We know we need to be healthier. The way our clothes fit tells us. Modern food marketing reminds us. Our doctors offer us laundry lists of strategies to try. And we're always hearing about the latest gimmick, pill, book or plan.

At the same time, we know we cannot simply accept the glossy pictures of health and wellness splashed across magazines and websites; we know the difference between real and Photoshop. We each have to figure out what "healthy" means for our own age, lifestyle, medical history and goals. There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to health and wellness.

The same is true for innovation and the church. We know we need to innovate, and we don't have to look far to find a top-10 list or a three-easy-steps webinar promising to change how we lead.

"Innovation" is a buzzword that sounds current and future-oriented, cutting-edge and idealistic, worthy of repetition and scale. We need innovation in the church; too many pews are emptying, and the church is losing (or some would say has lost) its voice in the community.

"We have to innovate!" becomes the battle cry to keep the heavy doors of our large and underutilized buildings open. Those within the walls know that change is needed, yet most hope the change will affect those outside (and not inside) the church.

But just as it is challenging to begin exercising regularly or eating less sugar, the idea of leading innovation sounds overwhelming -- expensive and laborious. The stories we hear and tell ourselves about rejuvenated institutions meeting the needs of those on the margins, filling their pews with new life and energy, are not always helpful. Ordinary leaders, churches and institutions worry that we don't have the money, talent and scale to succeed.