A Cathedral of Lies

Just read this book. Since the business I do, (previously full time and now other time) is Church stuff, I see business things through the filter of how does this apply to Church Stuff. Specifically, my current field of study is Church Growth, Missions, and Evangelism.

So, here are the 9 and some thoughts on that:

1. "I just need to know HOW to do this"
The book says the "want to" is much more important than the "how to". Our Church is moving into a stage where we want to become a Church that is continually growing and reaching people. We could have all the latest techniques, outreach tools, ideas, etc., but if we do not desire to move in this direction, it ain't gonna happen. So, the idea is to build the desire before introducing or learning the tools.

2. "It takes money to make money"
An influx of money from outside sources can stifle drive, creativity and buy in from participants. When I first started attending my current Church, someone suggested that the Denomination should send more money our way to help us become the Church we want to be. I thought this was a bad idea because the Denom had already invested quite a bit and the thought seemed to me to be "this is is there Church, if they want it to work, they should send us some money to make it work." Now the Church is figuring out how to make the finances work and it is creating a huge buy in factor with the people involved. In other words, now the idea is, "We (with God's help) are figuring out how to get OUR Church Healthy".

3. "We just need to get our name out there."
Just because someone knows you are there it doesn't mean they want anything to do with you. Also, the way a Church presents itself, whether in advertising, signage, personal invites, or whatever, can turn people away, rather than attract them.

By the way, you should never have a changeable message sign at your Church, in my opinion. It constantly amazes me that their are so many stupid quotes that can make your Church a laughingstock that are no more than 5 or 6 words. Just my opinion.

4. "Experience will benefit me"
Experience often leads us to repeat the same actions. What reached people at one Church in a one town may not work in another Church in another town. If you have experience doing things poorly in the past, it doesn't help you do things better in the future.

5. "Lowering prices boosts business"
At first I thought this did not apply. However, I later recalled studies which showed that growing Churches and Churches that effectively reach people are high commitment Churches. They have high standards for leadership, membership, discipleship and in the realm of doctrinal issues. Lowering standards (or the price of involvement, if you will) does not equate to growth.

6. "You have to be tightfisted"
Frugality and tightfisted are not the same. Generosity breeds generosity. Generosity draws people in.

This is best thought through for yourself, but how can a Church, or your Church, be generous in reaching people and generous with the people involved.

My previous Church used to be very generous, in comparison to others I have seen, in receiving newcomers. We would hit them with a gift on their first visit, usually some candy and a CD, to let them know that we were glad they attended. They also got a letter from "The Church" and a personal email from me. After their second visit, I sent them a card and after their third, "the Church" sent them a nice hard back book and a letter thanking them for their third visit.

The reasoning for all this was that research showed that when someone visits a Church a third time, they are usually planning on making it their Church home. So, we invested relatively heavily in the people who already showed that they were interested in our Church and wanted to be with us.

We got some great feedback on our up front generosity, and a fairly high rate of visitors becoming regulars.

7. "Customers are hard to figure out"
Why do people attend Church? Is it a mystery? No.
Here are a couple of thoughts on who to focus on.

- You don't want to attract everyone to your Church.
Your Church can not be a church for all people. If you could, there would be no need for any others. This does not mean you can't have a multi-generational Church, or a multi-cultural Church, it just means that not everyone is going to attend your church. Don't waste time and money trying to reach those that are not a good fit for your Church. If you believe you should be reaching lost people, then work on reaching lost people, not the people from the Church around the corner.

- Many Churches are Capacity Churches.
This means they can only accommodate so many people. Whether it is the style of leadership, the sanctuary space, the parking lot or the biases of the members, there are things which limit growth in most smaller churches. Find out what the limiters are and work to eliminate them. You may be unwittingly chasing away the very people you hope to reach.

8. "I don't need any help"
The whole Church thing is about working together. Find others that can help your Church identify it's limiters, see missed opportunities and grow.

9. "I am a victim of circumstance"
Attitude is a huge thing. The right attitude can help you climb a mountain, the wrong one can drag you over a cliff.

Our current Pastor jumped on board at our Church under some circumstances that I would not want to deal with. Nonetheless, rather than saying, "We can't do this or that because of this or that.", he is diving in and helping us to become the Church we were called to be by figuring out how to deal with overcome these circumstances.