A key leadership aspect that can greatly impact a ministry is finding a niche. A discovered thought area where you can flourish and become an expert. This focus is more effective than it is to know “a little something” about everything. People pursue experts. Every church leader and local church needs a niche....
Everyone is known for something once they’ve had interactions with a community. Who you “are” in their minds is an inadvertent brand. Your perception becomes their reality. Churches today have a perception that isn’t so glowing in the unchurched community. If you don’t create something that counteracts that perception, you’ll be painted with...
I remember when I was about 8 yrs old. I was walking in the downtown of the city that I grew up near. It was some sort of huge gathering. People everywhere. I wasn’t paying attention (even though this was clearly in a time I wasn’t preoccupied with a texting or game...
They say that "everyone" goes to church at Christmas. Can you imagine if they all did! Instantly, some concerns, of course, come to mind: What would they hear at each church? What message would possibly change their direction? Is telling the simple Christmas Story enough? What is the take-away benefit message of the Christmas Story? Does every Church...
I bought an iPhone 4S this weekend (with 3 million others). I was excited to get it setup. I plugged it into iTunes and hit "setup new phone". It was a new phone. The other option of "restore a phone from backup" went un-clicked. I wasn't restoring anything. Except I was wrong. Don't misunderstand....
I just got back from my 25th College reunion. Wow. Have I ever changed. But in a large sense, I haven't changed a bit. It was good to talk with former classmates. Some that I haven't seen in decades. The picture says it all. We've changed. The guy on the left in the before picture...
It seems that everywhere I turn, people are talking about Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Social networking has finally reached the mainstream. This past week, I spoke to some business owners at an NACDB (National Association of Church Design Builders) member meeting in Phoenix about this “new” phenomenon. It was interesting to watch emotions (anything...
It used to be that a church who had the longest list of congregation addresses wins. It means you have a big church! Well, it IS important to make sure you have the contact information to reach your audience. But the way you reach your congregation has changed. The Church still loves to...
I was talking recently to a new client and he had a lot of skepticism about printed Direct Mail. "It costs a lot", he said. And it's true. But if you're getting results from it, it's awfully hard to say Direct Mail isn't worth it. But in this time of financial concern, where...
