“Something held as an established tradition.”–Definition of Dogma
Established traditions work well only when the context from which those traditions emerged stays relatively equal. Unfortunately many of the traditions that made ministries successful are now becoming increasing less effective and archaic. Yet the traditions continue.
Jared Spool spoke at SXSWI on the topic of design decisions and shared this great illustration:
The diagram illustrates a spectrum of practice from informal/intuitive to formal/non-intuitive. On the far left is what Spool calls “Tricks,” which are skills and techniques used inappropriately but with some effectiveness. On the far right is “Dogma,” which are practices that are executed without any intuition.
It seems like many established ministries have accumulated much Dogma and Methodologies that hinder innovation and prevent significant growth. By growth I do not mean just numerical but intellectual growth as well (think of a 13 year old trapped in a five year old’s body).