A Project Hail Mary for the Church
As I write this, we are about one month away from the release of my most anticipated film of
2026: Project Hail Mary.
I loved the book by Andy Weir and I basically want to see anything Ryan Gosling is in. Recently I
saw a seven-minute video by the directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, discussing how many
different formats you can see this movie in.
You can see it in IMAX 70mm, where it’s really, really big but also has that look of “warmth that
only film can give you.”
You can see it in D-Box, where the seats rumble and move in sync with the film so you kind of
“ride along” with the film.
You can also see it in a ScreenX theater which has screens on the left and right walls and you
see the movie in a much more immersive, 270-degree surround experience.
All told there are TWELVE different formats you could see this movie in!
The Changing Landscape
It struck me because I listened to a podcast recently about the business side of Hollywood (I’m
a movie nerd!) and the host was talking about how empty Hollywood is these days. Other cities
have financially incentivized filming outside of Los Angeles. Digital technology means
filmmakers don’t need access to physical sets like they used to. Even the fact that six or seven
big studios who run the whole industry for the past 100 years are breaking apart means that
new people are finding new ways to film movies.
“Hollywood has to do something quick to get back to how the movie industry used to be,” was
the line that stuck out to me from the host.
Why?
I get that “old Hollywood” isn’t going to continue, but what’s wrong with “new” Hollywood?
What’s wrong with movies getting made all over the world instead of just one city?
What’s wrong with seeing your favorite movie in 12 different formats?
And did you know that, of the 60 movies that have ever grossed $1 billion, seven of them
happened in just the past two years?
It seems like the film industry has not been afraid of experimentation and innovation.
I can’t say the same for the Church.
The Church’s Hail Mary
When I work with churches, I end up having the same conversations over and over again. They
usually start with, “we have to get back to what we used to be.” They often continue with the
pressure they feel with buildings that are a financial drain, and congregations who are much
smaller than they used to be on Sunday mornings, and a congregation who no longer looks like
the demographics or the needs of their community.
Often those points of pain brings leaders to us looking for their own “Hail Mary” project to turn
things around. My advice is often: don’t even try. Turning around won’t happen. The way
forward isn’t through the past.
Instead, the moment the Church finds itself in today is an invitation to innovation. An
opportunity to experiment.
Maybe your worship needs 12 different formats. If families are too busy to come to worship on
Sunday mornings, What about a change to daily worship experiences?
Maybe you need to incentivize a change in location. If your Sunday school classes or Bible
studies aren’t well attended, what about a shift in how you disciple people? Instead of
programs to do the work, how might you equip your people to relationally disciple those
around them?
Maybe you need to think about how you measure ministry success. Instead of the amount of
people who attend on Sunday mornings, what would happen if you repurposed your facility to
bless people throughout the week?
An Invitation to Innovation
There are as many ways to innovate in the church as there are people who can come up with an
idea. Perhaps the conversation that starts with “we just need to get back to…” is actually an
invitation to innovation for the future.
Download a helpful resource, “3 questions to Reimagine Ministry” as a way to begin thinking
outside of the box.
