."
3. Empower employees. Many of Google's biggest products and features (like Gmail) have emerged from this and also from a policy that lets staff work on pet projects for 20% of their time. The congregation is empowered to bring their interests and augment the SpiritJam program. Thus, we have offerings much richer than the staff could come up with, such as Harry Potter wands and petronus shield making scheduled for the theme of "evil," a Peace PoetryJam from a former university professor, and an EatingJam from a youth interested in Ethical Eating.
Wouldn't it be divine if Unitarian Universalist faith formation became the go-to resource for spiritual development for our society, the way Google is for finding information online? I hope so!
1. Think extremely big - the "moonshot," as it is called in Silicon Valley. Instead of seeking a 10% improvement, they seek a 10x attempt. SpiritJam and other models of lifespan faith formation in the 21st c. need to think big to reach the 80% non-churched "SBNR's" (Spiritual But Not Religious). My treasurer and minister both told me to "think big" when developing SpiritJam.
2. Fail fast. That way people can learn from failure and move on. "Learning" trumps "knowing." SpiritJam staff meets weekly to review and revise each Sunday's plan. The staff has become responsive and flexible while creating the Jams. We learn about what works and what doesn't for each Jam and modify between Sundays. Lydia likened it to "taking off in an airplane while still tightening the bolts."
3. Empower employees. Many of Google's biggest products and features (like Gmail) have emerged from this and also from a policy that lets staff work on pet projects for 20% of their time. The congregation is empowered to bring their interests and augment the SpiritJam program. Thus, we have offerings much richer than the staff could come up with, such as Harry Potter wands and petronus shield making scheduled for the theme of "evil," a Peace PoetryJam from a former university professor, and an EatingJam from a youth interested in Ethical Eating.
Wouldn't it be divine if Unitarian Universalist faith formation became the go-to resource for spiritual development for our society, the way Google is for finding information online? I hope so!
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