And I think there has to be a line between being inspired and taking someone else’s idea. I am a writer and have written a few books (none of which are published… yet) and I would be pretty mad if someone took one of my books, changed the name and a few other details (just enough to make it legal,) then slapped their name on it. I would be thrilled if my book inspired someone to write their own… with their own storyline, characters, and development, that might share some thematic elements with my book. It’s always a pleasure to be an inspiration and always painful to have someone steal from you.
In Churches, we should learn from what other churches are doing… but always be inspired by God. I don’t think God would inspire us to “borrow” ideas from other churches.

@ Pastor Chet- I love your comment: “If a sermon isn’t birthed from a kneeling position, it isn’t worth listening to — because more than likely, there will be no Holy Spirit anointing behind it.”

Let me clarify a little bit. I think that we should be a community, and we should be willing to share ideas. But, I don’t think that we should be stealing each others ideas, or, as Todd put it, “cookie cutter” them. I think we should let them inspire us.

I think we should allow God to speak to us through what others say (provided that it lines up with scripture). I think if God shows me something in another persons sermon, I shouldn’t be afraid to quote it, but I should have enough decency to credit the person.

And I totally agree with Pastor Chet…I don’t want to hear something canned, I want to hear something birthed by the Holy Spirit.

I hope that helps clarify this a little bit.