mo·men·tum/mōˈmentəm/
Noun:
The quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
The impetus gained by a moving object
That is the dictionary description of momentum.
For now I would like to adapt the meaning to a more current understanding.
Momentum – It is when something continues without the help of the initiating force…
In short, it is basically every business man’s dream. When the business takes on a life on its own and works without his input anymore. For a company that may be a good thing, but for relationships it might not be so good.
One could even say that when momentum steps in, relationship steps out.
Relationships need continual nurturing and involvement, and does not do well in an environment that seeks automation or minimal effort.
For this reason I ask the question, is momentum a good thing when it comes to lets say church, which is a relational environment. That is the last place that you want momentum. Yet these days I hear the word fly around a lot.
In a business I think that it might be a good thing, where there are normally shortages of staff and so forth. Momentum could help that place, but where relationships are important, I think momentum needs to be kept away from.
Sometimes the trouble with churches is that they run like business, which ultimately defeats the purpose.
theHonestOne
What happens in a business that is largely people-driven?
You make a strong point that works in business too. You may want to automate experience, brand it, and make it what your customers expect, but what does in most businesses is complacency- a failure to change with the market and the times.
You can probably relate this to what happens in churches in your own way.
In motor racing, momentum is recognized as a problem as often as it is a way to keep the cars moving. It is momentum that slams the car into the wall when the wheels fail to steer it, and it is the trauma of being brought from 100+ mph to 0 instantly afterward that kills racecar drivers.
You can probably relate to that in your own way too.
I think its within our nature to want to find a formula that works and then repeat.
What I meant by focusing on momentum is that it is a relationship killer on its own.
Relationships need constant work and will never be able to rely on any form of automation. But in the case of some churches these days they sometimes place process over the person. this is when momentum has turned bad for that environment.
I don’t attend a church, but I do maintain a marriage and a business. In both instances, I think momentum can be a very good thing when major stressors are introduced by external factors. Like a death in the extended family, or a child struggling in an extracurricular environment, etc. When one of the relationship’s key people needs to focus on something outside the relationship for awhile, momentum is what keeps things going during the absence. The dayhome’s schedule keeps the other kids calm and engaged, the commitment to my spouse maintains our marriage while either of us are (temporarily) emotionally or physically unavailable. I think momentum only gets really dangerous when maintaining momentum becomes the relationships’ objective. Is that what is happening in some churches?
I guess in that case momentum is still needing your input. I mean momentum as a precursor for automation is not good.
The drive for a formula, to automate the process. In some churches structure is before relationship. That does not mean we should get rid of structures, it simply should be in the right order. Relationship and structure to facilitate that.
Likewise to a degree momentum can be good when its in the swing of life. But in the right order. And I am sure all people prefer the personal touch.
I guess I always feel slightly cheated when I get an automatic response (by email) ha ha ha….