How Important Is It?
There are two sorts of risk in every opportunity: uncertainty about feasibility and uncertainty about the benefits.
Edward de Bono1
Identifying the nature of the issue involved, whether theological, institutional, interpersonal, or personal, is the essential first step. But once we ask what kind of risk we're facing, a second major question needs to be asked: How important is it that we make this decision?
Take, for instance, the case of one pastor in the Southeast:
"Our district superintendent put me in charge of a regional camp for six churches. He wanted to start a summer youth conference, and his plan was to have a one-week camp. I checked facilities and talked to the pastors to find out how many of their people would be interested. My research showed two things: the cost was too high and the anticipated participation too small to support a week-long camp. I reported this to the superintendent, and we decided to change to an overnight retreat.
"Then I found out the district had never held an overnight camp before. Further, the district had never been well organized, and there was little sense of community among these churches.
"I told the district superintendent, 'I don't think the people are going to accept this idea, at least not this first year.'
"He wasn't so sure. He asked me to come to the district board meeting and present my information: prices, locations, and my impressions. I did and suggested an alternative for the first year: an all-day picnic. 'We won't have to rent a facility, the people won't have to stay overnight, and it won't be such a drastic innovation,' I said. 'It would be something we can handle financially no matter what happens, and we'll be building for an overnight camp in years to come.'
"The superintendent ...
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