cover article
Kingdom Pivoting in a Pandemic During this global crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic causes an unprecedented shift in the economic landscape, businesses are adapting and pivoting to survive. COVID-19 savaged the U.S. economy as 2020 was its worst performance in 74 years. In order to survive or thrive, businesses must pivot to maintain or increase revenues. Pivoting is to turn on, revolve or swing or rotate. Subsequently, it’s a time for creativity, for Dr. Kenneth O. Robinson, Jr. being bold and decisive DreamLife Worship Center and for thinking outside Randallstown, MD the box. It’s also a time for businesses to use their skills and facilities to find gaps in the market; and then quickly fill them. In fact, pivoting can provide a platform for growth once the world starts to recover. Businesses that have pivoted to keep afloat are often those in the best position to leverage opportunities moving forward. This is very true also for churches and ministries who want to maintain and even grow in this pandemic. There must also be some pivoting in the kingdom of God in order to stay relative and effective in these times. Unfortunately, many churches are still operating in an old paradigm or wineskin, therefore are hindering the glory of God because they will not pivot. Consequently, many churches have closed down, not just because of size but because of an unwillingness to pivot.
Why is it necessary to pivot?
If you can no longer see a viable way to achieve growth, it is time to pivot. Sometimes a business or church just needs to
8 8 February February2021 2021| |Grace&Glory Grace&Glory
exert more effort, and other times they need to evolve or change direction. It is very important for me to note here that a church is a business. Yes, it is first a spiritual organism, but it functions in the earth as an organization. This understanding is what sometimes separates the growing churches from the stagnant ones. -One specific connotation of the term "pivot" in this sense is that it is not just a "change of direction", but a "sudden, rapid change of direction and focus". Generally it implies that the company is essentially abandoning its previous efforts in order to make a concerted effort towards a new goal. Lessons may be learned from the old project, and parts may be salvaged and repurposed; but the original plan has been cast aside and everyone is working toward a new end. Whether it's exploring new markets, services or products, pivoting can help create opportunities to expand revenue. Pivoting toward new markets, services or products is a great way to build on the foundation a business already has, to expand revenue and bring more profit to the organization.
What does it mean to pivot?
It’s a way to describe fundamental changes young businesses often need to make in order to achieve their missions and visions. When costs or in this case, church revenue is down, it will require that you rethink how you staff, equip, and organize your business. Change is a natural and expected part of running a church. Even the scripture tells us that we are changing from glory to glory, going from faith to faith in the kingdom of God. Whether big or small, strategic pivots need to be carefully planned and well-timed. At our church, DreamLife Worship, we have made several pivots in the pandemic. Some were popular and others were painful, but each pivot empowered us to grow during the pandemic.
How do you know when your church is ready to evolve to its next phase?
Since we have established that the church is an organization, let’s look at some organizations that have pivoted over the years. What does Starbucks, Twitter and Nintendo all have in common? They’re all companies that pivoted their initial focus into something new, eventually becoming industry giants. Starbucks started out selling espresso machines, Twitter was a platform for finding podcasts, and Nintendo produced all sorts of different things (such as vacuum cleaners!). By changing focus, they were able to pivot into the successful companies we know today. Pivoting was first introduced by entrepreneur Eric Ries in 2009 and is defined by the Financial Times lexicon as a shift in strategy. Starbucks, Twitter and Nintendo are extreme cases, but in reality, pivoting exists on a
