“are you building a business or creating a job for yourself”

I see a lot of people who call themselves business owners but as Bruce points out what they’ve really done is create a job for themselves. They don’t own it, it owns them.

I don’t just want a job.

I own a business.

But I don’t want to just own a business.

I’ve lately realized that those aren’t my only choices. I didn’t start Holy Cow so that I could have a large agency, though we’ve certainly been blessed with growth, I started Holy Cow to bring change to the way the church communicates, to help make the bride of Christ beautiful.

You can create a job, you can build a business or you can create a movement and platform. And that’s my goal with Holy Cow. To create a platform, a movement, focused on ministry. I call that Holy Cow, and the IRS sees it as business. But it’s not about the business, I could sell it today and little would change.

So no, I’m not selling Holy Cow, but I am looking at it less and less as a business. So go ahead and buy it. I’m not holding on to it as tightly. In fact I’m currently working on some things that aren’t Holy Cow and certainly not all about Michael Buckingham, but that will serve as a platform to build a movement towards greater communication within the church.

*That said, if Google decides to buy Holy Cow! along with Yahoo! I’ll take those millions and continue to build a movement of the church once again being the most creative place on the planet. Because the God we serve poured his creativity in us and as the bride of Christ we must be beautiful. Oh, and I’ll buy a jet.

What are you building?

Take the newest entrant into the realm of hot cool must haves: iphone apps.

The first I saw was out of Mars Hill and now there are quick and cheap solutions that allow every church to create it’s very own iphone app. Awesome! Get out your credit cards. Right?

I don’t know.
Sure people will download it, maybe even check it out, but then what? Will they really use it? Are you filling a need or just trying to get on the bandwagon (without knowing where it’s really headed)? Now if it’s a free service, hey, knock yourself out at the most you’re just out your time. But even then, don’t skip strategy.

It’s not just iphone apps it’s also church online, your website and even Sunday morning. Getting people to download, show up, etc. can’t be the primary measure of success. Sure you’ll measure that, but the real indicator of a successful ministry effort is if people are using it and are changed because of it. If no one is using it, it’s not going to change lives. At best it gives you bragging rights. You hit 1000 people showing up to church. Good start, but that’s not a success beyond a bit of exposure unless those people do something with it.

Instead of jumping on board at the first sign of a new ______, ask yourself how you are going to use it. Ask yourself the question I asked earlier, “are you filling a need?” Only when you you focus on the need can you create the right solution. Otherwise you’re just throwing things at the wall hoping they will stick.

If you’re going to build an app, don’t just repackage everything that’s already out there (unless everything is everywhere and you create a central point of communication), give them something they can use, want to use and will use. LifeChurch gives a great example of this with YouVersion, they didn’t just give you the bible on your iPhone though that alone would have been nice, they’ve built layers of tools that people can use to connect with each other and scripture.

Same goes for online. Why stop at offering audio online? What if you also make available the overheads and notes to follow along with. Or create a discussion area for Sunday’s sermon. I’ll leave online church for another day.

On Sunday morning look beyond raised hands and an altar call and ask, “how will this translate into daily living. Did I give them something they can grab hold of and live out during the week?”

So yes, build the apps, have Sunday morning services but don’t stop there. Once you get them through the door you have an obligation to make it stick because it’s not about you, it’s about them connecting with their Creator.

Flippin First Baptist Church is a real church, located in…Flippin, AR. Now, I’m not trying to just poke fun (okay, I am a little bit)…in fact if you are the pastor of the Flippin Church, I want to work with you…I’ll even do a project for free, we could have such a great time. I actually like the name, it stops you in your tracks (the mind LOVES to be surprised) but it points out an important thing to think about when naming your church…meaning matters and your name should say something.

I don’t care about your location. Whether you are located in Flippin, on a Hilltop, or you have a creek running through the backyard…it doesn’t matter.

While we’re at it don’t call yourself something you aren’t…world changers, world outreach…while great aspirations they just are typically not really who you are. You’re the local church, reaching real people, in your community…be that church.

If you’re one of those churches, and there’s a good chance that you are because they are all over the place, PLEASE don’t feel beat up, feel pushed towards something better. And remember: I love you all and I’m actually hoping you’re laughing a bit.

Now, on the other hand if I drive west a bit I could start Hell’s Church…and what better way to start a marriage but getting married in Hell’s Chapel?

Mark Horvath, of invisiblepeople.tv, is trying to help those that find themselves in that place by telling their stories. This Christmas (and I wish I wasn’t so late in thinking to do this) I want to help him in this cause by seeing the need and helping out. Mark has told me these people need raincoats during this season. For some they’ll wear them as they walk to the local shelter and for others they will become their shelter when there is no more room or they just can’t make it in.

4.29 is all it takes to send a coat, I’d like to send Mark 100 coats. I’ll take the first 10, will you help with the rest?

I’m thankful for all the ministries that allow us the privileged of taking part in carrying out their vision in reaching their communities and spreading the truth of Christ.

I’m thankful for my friends and family who have encouraged and believed in me when I’ve had so many doubts.

I’m thankful that the task of changing the way the church does church is bigger than me and that I can rest in knowing that God is paving the way!

Without God all of this would be impossible, and I’m thankful for that.

If you have an extra moment today, I would highly encourage you to read my friends Sarah’s blog post today. A little over a year ago she lost her husband very unexpectedly, and today is his birthday. No matter where you find yourself today whether basking in the light, or surrounded by darkness this post will have an impact on you.

Be blessed this Thanksgiving.

Here’s the key part of what he’s doing here…it’s not about him. Church, please do outreach in the name of Jesus but don’t make it all about you and your church/denomination/beliefs. It just can’t be considered relevant when it’s about you, it becomes relevant when it’s about the person you are reaching.

Now some would take that all the way to the edge and say don’t hand anything out, don’t let people know you’re from a church…just a selfless act. While I do think as individuals there should be those times, letting people know the source of your act of kindness, etc. doesn’t take away from the act as long as it’s the background and not the core of the effort. Go ahead and hand them a card (as long as it looks great and not cheesy) to let them know you’d like to see them again.

Of course if you’re doing this often enough, you won’t need a card, people will know you, your church and your God…it will be contagious and impossible not to talk about. Try it, I promise you will be blessed.

Dear God,
You know me. Don’t you? I’m not just a person on a bus or a train.
I’m not just another face on CCTV; or just another login name.
I’m me, and I have stuff going on.
Love life issues; bills to pay. Egos at work to deal with; an overflowing inbox.
So please, give me strength. Guide me to focus on what’s really important. And help me make the most of every moment of this new day in this new month.

Thank you.
Amen

It’s great to see the church engaging in the media and I love the fact that they made it about the people reading it and not all about them. Too often we get so wrapped into our ministries, our sermons…that we forget about the real lives, the real hurts of the people we were called to serve.

What do you think God could accomplish through a unified church? What if we stopped talking about Jesus and instead displayed His love through a unified and global biblical community?

Thanks to Mark for pointing out a great effort meant to unify the Church and plant churches in Cambodia, India, Sudan and China. For four weeks Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, AoG, churches from all denominations will unite with a similar voice, with a unified message, with their own flavor and gather in His name to make a difference.

It’s refreshing to see the Church come together and link arms. I can’t help but to wonder what would happen if churches within a 100 mile radius of each other united to reach the lost within their own communities?

I can’t help but to wonder why it takes an effort for the church to work together to reach people.

Check out One Prayer for more information and the amazing list (currently at 1,233) at OnePrayer.

Do whatever it takes…just get em through the doors, God will do the rest.

I have found myself recently talking about setting and meeting expectations because while the quote, which I’ve heard plenty of times before, sounds good…it simply isn’t how it works.

We see it in children…they raise the level of expectations.
We see it in movies…they flop when they don’t match the hype.
We see it in the church…when we fail to deliver.

Setting expectations that you can deliver on is important. Just ask Todd Davis.

The first way we fail to deliver is in how we are marketing the church. If we promote your church as the trendy and hip church and you deliver traditional worship, it’s not going to matter how many people we get through the doors, you’ve let them down by failing to setup an accurate expectation. Be honest, if you’re traditional…don’t pretend to be something else, you won’t fool anyone.

The other way we fail to deliver is how we set people up. “Every day with you Lord is sweeter than the day before.” Really? Tell that to the guy who just lost his job, or the parent who just lost his child. Stop telling people that the sun will start shining as soon as they call Christ lord…because that expectation is going to fail. Yes, eventually even our dark days will be okay because we know God is there, we know He is watching over us.

We also fail to deliver in how we position salvation. “If you want to except Christ raise your hand and say this prayer. Amen.” Maybe my bible is missing pages but I don’t remember that being the way it works. Are you looking for results or change? Are you looking for a way to measure the success of your sermon, play, etc. or are you using it as a first step to something much bigger than a one time action?

Before you send out a postcard, create a new logo or preach a new sermon think about the expectation you are setting up and make sure you can fill it. If you don’t, not only will it be ineffective, but you lose permission to ask again.