As I travel around and visit churches, one thing I love to do is play the part of a ‘secret shopper’ and experience how a first-time guest is welcomed at a church. I thought I had seen and heard all of the tricks and styles of welcoming visitors to churches, but my recent visit to Elevation Church in Charlotte changed my perception. They literally treat their first-time visitors like VIPs.

Here’s how it went down:

• Rockstar Parking. When we pulled up to the campus there was a sign for first-time visitors to turn on their hazard lights to let the parking lot volunteers direct you to the VIP Parking reserved for guests. We did and were given a parking spot literally steps from the front door of the church.
• A VIP Welcome. As we were parking, a volunteer came to our car and welcomed us. She was incredibly friendly and genuinely acted excited that we were there. She explained to us that at Elevation Church every guest is treated like a VIP. She then handed us a VIP brochure that included a short note from Pastor Steven Furtick, notes for where to go for your first-time visit, info for families with children, and ways to connect at the church. There was also an audio CD attached to the brochure that had a few songs written by the Elevation worship team and a message from Pastor Steven. All this in the first :45 of being on their property.
• An Incentive to Get Your Info. We were also handed information cards and a pen and told that if we would fill those out and return them to a designated spot after the service, they would donate $1 to a local charity as thanks for sharing our information with them. That was pretty cool. Even though I was an out-of-towner, I loved the idea that I could chip in and help a local charity.
• Warm Greetings All Around. As we walked in, the VIP brochure I was holding was a dead giveaway to the volunteers and each one of them greeted us enthusiastically. But, I will add, it wasn’t too much and didn’t seem pushy. (I would note we were in the South; people are just friendlier there.) The volunteer that met us at our car literally walked with us into the auditorium and led us to an usher who directed us to our seat. Unreal.
• Great Welcome From the Front. We all know how awkward those ‘if anyone is new here, please raise your hand’ moments can be in church. At Elevation, they didn’t put any pressure on you to acknowledge your newness, but rather warmly welcomed all of the VIPs of the day and reiterated how we could get connected and where to go after the service to get more information.
• I Got a Free T-shirt. So after the service was over (which it was great) I went to the table we were directed to go to with our info cards. Some of the volunteers recognized me and asked what I thought of the service and wanted to know about my experience. I turned in my visitor card and then they asked me if I wanted a t-shirt. Yes, an Elevation Church t-shirt. That may have been a little over-the-top for me, but it was still cool that for every first-time guest they’d invest as much as they did. Now I can literally say I went there and got a t-shirt.

As I was driving away I was blown away by the experience. The service was great and the message was challenging, but it was the welcome I received that really made the entire experience. If I would have been new to Charlotte and looking for a church home, there’s no doubt that my reception and welcome at Elevation would have kept me coming back.

But Wait… There’s More…

• A Real-Life Telephone Call. On Monday night I was back home in Chicago and got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize. By default, I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t know. About a minute later I got a voicemail notification. I listened and it was a real-life person calling me from Elevation Church to thank me for being there the night before. He noticed I was visiting from out of town and wanted to let me know if I was just visiting that he hoped I had a great time and if I was relocating or coming back to Charlotte that he hoped I’d come back and visit again. He also offered that if I needed anything or needed prayer that I could call the church. WOW! In our automated age, the simple act of a personalized phone call is HUGE. I visited a church a while ago that routinely calls me every Thursday night with a pre-recorded message from the pastor letting me know what’s going on at the church that weekend. I don’t know how to unsubscribe from that. But this personalized call was unreal. Long gone are the days of the pastor or elders going to visit first-time guests at their homes, but this is definitely a 21st century spin on that.
• A Helpful Email. Then, the following morning I got an email with the subject line, “Thank for joining us! But wait, there’s more!” The email was beautifully designed and included a video message from the campus pastor of the campus we visited and included links for information about their small groups and children’s ministry. There were also links to take a survey to get feedback from your experience and a link to spread the word and invite your friends.
• A Handwritten Postcard. The day after that, no joke, I got a handwritten postcard in the mail, again, thanking me for visiting, inviting me back to visit and letting me know that they were praying for me. More bonus points for the personalization. That’s huge.
• A Letter From the Pastor. Then, seriously not joking, the day after that I got an official welcome letter from Pastor Steven in the mail. It was more like a form letter, but after the mix of personalized touch points, it was totally fine that he didn’t personally sit down and write me a letter. He’s kind of a big deal and a busy guy anyway. But, again, it was just an incredible continued way of keeping me in the loop.

Some Thoughts

While it may not be feasible for every church to provide the rockstar VIP treatment that Elevation does for their guests, I do believe that every church should take some notes from my experience there. I can tell you that I’ve been in many other great churches in the last few years where my presence as a visitor was hardly acknowledged.

Every time someone visits a church they are taking a risk. Everyone has their reasons for NOT going to church and people have reasons for making the choice to go to a church. They are searching for something and a need to feel loved and embraced by the church. The church is a family and we need to make people feel like they are coming home when they come to visit.

It’s been said that people will make up their minds about their experience at a church in the first five minutes of being there. If their experience from the parking lot to the sanctuary isn’t positive, it doesn’t even really matter what happens in the service. You’ve got to go out of your way from the moment they arrive at the door to roll out the red carpet.

I know this all could sound a bit consumeristic but let’s face it, we live in a consumeristic society and people go ‘church shopping’ with lists in hand of what they expect. I’m not suggesting churches bend to meet what people are looking for, but that we meet them halfway and go out of our way to welcome them. People want to feel like they belong. People want to feel valued. People want to be acknowledged. People need to feel welcomed when they visit churches.

Elevation Church has grown from a small group of 40 people to over 16,000 in under 6 years. There’s a lot at play and an obvious movement of God’s Spirit and favor, but I believe their commitment to welcome people like they have has helped them grow as much as they have.

First impressions matter and they made a great one.

A Cool Sidenote…

One of my co-workers was with me in Charlotte and she went to dinner with some friends in the area. They had a great experience at the restaurant. The manager came around and she told him about how she had always said she had wanted to find a church that welcomed people as warmly as the Apple Store does, but that now she would need to add that restaurant to the list. He said, “well, I think I have the church for you, then. It’s called Elevation.”

When I was a creative arts pastor, we’d have this ongoing weekly discussion about service announcements. We’d talk about the best delivery method, the best location in the service, and the best people for the job.

During that time, I admit that I had quite the adversarial relationship with church announcements. They felt, to me, a bit like an exploratory colonoscopy. I knew how important the procedure was, but I’d rather not endure it. And while that’s too much information about me, you get the idea.

Love. Hate.

I did both.

You’re probably like me.

In my latter years, I’ve discovered that the foundational issue has nothing to do with the best delivery method, the best location, or the best people. The foundational answer has to do with David.

DAVID’S TABLE-TALK

The Psalms are written in a variety of ways. One of those ways is found in Psalm 4. And if you don’t know what’s going on, you might think David has spent too much time playing in the local poppy fields.

In Psalm 4, David starts his words out by speaking directly to God. I’m not concerned with what David says, but Who he says them to. For one verse, He speaks to God (4:1).

Then in verse 2, David starts directing his words to people (4:2-5). He does this without saying anything like, “I’m gonna redirect here”. He just switches with no warning or explanation.  It doesn’t make much sense, to be honest.

Finally, in verse 6, David returns once again, speaking directly to God (4:6). No warning or proclamation. He just switches.

Here’s what I think is happening. I think David views this conversation as happening around a table. I think he understands that there are many people around the table. And I think David is fully aware that God is taking one of the seats, too. So he talks to God, then to people, then to God. In other Psalms, God talks to people, too. The whole thing is pretty cool.

God. David. People. All around a table. All looking at each other. All speaking. All listening.

I think our worship services are just like that.

There are People-to-God Moments – Examples include music, the offering, and any commitment we make. The Lord’s Supper can fall into this category.

There are God-to-People Moments – Examples include the teaching of God’s word through a speaker, a great video or drama. The Lord’s Supper can fall into this category, too.

There are People-to-People Moments – These are moments like David had, where people are speaking to people, with an acute awareness that God is sitting there, too.

The best church announcements happen when people speak to people with an acute awareness that God is sitting there, too.

And it’s the church communicator’s job to spend time framing those verbal moments in preparation for their church services. If you buy into what I’m saying, then church announcements can take on a whole new priority.

They can actually matter deeply to people.

GUIDELINES FOR FRAMING ANNOUNCEMENTS

I’d suggest that we frame these moments using the following guidelines:

Choose Story over Details – For the upcoming Women’s Retreat, have one woman speak about how God transformed her heart at last year’s Retreat. For more details, drive people to the bulletin or website. People tell stories, but forget details. In our churches, we give way too many details, but not enough stories. We need to reverse that.

Use Announcements as Sermon Illustrations -  If there’s a big event in the life of your church, ask the pastor to weave it into his sermon as an illustration of life change, or church mission. Sometimes the best announcements don’t happen during the time allotted for announcements.

Connect Announcements to God’s Heart – It’s not a missions dinner; it’s an evening of stories about how God’s name is becoming more famous in Haiti. It’s not a Newcomer’s Class; it’s an hour discovering the God who loves us enough not to let us stay where we are. It’s not a men’s ministry event; it’s a chance for men to connect with the warrior heart that God has given them.

Script and Memorize the First Line - If you don’t this, you’ll wing it. And I promise, it’ll be marginally good.

I honestly believe that the whole announcement thing can blow up in your church. But they may need a complete shift in perspective, as well as an hour or two of intentional planning.

This stuff isn’t easy, but nothing worthwhile is.

Especially when so much is at stake.

________________

What’s your take?

How does your church handle announcements?

What do you think of the new ways Gary has framed church announcements?

________________

Gary Molander has been married to Angela for 22 years, and is the father of three daughters whom  you cannot date. Gary served as a pastor for seventeen years and has a Masters Degree in Creative Arts. He is the author of “Pursuing Christ. Creating Art.”, a book that explores life at the intersection of faith and creativity. Gary is the co-owner of Floodgate Productions, and Floodgate Creative, and is the Founder and President of The Floodgate Foundation

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Simplicity matters, especially in today’s cluttered world.

Last fall I had the chance to read TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie’s book Start Something That Matters, where he shares the story of TOMS and other innovative organizations [method, charity:water, FEED] to encourage readers to transform their lives and businesses by doing work that matters.

Blake shared some thoughts on simplicity that I thought were pertinent for church communicators to take note of… check it out:

The easier it is for someone to understand who you are and what you stand for, the easier it will be for that person to spread the word to others. Having a clear function, design, and purpose means that your story can be spread easily, whether you’re pitching to investors or chatting to riders in elevators. Someone must understand it before they can adopt it or purchase it. It’s really that simple.

Keeping it simple means the message is also sticky. When people hear a catchy phrase or idea, it stays in their head and they tell others. That’s why so many of the greatest taglines and mantras in the corporate world have been the most direct. You are constantly being bombarded by messages from companies wanting your attention and your business. The more straightforward the message, the more likely it is to penetrate your filters.

- from Start Something That Matters (p 112-113)

Bringing it Closer to Home…

We, as church communicators, have a job ahead of us. We have to take complicated ideas and make them simple. We have to take scattered ideas and arrange them into a coherent thought. We have to relentlessly push things through the filter of our church’s unique vision to reinforce it. And we have to help our staff and leadership see and understand the value of simplicity.

Could you clearly answer these questions in one sentence? And more importantly, if you asked multiple staff members or people who attend your church these questions, would you get the same answers?

• What does your church stand for?
• What’s your unique mission or vision?
• What are some of the key phrases of your church/organization?
• What need are you meeting in your community?
• If your church ceased to exist tomorrow, what would people miss the most?

In our complicated world, don’t complicate the simple message of the Gospel: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

* In classic TOMS One-for-One fashion, for every copy purchased, TOMS will donate a new book to a child in need. Check it out.

• I believe passionately that the local church is the hope of the world and believe we’ve got the greatest message that’s out there, the message of the Gospel.
• I carry the conviction that the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing, creativity, and storytelling.
• Marketers spend millions of dollars every single year to tell us that our lives would be better or enhanced with the products, services, or ideas they are selling.
• We aren’t about selling salvation as a product, trying to woo people to our services, or trying to convince them to convert to what we think… we are about seeing the trajectory of people’s lives changed and hearts surrendered to the Gospel.
• I believe that with every generation comes the challenge of communicating the unchanging, timeless message of the Gospel in way that is relevant and compelling to the culture of its time.
• We live in a generation that has been influenced and shaped by marketing.
• God is the author of creativity … the first glimpse we see of him in creation is that he is a creative God
• I believe that we are called to reflect that same creativity in to whatever it is that we do for Him…and in this instance, in how we market and communicate His message to the community where our churches find themselves.

Traditional Marketing

• Traditional marketing, by definition, means “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services.”
• Marketing, as we know it today, was deeply influenced by the MadMen era of advertising executives.
• Those ideas have created a tidal wave of commercial messages that have interrupted our daily lives.
• The average person is exposed to over 3,000 commercial images every single day… that’s nearly 1 million per year.
• Everywhere you look, there’s a constant barrage of messages and information trying to get our attention.
• The result of that is we’ve learned to filter out the noise.
• We record TV shows to our DVRs and fast forward the commercials.
• We glaze over banner ads and pop-up windows.
• We are sick of marketing.
• We are sick of being sold to.
• We’ve learned to be untrusting of what’s being sold to us.
• This generation has lost trust in marketing, big business, politics, and religion.
• The rules of marketing have changed.
• Marketers have even gone so far as to redefine marketing.
• In 2011, the American Marketing Association changed their definition of marketing to say marketing is, “an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.”
• It’s moved from promoting and selling to adding value and managing relationships.
• You can’t buy your way to the top and you can’t win by plastering your name everywhere.
• What captures people’s attention today isn’t a clever jingle or great art and copy [although those things can help]; it’s compelling stories, emotional connection, and sharing.
• Here’s an example:

• That commercial was for a WEB BROWSER.
• 10 years ago a commercial message would have focused on the features and explained why GoogleChrome was one of the best web browsers for you to use.
• Instead, this commercial focused on the story. It gives you emotional connection. It’s less about the product and more about the story it helps you tell.
• It works.

4 Things You Need to Know About Church Marketing

1 – Marketing isn’t a line item on your budget.

• Church marketing isn’t a line item on your budget.
• It’s not a group or committee of volunteers.
• It’s not what you do at Easter and Christmas.
• It’s not fliers, brochures, mailers, or even your website.
• Marketing is the sum total of everything your church does.
• Every phone call a staff member takes is marketing.
• Everything you write for your church web site is marketing.
• Every usher, greeter and children’s worker is marketing.
• Every word your pastor says [or doesn’t say] is marketing.
• Every e-mail interaction someone has with a member of your church staff is marketing.
• Every person who attends your church is marketing for church
• Everything your church does is marketing.
• The challenging part of all of this is how much of it is out of our control.
• We can try to manage perceptions, set standards and expectations, and create compelling media and slick brochures, but it’s everything everyone else does that truly markets your church.
• Church marketing is a team effort that’s not on the shoulders of a single person or department in your church, but the collaborative efforts of everyone (paid staff, volunteers, and attendees) that ultimately defines your church marketing.
• What message are the experiences people have with your church communicating?
• What does your marketing say about you and your church?
• What different aspects of people’s experiences with your church that need to be reworked?
• Is there a disconnect between what you say and what people experience?
• Where are the gaps in your marketing?
• Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Starbucks marketed like a church?

FREE? Are you serious? Yes. Well, kind of… but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Format: 12 people. 6 months. 12 one-on-one sessions. 6 group hangouts. All virtual.

I’ll be accepting 12 people for 6 months of intensive coaching that will combine personal one-on-one conversations and monthly group hangout sessions that will all be done online. Additionally, all participants will be invited to join a private online community where they can share what they are learning, post projects to give/receive feedback, and to connect with others who are a part of the group.

Each month will have a monthly focus that will be reinforced with a weekly lesson and video from yours truly as well as in bi-weekly individual coaching times and in our monthly group discussion. Along the way you’ll also have the chance to connect with some key church communication leaders and people I’m learning from.

The goal is to help you individually focus on areas where you need to grow as a church communications director and to connect you with others who are on the same journey.

I’ve never done this before so I don’t know what to promise or what you can expect, but I am confident that together we’ll all learn and grow.

So, really… free?

Having served on church staff teams in the past, I know that finances can be a major barrier to experiences that could have immense potential to help you grow. I don’t want anyone to miss out on a great opportunity because of cost. So, the cost of this is up to you.

I’ll give my time, energy, and attention to making this a beneficial learning experience. Participants will be asked to donate what they feel is appropriate for what they get. I know that’s risky, but I’ve done crazier things in my life. And, this format forces us all to give and invest our best.

Interested?

Click here to download more information.  Read through the fine print to get a better idea of what will be a part of this learning experience and see if you think this would be a good fit for you.

Then, apply online here.

Applications will be accepted through January 18, 2012. Applicants will be notified by January 25. All applications will be considered but only 12 will be chosen.

If you’re adventurous and brave enough to embark on the journey with me, let’s do it!

Churches have multiple audiences… their members, people who regularly attend, casually attenders, and those who are in their surrounding community that haven’t stepped through their door. But, when it comes to their audience, what I try to get at is this: Who are you reaching? Not who do you want to reach… who are are you really reaching? Who is sitting in your audience? Young families? Young adults? Singles? Families? Boomers?

If it’s true that most people come on the arm of a friend to church, than in most cases, the people your church will reach in the future look a lot like the people who are already in the pews.

Every church has a key audience of people they are reaching, intentionally or unintentionally. 

I think some of the most successful churches recognize the unique people groups they reach and focus their energy appropriately, while others scramble to figure out how to have a broad reach and oftentimes ignore the key people God has placed within their reach.

Now, I know what Paul says,”I have become all things to all men,” and I’m not a theologian, I’m a church communications guy, so I won’t even try to unpack that one or try to decipher the Greek. But, I wonder if churches are spending way too much time trying to be something they aren’t to reach people they aren’t equipped or called to reach.

Everyone matters. And every church should do everything they can to reach everyone, BUT I’m beginning to think and question if a church can be all things to all people. Can one church really reach EVERYONE in a community? Is that possible?  Is that right?

I read a few quotes recently that challenged my thinking further on this:

“If you persist in trying to be all things to all people, you will fail. The alternative, then, is to be something important to a few people.” – Seth Godin, in We Are All Weird

“You can’t be all things to all people and still maintain your credibility and integrity. Make sure your story…draws from your core strength.” – Blake Mycoskie, in Start Something That Matters 

It takes all kinds of different churches to reach all kinds of different people.

Your individual church isn’t God’s answer all of the problems in your community, but it’s part of the solution. Your church isn’t the only church in your community and you are not equipped to holistically minister to everyone in your community. Don’t take that burden upon yourself, but don’t become lazy in reaching out or caring for the people God has put in your pews or within your reach. Just realize it’s not all up to you, and ultimately, it’s all up to Christ.

Just as the body of Christ has many parts, each with their own specific function, I believe that churches each have a specific part to play and purpose to fulfill in their communities. Every church reaches different types of people on different parts of their spiritual journeys, and collectively, can make a difference in their communities. That’s one reason why I think just as unity in the body of Christ is important, so is unity between churches in a community. Your real competition isn’t the church down the street, it’s the forces of darkness that keep people in bondage. It’s the things that keep people from finding their way to your church, or another church in your community.

Your church is unique for a reason.

“If your church ceased to exist tomorrow, what would your community miss?” is a common question asked in consulting sessions that help churches focus on their mission or vision, and in this context, it applies, too.

Your church has something unique embedded in its DNA.

God has uniquely placed you where you are with the people you have for a purpose. Don’t try to be something you aren’t. Dressing younger, adding cool lights or video, playing different kinds of music… all those things are just periphery and people can see right through it. Be authentic. Be who you are. Allow your church to be what God has created it to become. You will reach the people God has called you to reach. Be faithful to the context where God has placed you. Be committed to the people He’s bringing to you. Recognize the unique audience you are reaching and pray for God to give you wisdom on how to continue to minister to them while caring for all the people in your community. Recognize the job of saving your city isn’t all up to you and your church, but that you play an important and vital role to the people your church is reaching in your community.  Keep your doors open to everyone but understand the unique needs of the people God is bringing your way.

So what’s your take?

Do you think too many churches try to be something they aren’t?

Do you think that churches can be all things to all people?

Do you think it’s wrong for churches to cater to a specific demographic?

[I've got no answers here, I'm just raising some questions and sharing some of my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours!]

Today I’m turning 29. I know “30 is the new 20″ and my friend Steven Murray encouraged me saying that life really begins when you’re 30. Either way, I’m excited for one last lap in my 20s and am excited for what this next year has in store.

As I sat and reflected today, I set some goals for the next year, one of which was focusing on becoming a better blogger and more than that, to practice gratitude and giving through this little platform called my blog.

To kick things off, I’m excited to announce the launch of a monthly newsletter. 

Why an newsletter? Seems a bit dated, huh? I thought so, too. But, after realizing people are connected on many different channels, it made sense to create something that would add value across another medium… EMAIL.

Around the first of every month or so I’ll send a monthly newsletter to your inbox that will include…

• The latest and greatest in the world of church communication.
• Riffs and rants on church life, leadership, and culture.
• Highlights from my blog [and from others!] over the past month.
• Inside scoop on upcoming conferences, books, and resources.
• Freebies and giveaways… lots of them!
• Exclusive content that won’t show up on my blog!
• …and much more as it morphs and takes shape [your input will be valuable!].

To sign up to join my email list, simply click here.

Don’t worry, I won’t share your information or abuse my rights into your Inbox. Periodically I may get excited about something and send you an email more than once a month, but I’ll try and restrain myself. I promise.

I’ll randomly pick someone who signs up between now and December 1 to win the Ultimate Church Communicators Toolkit. The winner will be announced in the first edition of my newsletter.

And, if email isn’t your thing, always remember there are other ways you can stay connected:

• Subscribe via RSS
• Follow me (@timschraeder) on Twitter
• “Like” me on Facebook
• Circle up with me on Google+ (do people still use that?)

Well, the actual application itself hasn’t changed my life, but the connections, opportunities and relationships that have been a part of my life the past four years [yeah, I was a nerd in 2007 when I joined] were in many ways a result of my engagement on Twitter. It’s pretty hard for me to imagine my life without Twitter and the good it has created in my life, both personally and professionally.

Thanks to Twitter, I’ve been connected with people I would have never had the opportunity to meet before and have people in my life who I would consider to be close friends that I haven’t even met in person yet. Projects like Outspoken and the Cultivate Conference would have never been possible without the Twitter community of church communications people backing it. My friendship with people like Jason Fried would have never been possible if it weren’t for Twitter [that's a crazy story I'll have to tell you sometime]. And, from my days @ParkChurch, there were countless stories of how people found out about Park through Twitter.

Twitter is a a simple tool but the good that it instigates and creates is non-negotiable.

Twitter launched a new initiative today that I’m already in love with: @twitterstories… real-life stories of how Twitter has created good, connected people, saved lives, given people a voice, and sparked movements. It’s beautiful, worth following and definitely worth the time to read.

And, being a church communications guy let me say this…

First, if your church or church leaders are hesitant to embrace social media, let this be yet another example of why it works and why it matters… you and your church MUST engage with social media. Just forward a few of these stories to your skeptics and see what they say. And use these stories as examples of ways your church could reach out and connect with people in your community. Creating good is just a part of “loving our neighbor as ourself.” Twitter puts you in direct connection with your neighbors and your community in ways that were never imaginable before. There are countless examples of how churches are leveraging this simple platform and reaching people with the Gospel.

Second, this again illustrates the power of storytelling. Stories create powerful human connection. Instead of just sharing statistics or information, this site brings the human side to the good being created by Twitter. It’s much more moving than some analytics. The stories are moving and give Twitter humanity beyond the technology… imagine if your church could create a similar platform for people to share their stories? Just some food for thought.

Thanks, Twitter for all you do. I’m a believer.  Thanks for sharing these amazing stories and for giving us space to tell them.

Apple Stores are known for their sleek and simple design, which mirror the incredible products that Apple creates. Their stores have a very distinct look and are easily identifiable.

I wasn’t the only one who snapped a picture of the Micrsoft Store and muttered words of displeasure over this blatant forgery. It’s hard to deny or hide, especially since the Apple Store was just a few storefronts down.

Some of the words that came to my mind looking at the blatant rip-off were: unoriginal, inauthentic, uninspired, and just plain lazy.

Case-in-point:

As I walked down to the Apple Store a sickening feeling came over me: I realized what I witnessed at the Microsoft Store is what so many churches are doing. They take a great idea or concept and adapt their own cheapened version of it and claim it as their own.

Whether it’s taking cues from pop culture or “borrowing” an idea from another church, many churches are plagued with unoriginality. The end result is that to many people in the communities they are trying to reach, like the Microsoft Store, they can come across as unoriginal, inauthentic, uninspired, and lazy.

Unoriginality is a common problem in most churches. Some excuse it, others embrace it, and I believe the best ones fight it.

Granted, there are “no original ideas,” but still… I am convinced that the church should be one of the most creative places on earth. We serve God who is a master designer and creator, so I firmly believe that inspired design and creativity shouldn’t be rare but rather be a consistent value expressed in all that we do. It’s a reflection of our Creator and the God we serve.

As Gary Molander reminds us, “You don’t need to create art for God. He doesn’t need it. You need to create art in response to God. The world needs it.”

The world, and your community, need the art that’s inside of you. And only what is truly and genuinely “you” and your church is what will speak to people.

The world needs originality and authenticity.

Your church is unique. We all carry the same mission: the Great Commission, however how we pursue that mission and articulate the vision God has given to each of our churches is unique to the place and people God is calling us to reach. You don’t necessarily need designers or a huge budget, but what you do need is an authentic and original expression of the things that make your church unique.

Don’t cheapen the image of Christ or the reflection of Him in your community by lazily copying or stealing other people’s ideas or work. Do the hard labor. Do the work. People recognize inspired design and value authenticity. Be moved by God, then let the things you create under His inspiration help move other people nearer to Him.

Just as the Apple Store reflects the simple beauty of the products they create, I believe your churches, in what you create, design, print, publish and produce, can reflect the beauty of the work God is doing in your church community.

Don’t mimic what the world creates or borrow ideas from other churches. Be a voice not an echo. Seek the Creator God and discern how you can use what you’ve got to tell the story God is writing in the life of your church.

What you are doing matters and it must be authentic and genuine. Start with what you have and ask for God to bless it. You don’t need mega-budgets, fancy tools, or a huge staff. God has given you everything you need to tell your story and to create spaces that draw people to Him. Make the most of what you’ve already got. Embrace constraints.

God has bigger dreams for your church than for you to be borrowing or stealing someone else’s. Stop copying, start creating. Be inspired but don’t imitate. Try new things. You have permission. Seek the Creator. Be observant to the world around you. Create things to speak to the core of people where you are and genuinely and authentically express God’s love, and ultimately, the Gospel with all you do.

Be original. There’s no one else you like you. No other church like yours. Your community and the body of Christ at large need you to flourish and be all that God created you to be and to become.

What makes you unique? What are the unique things your church does that no other church in community does? What’s the unique vision God has given to you? What is God calling you to do? Creatively and authentically express your answers to those questions in an original, inspired way.

• Honesty
• Value
• Connecting people to each other, not just you
• Measure progress (stories and numbers)
• Conversation not broadcast

Benefits

• Relationship collateral
• Reputation management
• Idea generation
• Audience/competitor research
• Fan loyalty
• Help others
• Record keeping

How to Get Started

• Determine your audience and objective
• Pick one, start slow
• Watch before your interact
• Don’t put on a non-social in charge of it. Assign by “shape” not by “org chart”
• Don’t control, cultivate
• Don’t start it unless you can maintain it
• Don’t censor unless there’s a problem.

Other Thoughts…

• People are asking the wrong question first… it’s not how can I get more people to my spot… it’s how can I make people’s lives better. It’s a gift exchange.
• Deliver what’s unique to you. Don’t recreate the wheel or try to copy what other people are doing.
• Honesty is more important than talent
• Don’t be defensive. Just don’t give people an outlet to throw rocks.
• Would I do the same thing online if I was in someone’s living room.
• It’s a process, not an event. Be slow and deliberate.
• Don’t advertise it. Just practice, find your voice… find your groove. Populate your shelves before you invite the customers.
• Earn the right to share certain stuff. Start with your strength.
• Do new things in your own voice.
• Leave room for people to enter themselves into the story. If you do all the talking, there is no room for others to get involved. Leave it open ended.
• Reverse engineer advertising. From company to consume. Not “here’s what we think” but “what do you think?”
• Don’t overdesign… focus on the story.
• People can smell fake. What you put online should be an outflow of what you already do. It’s not an add-on.
• What question are you answering? That’s the difference between good content and just an advertisement.
• Have compassion for the audience.
• Consumer reviews are the purest form of content.
• Be minimalistic.
• Twitter is a community of “do-ers,” they’re active people. Wait on twitter until you’re ready to be active.
• 80% perfect and live is better than 100% perfect in your head.