“No amount of control can replace the loss of collective creativity”

Philippe Silberzahn, writing about the work of Arnold J. Toynbee, a historian who studied the rise and fall of civilisations:

A civilization flourishes when it motivates insiders and attracts outsiders with its creative dynamism and culture. The civilization breaks down when its leadership loses this creative capacity and gives way to, or transforms itself into, a dominant minority. When this happens, the driver of the civilization becomes control, not attraction. And it’s precisely this switch from attraction to control that is the source of the breakdown. Interestingly, Toynbee says that the consequences may not be immediately apparent. A civilization can keep up momentum because the controls it puts in place generate some short-term efficiency. But eventually it will run its course and collapse, because no amount of control can replace the loss of collective creativity.

I read the above in an article talking about the demise of Microsoft, but my head immediately jumped to thinking about churches. This is so relevant. How easy it is to shift from attraction to control! And it is something to be avoided at all costs.

Let’s rewrite the paragraph and replace civilisation with church:

A church flourishes when it motivates insiders and attracts outsiders with its creative dynamism and culture. The church breaks down when its leadership loses this creative capacity and gives way to, or transforms itself into, a dominant minority. When this happens, the driver of the church becomes control, not attraction. And it’s precisely this switch from attraction to control that is the source of the breakdown. Interestingly, Toynbee says that the consequences may not be immediately apparent. A church can keep up momentum because the controls it puts in place generate some short-term efficiency. But eventually it will run its course and collapse, because no amount of control can replace the loss of collective creativity.