Blank Canvas

Churches of Christ have got to give artists more ways to channel their talents for the glory of God.

And yes, there are too many ugly websites and poorly done Power Point slides. People with artistic gifts could really do our churches some favors in those departments.

But beyond that, we are missing waaay too many opportunities to communicate truth and beauty through painting, film, music, and architecture. I know there are people in our fellowships with mad skills who have never been asked to use their gifts in the context of their church.

It’s like a guy with incredible legs who’s never tried to run.

We’ve got body parts we aren’t even using.

What Kind Of Salt Should We Be?

You may or may not be tapped into it, but there’s been a big discussion going on for a while in certain circles about whether a church should be “attractional” or “missional.”

I’m probably not smart enough to know the answer.

But I do know this: every church had better be on a mission, and every church had better be attractive.

Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. —Phil 1:10-11, Message

A Conference To Check Out & A Principle To Remember

I’ve been spending time this week getting ready for EQUIP—a conference for ministers and volunteer leaders interested in improving outreach and involvement in their church. (Hopefully, that’s most of us, right?)

If you’re within driving distance of Nashville, you should check it out. It’s the 26th & 27th, and the session topics look great. I’m presenting on “4 Things Every Outreach Initiative Needs (Hint: You May Not Be Doing Any of Them).”

I probably won’t address this explicitly, but at the heart of my presentation is the truth that what’s important gets so easily crowded out by what’s urgent. 8 times out of 10, the important stuff isn’t loud. 10 times out of 10, the urgent stuff is. Ministry is ruled by this truth.

So is most of life.

I suppose part of the solution is to make the important stuff loud—to convince yourself it’s essential and to build it into your life in a way that ensures it won’t get ignored.

Easier said than done, but worth shooting for.

Tradition Versus Innovation

Sometimes “the same” is good.

When things are done the same way they usually are, people know what to expect—“Oh—I’m supposed to listen/participate/brake/laugh/wait to be seated/etc.” Piggybacking on people’s previous experience allows you to take a shortcut. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel—just use the cues that work.

But “the same” can eventually become mundane, unimaginative, and can even border on the ridiculous. Take, for instance, this video:

Sometimes—whether you’re doing a newscast, preaching a sermon, teaching a class, planning a worship service, creating an event, or just about anything else—“different” is good.

“Different” disrupts precedents. It pokes at comfort zones. It challenges status quo. Different jars people out of routine and almost forces them to pay attention.

Unless, of course, you do “different” all the time.

Then it becomes the same. :)

Carte Blanche—What’s Your Move?

Had a great conversation last night with a friend who’s ministering at a church he planted 3 years ago.

It got me thinking about what I would do were I to plant a church. (Actually, I think about this all the time; this conversation just got me thinking about it a little bit more than usual.)

Here’s the thing—when you start a church from scratch, you have the freedom to make certain things matter. You have a part in programming the congregational DNA in order to make sure the church’s priorities are God’s priorities.

But you can’t do everything you think is worth doing. Resources are limited, and certain things just have to wait.

So here’s my question: If you were planting a church, what’s one thing you would you make sure was a priority from day one? (Let’s try to keep it more specific than “love God.” I’m with you on that one.)

I respect the perspective and wisdom of the folks that read this blog, so I’m really interested in what you have to say on this. I’ll be thinking, too, and include mine with yours in the comments.

Well?

Are We Missing Out?

Your church does some good stuff. So does mine.

But what if we could be doing a lot more good? What if our current practice was like pushing a tractor to plow a field instead of driving it?

And what if the key to revolutionary improvement was remembering the oft-forgotten part of the Trinity?

Are we missing out on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through us?

Thought-provoking video from Francis Chan:

So what do you think? Is this our situation? …If so, how can we fix it?

Teachwell—The What, Why, and How

Gearing up this month for a cool event we’re doing for the second time at Henderson: teachwell.

We’ve branded it as “a fun, engaging, helpful workshop designed to help you become the best Bible class teacher you can be.”

Teachwell grew out of an awareness that our church was asking people (around 70 of them every quarter) to teach our Bible classes without ever training them to do it. Sort of a “throw you in and hope you can swim” approach.

Not good.

Enter teachwell. It’s a half-day workshop offered free to our members; we provide notebooks, childcare, snacks—the whole deal. And participation has been great. Last year we had over 100 of our members attend. This year, we’re shooting for more.

It’s a work in progress, to be sure. We’re still working out the kinks and tweaking it as needed. But it’s exceeded our expectations.

So, without further adieu, here are 5 reasons I think teachwell has been successful:

1. It has a clearly-defined purpose.
   While the idea was still freshly conceived, we asked “What 3 adjectives would we like people to use to describe their experience at teachwell?” The answer: fun, engaging, helpful.
   Then, we settled on what the win would be: to develop the teachers we have and create the teachers we need.
   
   
2. It’s easy to register.
   The Sunday we announce it, we let people register by putting a “T” on the back of an attendance card an pass it in—an “act now” opportunity for those of us who tend to forget to do things (like register) later. After that, we provide multiple ways to register: a facebook event page, a form on our website, and calling the church office.
   It’s not hard to register. It’s hard not to.
   
   
3. It’s easy to attend.
   We make it a half-day (not a full day) and we provide free on-site childcare.
   
   
4. We do an autopsy.
   Evaluation is the key to improvement. Attendees fill out feedback surveys before they leave, and we conduct post-event interviews with key people to get their perspective on what went well and what could be improved. Here’s what we came up with last year.
   Then we ask ourselves these questions: Was it fun? Was it helpful? Was it engaging? Was it worth giving up a Saturday morning for? Did at least 50% of our current teachers attend? Were at least 20% of the attendees pre-teachers? How can we improve for next year?
   
   
5. We go the extra mile.
   Extra touches give a finished, “this is legit” vibe to the workshop. Things like a well-crafted logo, a cool venue, full-color custom-designed notebooks, well-produced videos introducing each session, quality snacks, and helpful giveaways all create an environment that piques peoples’ interest, adds value, and keeps them coming back.

Like I said, we haven’t gotten it perfect yet, but we’re excited about what this workshop is becoming. I bet your folks would be excited about something similar.

Oh—and if you’re one of our Henderson peeps, check out the facebook page and save your spot!

(Here’s the video we put together for last year:)