Church Solutions magazine posted this short helpful article about how to think about church innovations. Here's excerpts from Mental Positioning and Church Innovation:
Broaching a topic such as “church innovation” draws its fair share of cynics and scoffers. Some say that the moment we label a church, leader or ministry “innovative,” that very quality in them becomes lost. Others maintain we’re all just re-creating something that’s already been done. The truth of the matter is: Who cares? We’re all in this to work together and learn from each other. Even if what’s innovative to one church is old news to another, let’s keep an open mind and engage in the discussion.
...Marketing professional Al Ries said, “It's the first company to build the mental position that has the upper hand, not the first company to make the product. IBM didn't invent the computer; Sperry Rand did. But IBM was the first to build the computer position in the prospect's mind.”
This sentiment sums up the role of innovation at your church. The point isn’t whether you’re doing something completely new or adapting an iteration. Your focus should be on fostering the mental positioning of it among the people you’re trying to reach. ...
Read the entire article for more, and a story about how gargoyles were a church innovation from the 16th century.
-- DJ CHUANG, Leadership Community Director at Leadership Network
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