I’m a big fan of Mark Batterson’s blog. He tends to find unique ways of looking at faith that challenge me and keep me moving forward.
Today he shared a mailer that his church (National Community Church) plans to send to 10,000 Washinton D.C.’ers.
That’s a load of mail! Batterson says, “We have a simple marketing mantra: we don’t want anybody in the metro DC area to be able to deny our existence.”
I love the idea behind the mantra – but I wonder how effective a mailer is for getting people to come to church. Now keep in mind, I also agree with Batterson that “The greatest message needs the greatest marketing” – but what if we improved the delivery and marketing by increasing the personal touch of a church.
Batterson himself says that 86% of NCCers initially visit one of their church campuses because of a personal invitation. I would bet that stat holds pretty true for encounter as well.
When people are asked how they found out about encounter there are three things I remember hearing, “Someone told us about it” or “We saw the add in the theater” or “We saw a bumper sticker.” For a couple friends of mine, they said they kept seeing the encounter name/logo everywhere. They saw bumper stickers, the add in the theater and a flyer or business card in different businesses. So while word of mouth may be the most effective way to get people to come to your church – it’s sure not the only way.
But I’d love it if church was done so well and we “stopped being the church and started doing church” so that people could not deny our existence because of the impact we had in our community.
I’d love if people knew us, not because of a mailer or a huge billboard, or a huge fancy building along I-35, but because they actually saw our people quietly living the Christian life in a relevant way in our community.
I’d love if instead of spending X dollars on a mailer, we spent that money to deliver food to the needy in Ellis County or spent that money to give water to joggers on the Hike and Bike trail. If we as church members could truly live out our faith – then I would imagine it would be hard for anyone in Waxahachie to deny the existence of our church – or better yet, deny the existence of God.
Month: August 2007
Have a little faith
In the August edition of Roads & Bridges, David Matthews looks at the finer points of driving according to “God’s law.”
In case you missed it, a woman was recently taken to court after she lead police on a three-mile chase down the Ohio turnpike after they tried to pull her over for breast-feeding her seven-month-old child – while driving.
Her defense – her husband told her to. Apparently driving and breast-feeding would save time.
Why the three-mile chase? She was waiting for instructions from her husband and he told her to only pull over in a public area with witnesses.
What if her husband said to jump off a bridge? According to the First Christian Fellowship – she’d have to.
The church strongly teaches that the husband is the head of the household and is given control over his wife’s actions — and held responsible for them.
Therefore, remaining true to his faith, Barnhill insisted at his wife’s trial that he should be tried for her actions. Donkers was convicted anyway, but this past April those convictions were overturned due to mistakes made by lower court judges. There is no word yet on how the judges’ husbands will be punished.
I wonder what leads people to that kind of self-sacrifice that they will only do what another person tells them to. What leads a woman (or man) to believe they have no control over themselves? It seems to me that they turn into robots at that point.
Yet, how many times do we read in Scripture that we are to give control of ourselves over to God and His will – and still we fight and fight and fight for control.
Here’s a woman who has given full control and responsibility to her husband, yet I have trouble letting go of things and giving control to the Creator of the Universe. The Alpha and Omega. The Great I Am.
I think this woman may have misdirected her faith – but she’s maybe she can teach us a lesson on what it means to fully surrender to God.
1 Peter 2:11-12 “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.“
Three words – no more, no less
Task: You have to use 3 words to answer each question. No more, no less. It’s harder than you think.
1. Where is your cell phone?
in my pocket
2. Your girlfriend/boyfriend/hubby?
Laurie Janine Blundell
3. Your hair?
brown, medium length
4. Where is your father?
probably at work
5. Your favorite thing to do?
create cool things
6. Your dream last night?
it was weird
7. Your favorite drink?
cold Dr. Pepper
8. Your dream car?
Chevy pickup truck
9. The room you’re in?
my work office
10. Your fears?
small tight places
11. Who did you hang out with last night?
Laurie and Presley
12. What aren’t you good at?
matching my clothes
13. Muffins?
I like them
14. One of your wish list items?
new media computer
15. The last thing you did?
talked with Heath
16. What are you wearing?
polo and jeans
17. Your pet?
crazy demon dog
18. Your computer?
two PC laptops
19. Your life?
looking for direction
20. Your mood?
i feel good
21. Missing?
my sister amy
22. What are you thinking about right now?
finishing this survey
23. Your car?
Chevy pickup truck
24. Your work?
Ellis County government
25. Your summer?
nothing to special
26. Your relationship status?
happy and married
27. Your favorite color(s)?
green and brown
28. When is the last time you laughed?
few minutes ago
29. Last time you cried?
late Sunday night
30. School?
finished in 2003
Levine does Dallas
Comedy writer, Ken Levine, visited Dallas recently and shared his thoughts on the trip on his blog.
Great review from a writer who’s credits include: M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Frasier.
On every corner there’s either a steakhouse or a church. One place called “Holy Cow†could be either or both…They’re building a new stadium for the Cowboys in Arlington, affectionately known as “Jerry’s World” (for Jerry Jones, the team’s owner). It’s costing in the neighborhood of one billion dollars, will have a retractable roof, and the two largest glass panels in the world. Which makes sense financially because the stadium will be in use eight times a year.
Huckabee buzz
This just in from the DMN:
Suddenly there’s some buzz surrounding the GOP presidential candidacy of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
And I may join the bandwagon based on a quote in this week’s U.S. News & World Report. Talking about the photo of shirtless Vladimir Putin, Mr. Huckabee said it “doesn’t do anything for me.”
He added, “Now, if it was a picture of Scarlett Johansson, that would be another story.”
It’s the most honest thing I’ve heard any candidate say so far. And shows such excellent judgment.
—Steve Blow
Also, you can read the transcript from Fox News on Sunday with Gov. Huckabee
4 months ago and 44 years ago
Four months ago today, April 28, 2007, I married My Life, Laurie Janine. I haven’t regretted it one moment since.
Forty-four years ago today, August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C. Few speeches have had the impact MLK’s speech did. And yet we’re still fighting the “the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination…” and people who find themselves in exile in this land.
“Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
You can read the full text of the speech after the jump…
Continue reading 4 months ago and 44 years ago