A Peach of a Post

It would seem to me the main differences between communicating via twitter, facebook, blog, printed collateral, video, or sermon are the immediacy of the thought and the longevity of the message. 

We often have fleeting thoughts that we would like to share with others.  This morning I had a peach so juicy I had to eat it over the sink.  That represents those moments we like to share with others immediately.  This Scripture, thought, event is so dripping with depth, happiness, excitement that I must share it now.  We don't expect these moments to last forever.  We send them out via twitter or facebook, knowing that they will move ever lower on our friends' newsfeed and finally disappear into "older posts" to quietly die. 

Our blogs, we hope, will be a bit deeper and last a bit longer.  Sometimes we resuscitate older posts and remind people that what we said had some timelessness to it.  One of mine that seems to get some new life every once in a while is "On Minions and Semantic Noises," perhaps because of the odd title, but hopefully because there is some lasting truth in it.

The videos and printed materials we create in our churches often call for an immediate response and can be shared similarly to a status update.  Often, however, video and print last longer than tweets and posts.  They aren't a peach that needs to be consumed immediately.  They have a longer shelf life.  The amount of thought that goes into this form of communication should be equal to the length of time you forsee using the collateral and the long-term impact you hope it will make.

How long do you expect your sermon to last?  Will it be downloaded from the internet years from now?  Will the notes be tucked into someone's Bible and referenced in another place and time?  Does it even transcend time and translate into someone's eternity?

How much time goes into your communications?  Do you devote more or less time to various modes depending on their shelf life?



  

A Borrowed Post

Katie Strandland has written an excellent post about Rembrandt's ability to not just tell the facts, but tell the story.  Great advice for any church communicator.
http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2012/06/church-communication-heroes-rembrandt/


Katie's website is www.cautiouscreative.com.  She is a twenty-something blogger with a different perspective.

Fill in the Blank

In 2001, on a support staff application for Crossroads Community Church, there was this question:  List the position(s) for which you feel most qualified: ________________.

I entered "Senior Pastor."

As an HR manager at the time, I just wondered if anyone ever read applications at the church and wrote that as a joke.  The senior pastor was Kevin Myers.  CCC became 12Stone 6 years later, now the largest church in our denomination and one of the fastest growing churches in America for several years (according to Outreach Magazine).

I was on staff at 12Stone (aka Crossroads) those six years, during which time I was called to vocational ministry, obtained my MMin, and was licensed (and later ordained).  Who knew that joke would turn into a prophesy (not that PK is in danger of losing his job to me, but prophetic as to pastoring)?

We should be writing down the position we want in the future.  We should figure out what steps it will take to get there, and we should assess our progress.

But even more than that, we should be writing those names down of individuals whom we would choose to replace us.  For example, I know one District Superintendent who has a dozen names written down of people who could replace him.  Until he retires, those names get put into the hat for roles that will develop those individuals so that they will be ready when the DS role is available, even if not in their own district.

What are you writing in the blank of your future role, and who are you developing to fill your current role?  What expectations are you communicating to those people through how you fulfill your role and how you talk about your role?  (Would anyone want your job in the future based on how you communicate it now?)  Finding and developing the person who will take your place requires creative communication.  Remembering that communication includes listening, how are you listening for passions, skills, and availability?  For example, when someone is excited about something that you get to do in your current role, do you make a note about that person's passion?  

What role are you writing in the blank "List the position(s) for which you feel most qualified: ________________," and who is writing your role in their blank?

(This posting was inspired by Shawn Hipps' resignation from Mars Hill Bible Church after taking Rob Bell's place earlier this year, which I first read about on David Drury's blog here, and after writing this, I read Paul Tillman's blog about it here.)

Man's (second) Best Friend

I read a lot.  Not because I enjoy reading.  I'm personally still waiting for them to make all of the literary classics into full-length feature films.  I'd buy a ticket to Dostoyevsky's Idiot starring Mark Wahlberg or a Pixar version of Love in the Time of Cholera, voiced by Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz.  I like my fiction on the big screen. 


I read because I am a student.  And when it comes to acquiring knowledge, nothing beats a book.  In less than 200 pages, you can read research that took thirty years to develop.  There is so much great information packed into a good book.  If you could change one thing about how you think, feel, or behave based on a truth you found in each book you read, think of who you would be after 50 books.  Fifty times wiser in 50 small things adds up to a much, much wiser you.


Since this is a blog about creative communication, you might expect me to suggest books on creativity to get you started.  But the thing is, the act of reading, reflecting on what you have read, and then changing is one of the most creative things you can do.  And, you get the benefit of hearing other people's perspectives, which enhances your creativity.  


Here's the book that has 30 years of research packed into less than 200 pages: The Truth About Leadership: The No-Fads, Heart-of-the-Matter Facts You Need To Know by James M. Kouzes and Barry Pozner (2010).  Kouzes and Pozner are well respected in the field of organizational leadership, and they have written numerous academic articles about their research.  This book is easy to read and full of practical advice about improving your leadership.  In the past few months, I have had an experience to which I have been able to apply their advice that failure is "one of the best teachers you can have."  This is a new belief that I have added to my leadership wisdom.


What book have you read lately, and what has it added to your creativity and wisdom? 


“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

  Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Inductive Creative Communication

In Inductive Bible Study, we learn to read the verse, then read the pericope (the section that gives the verse context), then read the sections immediately preceding and following the pericope, then the chapter, and then do the reverse back down to the verse again. Have you ever thought of doing this same thing with your creative communication, but through the lens of people's lives? In other words, look at the teaching point you are going to use as your main text, and then think about that text in context of a person's personal relationship with Christ, then in the context of their relationships with their immediate family and friends, then in the context of their marketplace relationships, then to the global community, then reverse it back to the text of your communication. Thinking about your listeners' context will make your communication relevant. 

Just as in Inductive Bible Study, we sometimes have to use outside help to better understand the context.  What do you know about the context of your listeners/readers, and how can you develop a better understanding of it?

Pastors: Be Encouraged!

This blog post is dedicated to pastors and church staff who creatively communicated the Gospel this weekend and may be feeling a bit drained this morning.

Mailers, flyers, cards, and tweets went out to draw people to Easter Sunday services.  A lot of creativity went into producing services that conveyed the joyous resurrection of Jesus Christ and the wonderful gift of salvation that He brings.  Churches will follow up with people who raised their hands, checked a box, stood up, or bowed their heads. 

Whether you had thousands or are still waiting on the one, the thing that matters most isn't how creative your marketing collateral or relevant your message or quick your follow-up.  On this day after Resurrection Sunday, can you say this?

I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
    I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
    of your unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalm 40:10 (NLT)

Because really, when it comes down to it, God just asks us to tell others about Him.  It helps others to receive the message if we are creative, relevant, and persevering, but God has called us to talk about His faithfulness and saving power, to tell everyone that gathers about his unfailing love and faithfulness.  If you didn't keep the good news of his justice hidden in your heart, but declared it yesterday, God is pleased with you.  It's your job to tell everyone.  It's God's job to produce fruit.

It is the same with my word.
    I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
    and it will prosper everywhere I send it. Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)

Be Creative For God's Sake

We incorporate stage design, props, and lighting to create impressive worship environments.  Every series is branded with new graphics, logos, and lingo every four weeks.  We find creative ways to update traditional church terms.  We sing contemporary music.  The church is using a lot of theatrical and marketing tools to attract and retain church-goers.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.  At the churches where I've been on staff, my job has revolved around these forms of communication.  The challenge to the church is when we are being creative for creativity's sake.  This causes the message to get lost in the method.  We don't need to throw out the methods; we need to be more strategic in their use.

I read an article recently that said people are used to being entertained, and so the church needs to be more entertaining.  I disagree.  Story-telling, stage-design, lighting, language, and music are the method.  The Message is the message.  The question every church communicator needs to ask before embarking on any creative journey is, "How can we convey the Good News of Christ to a lost dying unsaved non-religious unchurched post-Christian postmodern not-yet-Christian world?"  The method then flows out of the message.

The answers are, "In my community, people would respond best to ____________."  And then figure out, of all the possible fill-in-the-blank answers, which ones your church could do within your budget and with real impact.  If that doesn't include set decoration, then don't do it just because every megachurch creates a new worship environment every four weeks.  Because creativity for creativity's sake is a wasted opportunity to spend time strategically considering how you can be creative for God's sake.

Hi, I'm Esek, and You Are...?

A lot of people are naming their children after Old Testament characters and place names these days.  (If they are pastors' children, they are named alliteratively: Judah, Jeremiah, Josiah, etc.  Hopefully they run out of children before they get to Jehoshaphat...but I digress.)  Today I read about Isaac digging wells and then getting into disagreements about who owns them, and he named one well Esek, which means argument.

I paused at that verse and read it again, thankful that this was not the trend when I was born, because this may have been the name my mother would have picked for me.  I prefer to say I engage in friendly, enlightening debates, but honestly, I argue. 

My communication style reflects my personality.  I argue with myself over what should or should not be included.  When communicating, I present my case in an attempt to win people over.  I'm an Esek.

Others are emotional, weaving a sad tale that tugs on the heart strings and generate empathy and introspection.  They're communicating as Jeremiahs.
There are some who use hyperbole, making big statements about little things, and communicate in a way that causes a decision for action.  They're Esaus.

Think about your primary communication style.  It can be a strength to understand how you communicate best and to lean into that.  But also remember that based on your topic and audience, it could be a weakness.  If I want people to feel something, I can't argue facts.  I need to find my inner Jeremiah and lament about the topic.  If I want people to not just change their minds, but to do something, I must tap into the Esau in me.  My best communication effort makes use of all three - facts, emotion, and action.

Do you tend to engage in communication as an Esek, Jeremiah, or Esau?  How can you incorporate other styles into your communication?

Priorities

Work     School     Marriage     Family     Friends     Church     Hobbies

In what order would you put these?  When was the last time you thought about what is the most important to you, and refocused on those things? 

When was the last time you thought about what was the most important thing to the people with whom you are communicating?  How can you refocus on those things?

How would your sermon fare on a Reality Competition Show?

I really like reality competition television.  Mike and I passively sit in judgment over the dinner made out of cracker crumbs and seaweed and the clumsy waltz featuring the aging television star.  It is easy to be critical when you aren't the one being forced to create haute couture out of toilet paper and gum, MacGyver style.

Recently, however, we had reason to be disappointed in a contestant of Design Star on HGTV.  Given the task of designing a room for a little boy, whose very basic requests were "locker room" and "bunk bed," she managed to design a sad space with neither feature.  She created what she thought was good design, not what the child (or his parents) expected.  Though he responded politely during the reveal, the last camera shot is of the little boy with his back turned to the room.  It was as if he was so disappointed he couldn't pretend, so he just looked away.

This episode made me think.  Are we designing church services for ourselves, or for the guests?  When was the last time you asked a guest what they thought about a church service?  Not if the coffee was hot or the people were friendly (hopefully both were), but do you know if they understood the message, knew how to apply it, and felt some connection to God they didn't feel before they got there?  Do you think about these things as you are planning your services?  How about the words of the worship songs?  

Here's an example of an old hymn that you might sing in your church:

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

Out of context, this could be pretty freaky imagery to the unchurched visitor.  Fountains of blood? Drowning sinners?

The contemporary version cleans it up a bit, but there is still the same basic imagery:

There is a fountain full of grace and it flows from Emanual's veins
It came and it healed me
It came and refreshed me
It came and washed my sins away!

When you plan and practice your worship music, whether traditional or contemporary, do you think about the lyrics from an outsider's perspective?  What language could you use between songs to explain it to a guest?

Listen to the culture through your guests, friends, the media, and apply what they are longing for to your church services.  Give them the basics - a spiritual bunk bed and lockers.  Design a service around the foundational elements of the faith so that guests won't be disappointed.