Compassionism :: The New aWEARness (part.one)

There’s no doubt that people are waking up to the idea of Justice and Compassion.  The more Globally Connected we get, the more Globally Aware we become.  In response to that, Compassion Based Organizations are popping up at an accelerated rate.  People are wanting to get “involved” more than they have in a long time.  It’s officially COOL to CARE.  

Kids don’t start bands anymore, they start 501C3’s.  

While the cynics sit in the corner and throw rocks, I stand up and put my rally cap on.  I think more people becoming more “involved” is only a good thing, and has the potential to lead to something truly great for the world and for the individual.

The part of this New Awareness that’s most interesting to me, however, is the way that Compassion 2.0 is mashing up with Consumerism 1.0.  As more and more younger cats get these non-for-profits off the ground, the more smart, savvy, and saturated they are with the power and magnetism of Marketing and Consumerism.  

We are stumbling into a new age of activism.  We’ll call it – COMPASSIONISM.  It’s a way of Doing Good while still Consuming Goods.  It’s a brilliant strategy (whether conscious or otherwise).  An absolute contexualization of the best and worst of Globalization.

The organizations that have drawn the most attention as of late are invariably the ones that have the best design.  They have the coolest shirts, hippest shoes, dopest hats, flyest bracelets, freshest buttons, and conscious easing conflict free bags.  

These are the shirts, shoes, and bags that everyone wants to wear.  The ones that everyone wants to be seen wearing.  Suddenly, your Acceptance is now directly contingent on your Awareness.  Those rules apply to me just as much as they do to anyone else.  For as much as I want to Care, sadly, I Care more that you KNOW I Care (or at least that I am aware).  I still fundamentally want to belong.

Your Turn :: Where you have you seen / participaed in COMPASSIONISM / aWEARness recently?

An Open Call to Open Source Ministry

Perhaps you’ve read Jeff Howe’s now classic book Crowd Sourcing or at least familiar with the concept. For those of us who aren’t, it goes like this.

• We live in a world that is more Cconnected than we could have ever imagined.
• We live in a world where the Crowd is more Empowered than at any point in human history.  The Crowd now has the Tools, Technology, and ultimately the Power to not only threaten traditional Top Down power structures, but to Eradicate them.
• Those who can Serve, Lead, and Unleash the Crowd will change the world.

Jeff’s work was eye opening at the time:

• Empowering the Crowd to do what we traditionally PAY Experts to do
• Empowering the Crowd to do what they already WANT to do
• Empowering the Crowd to do what ONLY they can do at a Level only they can achieve

It is however, not a NEW idea.  This is what the Church was created and intended to be.  A revolution of people using the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given them to serve the church and serve the world.  This was the ONLY way the church could exist and why (I believe) it grew so rapidly.  

When you not just involve, but UNLEASH people to do what they were already created to do We will acheive so much more than we ever could by simply paying and depending on a small handful of experts.  The only problem is that very few churches and businesses are structured to handle this sort of seismic shift.  And so we continue to do what we know – Hire and Pay experts to do the “work”.  But could there be another way?  

What would it look like to truly give the “power” to the people at your church?  What would happen?  What do you think would need to change for that to happen?

Watch this, then discuss.
 

Your Turn :: What does / would Crowd Sourcing or Open Source Ministry look like at your local church?