Last weekend, our community was staring down a winter storm that was set to roll through on Sunday morning. Instead of taking the usual wait-and-see approach, we made a call early: we moved all of our Sunday services to Saturday morning, ahead of the bad weather.
And honestly? It turned out great.
Many churches around us waited, hoping the forecast might change, only to end up canceling services altogether. For us, the early decision gave us clarity…and clarity unlocked action.
Once the decision was made, our team jumped into motion.
Phones were buzzing. Ideas started flying. Creative juices kicked in.
Somewhere in the middle of all that momentum, someone suggested we do something fun to get the word out. That quickly turned into writing a jingle. Then rewriting a version of Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. Before we knew it, the entire staff was in a video, laughing, leaning in, and having a blast.
It was ridiculous…It was hilarious…And it worked!
The response was incredible. People shared it. People talked about it. People showed up. And afterward, I started getting messages from friends in the church world asking the same question: “How in the world did y’all pull that off so fast?”It’s a fair question.
Here’s what I know to be true.
1. Urgency Eliminates Overthinking
We didn’t have time to polish this to death. We didn’t have weeks to debate whether it was “on brand” enough. The weather was coming, the clock was ticking, and people needed information…fast.
Urgency has a way of silencing the inner critic and giving creativity permission to move.
2. “Out of the Norm” Sparks Fresh Ideas
We weren’t trying to create our normal weekend announcement. This wasn’t a standard service promo. The moment demanded something different, and that difference cracked open creativity.
When you step outside your usual patterns, you give your team permission to think differently.
3. Clear Decisions Create Confident Teams
Once the decision was made to move services, there was no second-guessing. That clarity allowed everyone to run in the same direction. Creativity thrives when the what is clear…even if the how isn’t yet.
4. Pressure Isn’t Always the Enemy
We tend to think pressure kills creativity, but the right kind of pressure actually sharpens it. Being “under the gun” forced us to trust each other, act quickly, and focus on what mattered most.
So here’s the question I’ve been wrestling with since that weekend:
How do we create that same sense of urgency more often…without a winter storm on the way?
We obviously don’t want to live in constant crisis mode. But we do want the creativity, alignment, and momentum that urgency brings.
Maybe it means:
Shorter creative timelines on purpose
Giving teams permission to experiment without over-polishing
Creating moments that feel “special” or “different” instead of routine
Setting clearer deadlines that actually matter
What I do know is this: when urgency, trust, and creativity collide, something powerful happens.
Last weekend reminded me that our teams are capable of more than we sometimes allow. Sometimes all it takes is a clear decision, a ticking clock, and the freedom to try something a little crazy.
And maybe…just maybe…we shouldn’t wait for a storm to do that again.