What Can the Church Learn from Mr. Beast?

Try something new. Learn as you go. Don’t do it alone.

Any other Mr. Beast fans out there? (I can’t be the only one, right?!)

Over at the Convergence blog I reflected a bit about a few things that the church can learn from the world’s biggest YouTuber. I’ll give you the abridged version here but you can head over to Convergence to read the full thing!

1. Try Something New

   Churches often gravitate towards what we’ve done before. Tradition tends to win, especially against the risk of trying something new. But when it comes to Mr. Beast, it seems he is not afraid to try a new concept or idea, often exploring ideas most people didn’t think possible for a YouTube video. Rather than fearing failure, faith leaders must embrace the unknown. Yes, we should learn from where we’ve been but it should never anchor us in the past but rather propel us into the future. Embrace failure, not as a defeat but as an indication that you are still trying, open to how God might be moving in and through and in spite of you. In fact, we should aim to fail fast, so that we can learn even faster.

2. Learn As You Go

   It is always a good idea to learn before you begin, to anticipate potential pitfalls and prepare in advance. Only in the church it seems that this is where our learning too often begins and ends. Instead, we must learn as we go, open to shift and pivot along the way and pausing occasionally to see where we have been. Rather than moving from Sunday to Sunday, take a moment to pause and reflect on what worked and what didn’t: replicate the former, remove or repair the latter. This “learn as you go” approach is key to Mr. Beast’s success, as he intensely analyzes the data form each video in order to improve the next one. He is driven by his goal to make the best possible video, finding ways to make small, incremental improvements over time that compound in significant shifts and improvements. And even now, with seemingly unlimited access and production budgets, he is still learning as he goes. There is no “arrived” moment when you are a perpetual student. Each weeks is an opportunity to create the most meaningful and intentional worship service. Each season is an invitation to take the next step in your pastoral ministry. There is no finish line but just an ongoing ultra marathon. Only this is a race that you do not run alone.

3. Don’t Do It Alone

   While Jimmy is the one known as Mr. Beast, he is far from the only person in front of or behind the camera. His friends are regulars on his channel, a cast of characters offering humor and drama and everything in between. And he has a growing team of over nearly 500 people working on his various channels and projects, making it far from a one person show. But when it comes to the church, we tend to default to doing it all ourselves, or else with the same small group of volunteers, praying no one burns out too quickly. Going alone might be quicker, but it rarely lasts as long or leads as far. Working together, with all the inevitable conflicts it will bring, is almost always the better choice. This means working together with other clergy, working together with congregants, and being intentional about creating and maintaining systems for this “togetherness” to continue to happen. Whether that’s regular check ins with key leaders in your congregation, getting to know new members of your church, spending intentional time with other pastors and faith leaders in your community, finding an online cohort to connect with, the invitation is clear: don’t do it alone.

What did I miss? What else can the church learn from Mr. Beast? Leave a comment and let me know! (And don’t forget to read the full article over at Convergence.)