I recently participated in the Buzz Conference at National Community Church
Here are three content-summary blogs from the event from my friend Todd Rhoades:
Craig Groeschel - The Qualities of Innovative Leaders
Tim Stevens - Innovation and Buzz
Mark Batterson - Decoding Culture
There was also a pre-conference session on churches that meet in movie theaters. I was inspired by the bold faith behind many of the following ideas, and wonder what parallel bold dreams more established churches are testing.
1. One church envisioned a permanent banner in the theater lobby advertising the church. Hey, why not ask? While many churches have received “no” answers, for at least one church at the conference, the theater management said yes. What a help!
2. Wouldn’t it be great to have a permanent 24/7 sign outside the church building with our name, website, time, and meeting location (theaters 2 & 3)? Again, most theaters will say no, but for at least one church at our session, theater management said yes!
3. National Community Church asked permission to fund and install 10 permanently mounted lights in the main theater they use at Union Station. Both local and corporate management said yes! Remember, the church has been meeting there for many years, working hard to be good tenants and to build strong relationships all along.
4. Elevation Church (http://www.elevation.cc/home.asp) asked permission to put a bounce house (one of those huge inflatable children's play toys) in the lobby, just outside the theaters they rent. Management said yes! It's great publicity, reports Trinity Jordan, lead pastor. Then when the church service starts, they slide the toy into the room they use for a nursery.
5. Journey of Faith (www.journeywired.org) finds that on-screen ads are very reasonable for their area and do result in people visiting the church. "Friends with churches in theaters in other areas of the country told me it was way too costly for them," says Bob Barber, but we checked it out and for our area the price is really reasonable."
6. Plum Creek Community Church (http://www.plumcreekonline.com) got a lot of local attention by creating a float for a local parade and county fair. The float was primarily a huge red and white popcorn box, but instead of saying "Pop Corn" it read "Plum Creek." "We weren't allowed to hand out flyers, so the popcorn box became our message,” reports Doug Miller, the pastor.
7. A parent’s first impression is very important, so Plum Creek also uses a cleaner with a powerful fragrance for its children's area each week. "It creates an immediate positive response to a parent's doubt, 'Is this yucky theater going to be clean?'” Doug Miller reports.
8. Rob Stanley at Village Church, in Milton Ontario, (http://www.villagechurch.ca), ordered and distributed 12,000 customized, popcorn bags -- with the church's logo and service time printed on the bag. They also bought the web address http://www.popcornchurch.com which takes people to the church's website. They got the custom imprint from Snappy Popcorn (http://www.snappypopcorn.com).
The lesson? Sometimes we have not because we ask not! These churches are inspiring in the creative, risky, faith-filled approaches they take. Make no mistake: the open door is usually lubricated by some heavy relational work. Consistently, these churches learn the names, bless, pray for, and give gifts to the theater managers, and meet quarterly with general manager. They go the extra mile by mopping the theater floors on occasion, or setting mousetraps, or vacuuming the floor in closet of the theater they use. They work hard to be good tenants and to build trust -- and look at the favor they receive in return!
What kind of dreams has your church tested, daring to attempt in bold faith, and found an open door in response?
Comments