From Marty Duren comes a timely and insightful look at keeping our focus on our mission and our strategies realistically capable of supporting that mission.  Thanks to Justin Meier, the Church Expansion Specialist for the Churches of God, General Conference for bringing this to my attention. - STEVE

Sports Illustrated, Blockbuster, and Your Church

 By Marty Duren

Years ago there was a world-beating sports magazine called Sports Illustrated. It was the one thing that every football, baseball, basketball loving person could not wait to see weekly in the mailbox or on the newsstand.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the throne crumbled. An upstart cable TV network called ESPN became the must-watch channel for sports fans. ESPN provided sports updates all morning so people getting ready for work could catch up on the scores and highlights from the previous night. No more having to wait a week for Sports Illustrated. Fans did not even have to wait until the sports segment on the evening news.

Now ESPN boasts multiple cable channels, a partnership with ABC Sports (via parent company, Disney), its own Olympics (the X-Games), its own magazine, and a host of other properties. ESPN is now THE undisputed leader in sports. Sports Illustrated still exists, but its once dominant foothold is long gone.

What is the difference? Sports Illustrated mistakenly thought it was in the magazine business. ESPN correctly understood itself to be in the sports information business. If Sports Illustrated had understood its true position and leveraged its talent base, reach and influence, ESPN might still be a channel.

Remember when there were Blockbuster stores? People got into their cars, drove miles to a brick building (or strip mall) to rent movies on VHS, and later on DVD. Remember when Blockbuster dropped their late fees even though it made up a large portion of its revenue? Why would a company willfully drop revenue?

This other out-of-nowhere company called Netflix had arrived. A Netflix membership allowed you to order DVDs online and have them sent directly to your mailbox! There were no late fees. Instead, you simply had to return the movies you had rented before ordering more. No driving in the snow or rain, no penalty for being forgetful—and no need to rewind. Netflix was a game changer.

As if that were not enough, Netflix was an early provider of online streaming movies and TV shows enabling subscribers to watch on their desktop, laptop or tablet. Now Netflix produces its own shows and movies.

What is the difference? Blockbuster mistakenly thought it was in the movie rental business. Netflix correctly understood itself to be in the entertainment content delivery business. Blockbuster had both the market share and the leverage to do everything Netflix did. They simply did not have the understanding of the times or vision of the future.

Unfortunately many churches are like Sports Illustrated and Blockbuster. They rightly see themselves are repositories of truth with a responsibility to get truth to others. Unfortunately, they hold to a singular content delivery system—the Sunday morning service—as ultimate. This is a time when people expect multiple delivery systems as the norm. For churches, the content will not change; the gospel is the same. But our delivery systems and touchpoints with “customers” must change both for the sake of our members and those who need Jesus.

One way to make our content (the gospel) more readily available is for churches to re-evaluate everything about their online presence from the website to use of social media. People who live in your area do not reach for the Yellow Pages or the church directory of the county newspaper. If they are looking for a church at all, they will use a search engine or the search bar on Facebook. If you have a website that looks like a template from Geocities or a middle schooler’s 2006 Myspace page, you have blown it.

Websites need not have elaborate image sliders and be covered in HTML5 moving parts. They simply need to be clean and easy to navigate. Remember: the landing page needs to be friendly to non-attendees, so service times and contact information need to be prominent. Members—those who visit the website regularly—know where to look for other information. Ease of use is for non-members, not for members. Additionally, make sure your social media is just that: social. Do not make announcements on your Facebook page then neglect to answer related questions. Social media is a conversation, not an info dump.

So much content can be provided via a church website it is hard to cover it all in such a short article. Podcasts of the sermon, videos of the entire service, new member training, a pastor’s welcome, bulletin downloads, student ministry permission forms, and so much more are all content pieces just waiting to be added to your church website.

Churches should learn from Sports Illustrated’s missed opportunity and Blockbuster’s failure. Do not isolate yourself into a single content delivery system. Put the Internet to work for you and your church for the sake of the gospel.

THIS POST IS REBLOGGED FROM PASTORS TODAY

THE OUTWARD FOCUSED CHURCH 2.0

We have been on hiatus on this blog for several months, evaluating its purpose. From its inception THE OUTWARD FOCUSED CHURCH has reflected a personal passion of mine--- connecting people to Jesus Christ and helping churches provide thoughtful,faithful,fruitful and welcoming ministry. In this effort I received much encouragement, especially from Rick Russaw of THE EXTERNALLY FOCUSED CHURCH who saw in me a kindred spirit. Along the way, I found myself developing other blogs with various niches: preaching, leadership development, evangelism, discipleship, even humor. Some of those blogs are listed in the BLOGROLL.

In the last 18 months, much of my personal emphasis has centered around a ministry that I developed with the encouragement and financial support of the Commission on Evangelism of the Eastern Regional Conference of the Churches of God, General Conference. That ministry is called Bridgebuilders and has as its mission helping churches reach their unchurched neighbors. Basically it is teaching churches how to be missionaries to the mission field that begins at their front door. I began teaching for them and also developing on-line newsletters, the latter depending heavily on my own original writing.  It is supported by a blog linked particularly to Bridgebuilders Seminars called BRIDGES TO THE BRIDGE.

I have also developed a consulting and training ministry that goes beyond my parent region of my tribe, and works cross-denomination.  It is called Bridgebuilders Minstries and is supported by a blog called BEING THE BEST CHURCH FOR THE COMMUNITY. 

Both blogs go beyond techniques, programs. etc to educate in making a shift from a traditional church or membership culture to a disciple or Gospel culture.  They contain the bulk of my original work these days.

But I continue to come across materials that cross a broad spectrum of ideas and issues, all focused on one powerful necessity--making sure the church has a outward focus--a focus that keeps them on mission with Jesus.

So I am resuming this blog with that purpose in mind.  Much of its content will be repostings from excellent leaders like Sam and Thom Rainer, Charles Stone, and others. Watch tomorrow for the first of these as THE OUTWARD FOCUSED CHURCH develops a 2.0 version of itself. - STEVE DUNN

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT TELEVISION ADVERTISING

Gilbert Thurston and Chad Chute pastor a Churches of God, General Conference congregation in Harrisburg PA that meets in a Regal Theater. TV advertising is one of their tools:

FRIENDLY VERSUS WELCOMING

 

by Steve Dunn

Many churches like to proclaim that they are a friendly church. They emblazon the phrase  across their advertising–both print and web. They are proud of the fact that they now how to smile when people come in, maybe even shake hands during that moment of friendship in worship. It’s what they like to brag about when talking to others about their church–especially people from other churches who are comparing notes. The belief that they are friendly is often something very necessary for them to feel good about themselves and their church.

The unfortunate thing is that it often more a wish than a truth.  It is often a self-deception that shields us from thinking about visitors who show up or new people looking for a way to belong; or a rationalization for not making a great investment in actually connected with new people and visitors.  Smile, shake hands, and then go back to the group in the church you always connect with, and go about your usual Sunday morning business with a clear conscience but no significant connection with that person who is seeking something from the church.

I’ve actually yet to meet a church that says officially, “We really don’t care if you’re here or not, but whatever you do, don’t ask to do anything that disturbs our carefully constructed comfort.”  And yet that is the reality that visitors or new people encounter in far too many church situations.

For a church to truly reach new people for Christ, it must shift to asking “our we a welcoming church?”

1. A welcoming church invests significant time beginning on Sunday morning with getting to know those visitors or newcomers.  Inviting them to tell you about them instead or feeling the need to have equal time in the conversation.

2. A welcoming church has people whose gifts are hospitality and who are positioned to do so. These people do not have nine different jobs on a Sunday morning.

3. A welcoming church carries on its activity into the week, through visits and contacts and acts of kindness. It does not wait for someone to return or make a request before doing anything else.

4. A welcoming church does not make it the pastor’s job to do follow-up with visitors.  He’s the one paid to do it and the newcomers know that.  They are much more impressed by lay people who take the time to make the follow-up contact.

5. A welcoming church takes responsibility to help new people feel welcome and a part.

6. A welcoming church takes new people to lunch as their guests on Sunday.

7. A welcoming church learns the names of new people and introduces the new people to others.

8. A welcoming church has a plan to help new people find their place in the church family.

9. A welcoming church does not ask visitors to stand or wear name tags.  People don’t like to be put on display.

10. A welcoming church explains itself to people who are attempting to connect–especially in worship, be sure that you periodically discuss why you do things as you do and ask, how safe or included would this make a person feel who is trying to find a place in the church.

11. A welcoming church asks new people, do you feel welcome here? and then learns from and deals honestly with the answers.

(C) 2013 by Stephen L Dunn

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THE KEY TO WORKING WITH A SCHOOL--A SERVANT'S HEART AND A SERVANT'S ATTITUDE

 BY STEVE DUNN

Part 2 of a Series

Schools have become the center of most communities, often supplanting the position a key church once else. This acutally makes them now a prime mission field for churches who seek to build bridges of truth and grace,.  The key here is to surrender any idea of controlling the school or asking the school to serve your mission.  The key is to seek to influence a school by showing it how the church can help the school accomplish its mission.

The primary goal of most schools is to provide a quality education by giving kids academic knowledge and lifeskills necessary to function as useful members of the society. What that involves varies from community to community and is often dependent upon three things:(1) the graduation requirements of state departments of higher education (2) the constraints of budgets available from the taxation system (3) the socio-economic needs of the community they serve.

Many school superintendants or principals will tell you that there are many competing groups trying to control that agenda.  As such, school administrators have an instinctive reaction against anyone who wants to use the schools for their purposes--whether it by the federal government, taxpayer groups, political parties, or special interests (in which category they often place churches).

It is not without accident that Jesus taught us that true leadership comes through humility and self-sacrifice.  These are the two key ingredients in servanthood.

You demonstrate a servant's heart when you pay attention to the "little people" (i.e., the support staff) and offer to help them.  One church gained inroads because their youth staff visiting school lunch rooms helped the kitchen bus the tables.

You demonstrate a servant's heart when you help the school do the community research it must have to make its reports and justify its proposals for funding.

You demonstrate a servant's heart when you ask that principal, "What's one job around here that you have trouble getting people to do?" and then you go do it.

You demonstrate a servant's heart whenyou give your Christmas offering to support the "family emergency fund" that most office of student services must have to meet lower income needs.

You demonstrate a servant's heart when you don't feel the need to brag about what you do for the school on your websites.  You let the school do the bragging about you.

(C) 2013 by Stephen Dunn

 

Reprint permission: You have permission to reprint for your ministry or repost as long as you do not alter the post and give credit to its author. An email note from you would be appreciated by the author and a link back to this blog is always appreciated.

LEARNING TO WORK WITH A SCHOOL

 

 

 BY STEVE DUNN

Part 1 of a Series

 

 

There was a time when the church was the center of the community.  That position has long ago been supplanted by the community's schools.  As our society has become more secularized, as youth sports have grown, and through a variety of other factors, schools have come to definer of community rhythms and the schedules of countless households--even those without children.
 

Many churches have come to recognize that those same schools are a vital part of the mission field outside their front door.  Although such courtesies as "dark nights" in the school schedule to protect the church's priorities have been swallowed up the burgeoning demands of the schools, churches are wise to shun the attitude that sees the school as an adversary.  We need to see schools as a vital venue for building redemptive relationships with the larger community beyond the church's walls.

The church should begin by prayerfully examining the question: "How can we be the best church for community's schools?"  But do not assume you know the answer? Schools ultimately need the life transforming presence of Jesus Christ, but first a church must respond to the school's felt needs

Here are some simple steps to getting started.

Prayerfully ask God to identify the school He wants your church to build a redemptive relationship with.

Learn all you can about the school so that you have a sense of their needs and assess if you have the resources to help them.

Have the pastor make an appointment with the principal.  Be sure to schedule it at the principal's convenience.  Simply explain that your church wants to provide some volunteer assistance for his or her school. Ask him, "What is something that we could help you with to relieve some of the work load of himself or his staff, or to help the school save some money, or to achieve something the school needs but currently lacks the time, manpower and resources to accomplish?"

Do NOT ask him to do something for you.  There will come a time when it will be appropriate to ask the school's support or participation, but that tends to come in at later point when you have earned that right.

Offer to fund items for this.   

  

If he has something, and most will--tell him you will see what you can do to meet his request--and do so quickly (not hastily).  Report back to him promptly.

  

Next post: The Key to Working with the School: A Servant's Heart and Attitude

 

(C) 2013 by Stephen L Dunn 

 

Reprint permission: You have permission to reprint for your ministry or repost as long as you do not alter the post and give credit to its author. An email note from you would be appreciated by the author and a link back to this blog is always appreciated.

 

9 SIGNS YOUR CHURCH IS READY TO REACH UNCHURCHED PEOPLE

 An excellent post from Cary Nieuwhof

Almost every church I know says they want to reach unchurched people. But few are actually doing it. Part of the problem stems from the fact that many churches don’t really understand unchurched people (here’s a post on 15 characteristics of today’s unchurched person). And part of the problem is that our model of church is designed to reach and help churched people, not unchurched people.

 Churches haven’t embraced change deeply enough. So you can say you want to reach people all day long. You can teach about it every week. But if you haven’t designed your church around ministering to people who don’t go to church, you might as well be preaching that you want to lose weight while eating a triple cheeseburger. Your model simply doesn’t match your mission. So how do you know that your church is actually ready to reach unchurched people?

 Here are 9 signs your church is ready to embrace unchurched people:

 1. Your main services engage teenagers. I’ve talked with many church leaders who want to reach unchurched people who can’t understand why unchurched people don’t like their church. They would be stumped until I asked them one last question: do the teens in your church love your services and want to invite their friends? As soon as I asked that question, the leader’s expression would inevitably change. He or she would look down at the floor and say ‘no’. Here’s what I believe: if teens find your main services (yes, the ones you run on Sunday mornings) boring, irrelevant, and disengaging, so will unchurched people. As a rule, if you can design services that engage teenagers, you’ve designed a church service that engages unchurched people.

 2. People who attend your church actually know unchurched people. Many Christians say they want to reach unchurched people, but they don’t actually know any unchurched people well enough to invite them. One of the reasons we run almost no church programs at Connexus where I serve (other than small groups and few other steps toward discipleship) is that we want our families to get to know unchurched people. We want them to play community sports, get involved at their kids school and have time for dinner parties and more. You can’t do that if you’re at church 6 nights a week. We don’t do many ministries because our people are our ministry.

 3. Your attenders are prepared to be non-judgmental. Unchurched people do not come ‘pre-converted’. They will have lifestyle issues that might take years to change (and let’s be honest, don’t you?). Cleaning up your behaviour is not a pre-condition for salvation, at least not in Christianity. What God has done for us in Jesus saves us; not what we have done for God. Is your congregation really ready to love unchurched people, not just judge them? (I wrote about why Christians should let non-Christians off the moral hook here.) One of Jesus’ genius approaches was to love people into life change. If your people can do that, you’re ready to reach unchurched people
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 4. You’re good with questions. This one’s still hard for me. I like to think that every question has an answer. I think one of the reasons unchurched people flee churches is they feel shut down when every question they ask has a snappy or even quick answer. They will find answers, but you need to give them time. Embracing the questions of unchurched people is a form of embracing them.

 5. You’re honest about your struggles. Unchurched people get suspicious when church leaders and Christians want to appear to have it ‘all together’. Let’s face it, you don’t. And they know it. When you are honest about your struggles, it draws unchurched people closer. I make it a point to tell unchurched people all the time that our church isn’t perfect, that we will probably let them down, but that one of the marks of a Christian community is that we can deal with our problems face to face and honestly, and that I hope we will be able to work it through. There is a strange attraction in that.

 6. You have easy, obvious, strategic and helpful steps for new people. I am still such a fan of thinking steps, not programs (Here’s an older but awesome (free) Andy Stanley podcast of all Seven Practices of Effective Ministry). One sure sign that you are ready to handle an influx of unchurched people is that your church has a clear, easily accessible path way to move someone from their first visit right through to integration with existing Christians in small groups or other core ministries. Most churches simply have randomly assembled programs that lead nowhere in particular.

 7. You’ve dumped all assumptions. It’s so easy to assume that unchurched people ‘must know’ at least the basics of the Christian faith. Lose that thinking. How much do you (really ) know about Hinduism or Taoism? That’s about how much many unchurched people (really) know about Christianity. Don’t fight it. Embrace it. Make it easy for everyone to access what you are talking about whenever you are talking about it.

 8. Your ‘outreach’ isn’t just a program. Many Christians think having a ‘service’ for unchurched people or a program designed for unchurched people is enough. It’s not. When you behave like reaching unchurched people can be done through a program or an alternate service, you’re building a giant brick wall for unchurched people to walk into. You might as well tell them “This program is for you, but our church is for us. Sorry.”

 9. You are flexible and adaptable. In the future, you will not ‘arrive’. I think the approach to unchurched people and the strategy behind the mission of the church needs to be flexible and adaptable. Don’t design a ‘now we are done’ model to reaching unchurched people. You might never be done. Churches that are adaptable and flexible in their strategy (not in their mission or vision) will have the best chance of continually reaching unchurched people. “How quickly can your church change?” will become a defining characteristic of  future churches. (If you want to read more about change, I wrote Leading Change Without Losing It last year. Additionally, John Kotter’s Leading Change is a must-read classic.) Those are 9 signs I see that your church is ready to reach unchurched people. What do you see?