#gamechanger

A few years ago, when my younger brother was still in college, he very confidently announced, "Businesses have to stay relevant or die."  I had no real idea what he meant and asked him to explain and he said, "It's simple, you don't see anyone opening new pager companies these days...."

HA! Got it.

I have a lot of friends who are very leery of social media.  All this talk of Facebook and Twitter does not appeal to them.  They say things like "I don't have a twitter account, all that stuff just isn't for me."

That's fine, I guess.  I am sure that back when cars were invented people were saying the same thing.

"I don't know about all this automobile stuff...it's just not for me, I am gonna stick with riding my horse to work." 

"This cellular phone fad is just not for me" 

"I don't know what the big fuss over televisions are, it's just not for me..."

I wonder how long that lasted for them?  I think we know how that story ends.

The truth is, you don't have to embrace social  media, but the world is gonna move on without you.

Churches need to embrace that thought.

Sure, being the church means being present and connecting on a personal level.  I am not downplaying the power of face to face interaction, at all!  We need it more than ever!

..but after seeing this video, I think that means that this is a BOTH/AND scenario.

As church leaders, we tend to think that it's EITHER/OR issue when really, there is a third option.  Its not EITHER personal OR viral... its BOTH/AND.

Being relevant means we are helping others solve a problem. 

What are we helping solve by resisting social media?

The truth is, the church has a message of HOPE to share. When we embrace social media as part of our culture, HOPE GOES VIRAL.

Could this be "THE WELL" of our time?

Churches, we  can either stay relevant or die.

IT Matters.

Games, Pies and Changing

Have you ever notice that at family reunions there are certain ways that things are done only because it's the way they have always  been done?  "Uncle Ted" is in charge of games.  He has been in charge of games since 1964 and while there have been many games evolve since then, we do the games Uncle Ted does because, well, that's just how we have always done it and nobody better ever try to change it.

In my own life, a great example of this is when I was younger, our family would gather at my grandparents for Christmas Eve.  As she did every year, my great-grandmother would make several different pies.  As people would arrive, my grandmother would hug us and whisper "Don't forget to tell Mamaw Ivy that her pies were delicious..."

We all knew that even if we didn't eat a piece of pie, that Mamaw Ivy would be offended if people didn't tell her how good they were.

Church is kinda like Family Reunions.

I learned one of the most important lessons in ministry right out of the gate. I had just started an internship in a church that, in my view needed a lot of attention in the Kids Ministry department. I got the "keys" to lead and I ran with it! I started changing everything. I changed names of classes, I rearranged classrooms, I implemented a check-in system, and started recruiting volunteers.

Sounds great, right?   How could anyone NOT love all the great ideas and systems I was bringing to the table?   Here is the catch, nobody knew who in the world I was. Who did I think I was coming in and changing the way they did things?

I think what I take from that experience is that we must be sensitive to the reasons WHY things happen the way they happen in a church.  For example, before you go and paint over a mural of Noah's Ark in the nursery, honor the couple who's daughter painted it when they first built the church.

Before we change, we must gain trust and honor the people we are leading.

John Maxwell said it best: "People don't care how much you know UNTIL they know how much you care."

Jumpin' In!

Have you ever watched a team of jumpropers? The two with the rope start swinging it in motion and get their rhythm. As they are swinging the rope, the third party (or parties) watch carefully. Each time the rope goes by, they get a  little closer, and once they get the rhythm, they jump in!

 

It's really all about creating a system, being synchronized, having good instincts, and anticipation.

As I think about how we "do" church and how we appear to the guests who walk through our doors each week, it occurs to me that churches work much like this jumprope team, and I suspect there may be two kinds of "jumpers."

One type of guest/jumper that will walk through our doors, and instantly get it.  These guests will watch carefully, study the rhythm of how we operate  and as soon as they get it, will  jump in! They are familiar with church and  will know what to do.

The second type of guest, will walk in and instantly see teams working together.  People are talking, drinking coffee, signing up for events, dropping their kids off in a class, and are instantly overwhelmed. They are not familiar with this system.  It looks "clicky" and makes them feel back in high school again and how hard it was to "fit in."  They stand back and watch but never feel the tug to jump in.  Nobody asks them to join in, because they are just expected to! 

As a church community, how do we keep the "rhythm" of our jumpropes going, while also welcoming others to jump in!?  Just as our "jumpers" have to anticipate our next move, we need to anticipate theirs.  Its about being in sync.  It's about being focused on one thing, while not losing focus on what is going on in your "peripheral."