Missional Innovation as Art

Art can be a better way of reflecting God than any theological argument. So how can your missional innovation show God’s artistry?

Welcome to the third of five articles on the theology of mission and innovation. We are going to continue our journey through Scripture to see what God has to say about our innovation work. We’ve already examined innovation as love towards both God and our neighbor, and now we are going to turn our attention to innovation as art.

You may ask, why does it matter whether innovation can be considered art? Well, our desire to participate in the Great Commission requires that we reflect God’s nature through our actions and lives. If our desire to be innovative people is contrary to how God desires to reveal Himself, then we have issues.

So, how does art reflect God’s nature? Theologian and artist Makoto Fujimura describes all of creation as art and further argues that grace and love themselves are art. Art is often seen as gratuitous and unnecessary because it doesn’t serve a functional or practical purpose. But God did not have to make this world beautiful, just as He didn’t need to love and forgive us. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Fujimura discusses the dichotomy between a market economy and a gift economy. A market economy is focused on practicality and utility. Money is efficient, and revenues are measurable. In a gift economy, the gift reflects the giver. It’s not about the value a gift might hold by itself but in its significance to the person receiving it. Ultimately, Fujimura argues that art is a more attractive and accurate reflection of God’s work in our lives than trying to win an argument about whether He exists or not.

When we ask the question of whether innovation is art, we’re really asking, does innovation reflect God’s nature? Or is it the product of capitalism and focused solely on the efficient, productive, and utilitarian sort of goals we might have in ministry? It is easy to typecast innovation in light of pragmatism. But as we consider the art of storytelling, culture-making, and gathering people together, these things are soft skills, focused on bringing the best out of people. Perhaps the answer lies in our interactions with people. Are those things a means to an end, or ends in themselves?

But just because the Church exists for the mission of God does not mean that the church being an instrument, a means to an end, poorly reflects God’s nature. God wants to demonstrate His nature through the ethical example of the Church. He intends for the Church, like the people of Israel, to be a conduit of His blessing to the nations. Innovation is similar.

“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft” (Exodus 31:2).

I love how Bezalel has so many skills that he uses, as empowered by the Holy Spirit, to support the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. These are material skills, but they are applied for God’s glory, to serve God’s people as they worship. Innovation is a craft that we can apply to the same ends. We want to support the Church in how it expresses God to the world.

Try This

• How can your missional innovation reflect the artistry of God?
• If you’ve never thought about your place in God’s mission, start here.