Some of the best pollinators in the world include hummingbirds and bees and insects of various kinds. Without pollinators, the earth would be hard set to produce the amount of food that is required for us to exist. Pollinators are the unsung heroes of survivability.

When educational disciplines lag significantly behind the curve in the cross pollination of ideas, their survivability is also in question. The field of theology, it’s been said, is twenty to thirty years behind comparable academic disciplines in turning out ground-breaking research and findings that alter our view of the world and our ability to thrive.

These new insights are more than threads of historic curiosity. Combined with others, they form new understandings across disciplines that might not have been possible to observe otherwise. Thinktanks came into existence for just these moments. It is all about collaboration and possibility rather than boarding oneself up behind one particular brand of church or another. When the ship is going down, you don’t argue over the color of the life ring.

Astounding results have been observed when experts and non-experts participate with others who are in totally divergent fields of study. The synergy it creates drives innovative thought process. The ability and the desire to engage new possibilities can be an incredible asset for any group. Researchers envision a hoped-for outcome, then ask how it can be done. It is not an in-the-moment ends/means question as much as it is a slow dance with others whose enthusiasm matches your own. Thinktanks have quickly become an indispensable part of social landscaping.

If the institutional church is to survive, it cannot do so in isolation. A primary question to get around is not whether the church should survive, but whether it is a valuable enough resource to save in its present form. How do we determine such courses? Being a pollinator of faith is tough. We don’t always get to choose what ideas result from cross-pollination.

Cynicism runs deep within and outside the church. We cannot be everything for everybody, and that’s okay. It is not the only place where faith thrives. Agreeing to disagree is no small feat, but it is a necessity for a well-ordered life of faith. Are we open and caring enough as church to acknowledge the full range and complexity of life? Are we so selfish, insecure, and fearful that we must always declare our own righteousness ahead of others? That appears to be the character of politics in present society.

Christ did not move among the people with demands and declarations and thumping of chest. He was, however, a great pollinator of faith by living deeply within the moment, valuing each person to such depth and degree that it was impossible to deny God’s grace. Faith without handrails.

We have the opportunity to live and thrive in a lush and verdant landscape, but we must pay attention by not allowing ourselves to passively sit and wait for all good things to come to us, then blaming others when providence is absent. Recognize the faith pollinators in your life, each grain of pollen a possibility.