Train the Team or the Customers


prisonchaplain
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I published this over at LinkedIn, but believe it's relevant for discussion here.  Your church seems to have avoided many of the trends and recent practices that are now common--especially in larger, non-denominational churches.  Some may wonder if the church should update a bit.  My counsel would be to think that through many times.

 

 

Most organizations have a mission and a team to accomplish it. Often the aim is to gain the loyalty of the Millenials. Business and church share our eagerness for this group.  The young bring longevity of purchasing to enterprise, and they bring the promise of generational membership to houses of worship. So, how to go about gaining this prime pool of "customers?" Do we train our team or do we fashion our organizations to appeal to and train the potential market?

 

Both?  Of course! However, where's the emphasis? Business often invests heavily in advertising. They determine what their clients want, fashion their company to appeal to that, and then "spin" their whole operation to appear as a natural fit.

 

Some churches are attempting the same. They raise up young, sharp, witty, relevant, relational lead pastors--often with much more senior ministers on their staffs. One former mega-church pastor admitted that it is quite easy to build a successful church these days: find a good venue, acquire a strong rock (worship) band, and fill the pulpit with an energetic motivational speaker. S/he should probably sprinkle the 'little talks' with the word 'God' now and then, of course. Although, I saw one employ the term 'Higher Power'--and this out of a denominational church known for very conservative orthodoxy.

 

My humble proposal is that churches--and perhaps industry as well--refocus on their teams. Churches must produce vibrant Christians. Members should know what they believe, why they believe it, and how to live it--both internally, and outwardly. Godly living is the church's best advertisement. Industry knows this. Hamburgers and fries are cool, well-marketed, and people will always buy them when they are in a hurry for a quick, convenient meal. In contrast, steak and lobster spell a memorable evening of elegance and meaning.

 

Those engaged in spiritual care might do well to focus less on convenience and instant, obvious relevance. We excel at transforming lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Bible.  So, we askew the instant for the important--the temporal for the eternal. Would it not be God-pleasing if those leaving our sanctuaries, instead of mutter, "Nice program," declared, "That was powerful...it touched my heart and mind?"

Edited by prisonchaplain
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Here is my suggestions:

Most churches have a great program for young children (primary), and have a good program for adults, (scripture readings, church/community events) but don't have a very good adolescence program. Some churches have mentioned that they have “holy envy” for the LDS youth, and Yong Adult programs. The church is changing its way of teaching 12-17-year-olds by, instead of teaching them the lessen, they teach themselves. It helps them learn confidence and have the feeling of being listened to and not being told what to do all the time.

I would also suggest having programs helping people that want help, with the transition to adulthood. It is one of, if not the biggest transitions a person can make while healthy. You might need to explain what to do, where to go for taxes, voting, government/church programs, job search techniques and other questions, like whether to take a job if there is a chance of being “forced” to work on the Sabbath.

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I published this over at LinkedIn, but believe it's relevant for discussion here.  Your church seems to have avoided many of the trends and recent practices that are now common--especially in larger, non-denominational churches.  Some may wonder if the church should update a bit.  My counsel would be to think that through many times.

 

 

Most organizations have a mission and a team to accomplish it. Often the aim is to gain the loyalty of the Millenials. Business and church share our eagerness for this group.  The young bring longevity of purchasing to enterprise, and they bring the promise of generational membership to houses of worship. So, how to go about gaining this prime pool of "customers?" Do we train our team or do we fashion our organizations to appeal to and train the potential market?

 

Both?  Of course! However, where's the emphasis? Business often invests heavily in advertising. They determine what their clients want, fashion their company to appeal to that, and then "spin" their whole operation to appear as a natural fit.

 

Some churches are attempting the same. They raise up young, sharp, witty, relevant, relational lead pastors--often with much more senior ministers on their staffs. One former mega-church pastor admitted that it is quite easy to build a successful church these days: find a good venue, acquire a strong rock (worship) band, and fill the pulpit with an energetic motivational speaker. S/he should probably sprinkle the 'little talks' with the word 'God' now and then, of course. Although, I saw one employ the term 'Higher Power'--and this out of a denominational church known for very conservative orthodoxy.

 

My humble proposal is that churches--and perhaps industry as well--refocus on their teams. Churches must produce vibrant Christians. Members should know what they believe, why they believe it, and how to live it--both internally, and outwardly. Godly living is the church's best advertisement. Industry knows this. Hamburgers and fries are cool, well-marketed, and people will always buy them when they are in a hurry for a quick, convenient meal. In contrast, steak and lobster spell a memorable evening of elegance and meaning.

 

Those engaged in spiritual care might do well to focus less on convenience and instant, obvious relevance. We excel at transforming lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Bible.  So, we askew the instant for the important--the temporal for the eternal. Would it not be God-pleasing if those leaving our sanctuaries, instead of mutter, "Nice program," declared, "That was powerful...it touched my heart and mind?"

I have thought on this for a while and wonder. What is it we are doing? Or what way do we face and who do we represent?

If we face the world to represent G-d then we deliver his word and his message. We represent him and give an example of what he would do. It is not about our understanding or our opinion – it is about showing his light not ours. We cannot hope or pretend if we represent G-d then it is not about our ideas.

If we face the world as an individual with ideas and learning – then we teach what we have learned and we do the best we can with what we understand and whatever G-d has made known unto us.

If we face the world as an individual – I really do not think it matters all that much if we teach the team or the customer or come up with some other really brilliant idea.

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