08 Dec 2013
Are Seminaries In Touch with Today’s Church?
I read a blog post today about the alarming state of education in the field of marketing. Keep in mind that marketing and evangelism are very much alike.
It seems that the field of marketing is changing so fast that academia has not kept up. Tenured professors are teaching marketing the way it was ten and twenty years ago to students who no longer live in that world. Scratch that. They NEVER lived in that world.
Businesses are interviewing the top students and finding them wholly unprepared for real business challenges.
How did this happen?
The world of marketing began to change at a very fast pace within the last 15 years—too fast for the accrediting process to keep up.
It is quite possible that the Church faces the same problem. But it may take even longer to identify and fix it.
The Church is, after all, 2000 years old. We know what we are doing. Thank you very much.
But perhaps we face the same problems.
Keeping in Touch with the Neighborhood Church
Seminary faculties may be filled with professors who haven’t served a congregation during the most recent decades of change. The Church is ill-prepared to cope with the technological and economic challenges. They spend lots of time and resources analyzing but they use old measures. The outcomes predictably favor managerial thinking and not creative thinking.
Consequently, we may be teaching evangelism and pastoral methods that will not reach today’s communities, today’s Christians, or today’s unchurched.
If a congregation can’t find a pastor with the skills they need, what’s the usual advice? Change or close. There are few leadership candidates prepared to lead change. They, like most students, get where they are by complying with the institutions in which they are enrolled.
The type of change administrators are looking for may be impossible given the state of leadership. Managing churches (an expensive undertaking) usually means closing churches.
The people who are in closest touch with the changes in neighborhood churches are the people who serve on church councils and know what skills their churches need and how hard they are to find. They face modern challenges alone. Inadequate leadership drains resources and morale.
Lay leaders are not paid so their only horse in the race is their faith and passion. If they don’t accept the leadership presented to them by their regional body, they may be labeled as “difficult” or “resistant.” Neither are bad words but that is how they are perceived. More positive words might be “persevering,” “resourceful,” or “faithful.” They may simply be insisting on leadership skills that they need—but don’t exist.
Lay leaders struggle to keep up economically. The offering plate is the only recommended solution—and lots of people these days want a piece of that pie (including seminaries and regional bodies). Many lay leaders have developed skills that those teaching in seminaries may not know exist.
The Marketing Answer
The marketing blogger applauded one university program that opened their marketing classes to business people. They make it easy for seasoned business people to return to school. They schedule classes so that business people can attend. They create a forum with young students and professionals that is resulting in what he claimed was the only program he could recommend as truly preparing students for the real world of marketing. He actually invited his readers to enroll in some classes at a discount!
Hmm!
What if seminaries made an effort to put students side by side with the lay leaders of the churches they will one day be serving.
This would differ from the usual field experience, which is under the tutelage of clergy.
Finding a more direct way to connect lay people with tomorrow’s leaders might help pastoral candidates learn before they have relationships to protect.
They might begin to see that many parishes are not dying from the most frequently cited reason—demographics. We just haven’t found ways to deal with changing demographics. (Isn’t this our mission?)
Congregations might, in reality, be dying from leadership that is not prepared for the work that needs to be done.
What If?
Putting seminarians and lay people together in this way is not a big “what if?” It wouldn’t be that hard to try.
- Evening or weekend forums could have seminary students sitting next to lay church leaders and discussing the issues of local churches.
- You want the congregational leaders from the trenches—not the accredited lay leaders who routinely serve on church boards and are part of the approved way of doing things.
- You want small churches to be well represented. Most churches are small.
- Some of the forums might actually be held in the small churches!
This dialog would occur on neutral ground. No one would be protecting sacred turf or answering to hierarchical authority. There would be no paycheck or career trajectory to consider. Students and lay leaders would be discussing the real problems of today’s congregations.
And they might—together—find some solutions.
We might grow some new leadership all around—both clergy and lay!
What the Church needs (and needs desperately) is some new thinking. New thinking comes from new understanding.
Worth a try?
04 Sep 2013
Behind the Vatican’s Locked Doors
Is God Working in Secret?
What is going on in Rome right now might be of interest only to our Roman Catholic neighbors. But when one denomination boldly claims to be the one and only true church, they invite the attention of the rest of us neo-Gentiles.
Protestant leaders tend to emulate the Roman Catholics, often forgetting the reasons we separated 500 years ago. Some of the reasons have disappeared. Other have not. It’s probably envy for the attention the media gives to the pope.
Truth be told, Protestants have their own messes to clean up today—lots of them, in fact. We don’t really need to be watching so closely.
Nevertheless, beginning this week, all eyes will be on Rome. The process promises to take us close to Holy Week. Guess how much attention Protestant churches will get from the media this Easter season.
We don’t know how things will turn out. One learned church authority described the process and closed his statement saying, “In the end, it’s God’s choice.”
Really? God needs the help of 115 old men, each with considerable self-interest, to name his new Saul or Peter?
Why is the process so secret? Tradition is not a good enough reason anymore. Tradition has led to horrific abuses. Furthermore, tradition has condoned the abuses and made a habit of victimizing any voice of dissent. Again, Protestants share in these atrocities. For once, they can be glad the media concentrates on the Roman church.
Can we, perhaps, learn and adapt traditions so they make sense?
Secrecy in choosing leaders reveals distrust in any human ability beyond the chosen elite. It leads the Church down the road of management not leadership. Managers tend to preserve what they have as they seek to maintain and expand the same power structure. The privileged will remain privileged. Outsiders will fight for a voice.
Leaders, on the other hand, assess the existing resources and add dreams—their own and those of others. This is what the Church today — Roman and Protestant — needs badly.
Leadership has been with us always. In recent years, sparked by the Renaissance, the Reformation and the rise of Democracy, the concepts of leadership have been studied. Much of this research and analysis emerged during the last century but it continues as the world is redefined by digital communication. Old principles will be applied in new ways.
- We know now that heredity does not ensure good leadership.
- We know that occasionally the best leaders come from outside a given structure.
- We know that genitalia is not a predictor of effective leadership.
- We know that there is no chosen race that excels in leading.
- We know that the most effective leaders are often unarmed.
- We know that input from all leads to better decisions.
- We know that any voting process is not foolproof.
- We know that any power, however and once bestowed, needs to be watched.
- We know that future power might be sitting today in a jail cell.
- We know that power need not be a life-long mandate. Power can be passed on to successors peacefully and former leaders can return to “civilian” life.
- And with all this new knowledge about leadership, we know mistakes can still be made and power can be abused.
Yes, we know more than we did some 2000 years ago, when someone had to figure out what to do upon the demise of Christ’s hand-picked favorite — the mercurial and passionate Simon Peter. They got it wrong a few times, terribly wrong for a while, which brings to question the conclusion that this is God’s process.
We have ample experience these days with dictators and despots—some benevolent, some ruthless.
We have learned that secrecy and exclusion is a predictor of problems.
Good leaders operate in open ways, building trust with honesty and accountability.
The Church has been very bad at this.
Protestants fall into the same trap. In our denomination there seems to be a behind closed doors vetting process. You have to play to have a say.
The archaic processes are designed to evoke mystery and keep the sheep at the far end of the fold with a few barking dogs between them and the emerging leaders.
Just look at the customs that are revealed on the evening news.
- The papal apartment is sealed. Against what?
- The stoves and chimneys are installed so that smoke can signal the cardinals’ progress. Come on! Even Pope Benedict used Twitter.
The mind games, always part of the process, become tiresome in the media. They would have us believe none of the cardinals aspire to stand on the balcony with the world watching. They are all so engaging as they describe their reluctance. One candidate is out of socks. Another just wants us to know he bought a roundtrip ticket. Coach or first class?
But again. This is all the business of the Roman Catholic church. It doesn’t involve the various branches of Christianity, including the Orthodox who were the first to leave the self-proclaimed one true Church. (Or did the Roman Church leave the Eastern Church?)
Orthodox and Protestant Christians are not involved in choosing the leadership of the one, true Church. Neither are most Roman Catholics. (Click to Tweet)
The difficult thing to understand is why Protestant leaders, excluded from the club, travel to Rome for photo ops with the pope. There is zero benefit to their denominations, which are surely footing the bill.
The reality is this: the papacy and all church leadership face a new age in which hierarchies as we know them will topple.
It could come hard. It could come easily. It’s going to come. Whomever God or the conclave chooses will be managing or leading God’s people into a new religious era.
11 Mar 2013
How Can A Blog Be Actionable?
Yesterday’s post talked about the characteristics of a viral post — a post that readers share in large numbers. One of the characteristics is that a viral post is actionable.
An actionable post results in a reader doing something. When marketers use the term, they mean the reader either bought something or took a step towards buying something. Marketers have embraced blogging because they see it as a customer relations, customer retention and sales tool—all in one.
Churches have the same needs but use evangelical/ecclesiastic terminology.
Yet churches seem to be puzzled by the blogging genre. They tend to see a blog as an online musing . . . an extension of the sermon. It is so much more!
The easiest way to move away from this thinking and to begin to harness the power of the web is for churches to think in terms of writing blogs which prompt action.
In church terms, this could mean a number of things.
Here are some actions that could result from congregational blog posts:
- A reader might subscribe to your blog or the congregational newsletter. Your congregation could then reach subscribers with a short message every day. (They probably won’t sign up to read sermons, though!) 2×2 has about 63 subscribers and another 100 or more who subscribe via Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. We reach more than 500 new readers every week! (Imagine what we could do with a building!)
- A reader might share your post with someone else. I occasionally send links to Pastor Swanson’s daily emails, 7 Minutes A Day. I find them to be inspirational and motivating and hope others will, too.
- A reader might take some action they might not otherwise take. Pastor Swanson’s posts have prompted me to read more of the Bible and look at familiar Bible passages in a new light.
- A reader might become interested in a new ministry. A congregation could blog about homelessness and inspire someone to do something about it.
- A post might inspire someone to make a donation (sweat or dollars).
- A post might inspire a new understanding or make a new connection. I can’t remember how our posts led us to ministry friendships with Christians in Kenya, Pakistan, and Sweden, but they did!
- A post could spark an interest in personal growth. I was impressed with a captivating video of a young girl telling a Bible story. I shared it on our blog and was myself inspired to improve my storytelling skills.
- A blog post can lead to new alliances. Our early posts on the value of Vacation Bible Schools created alliances with like-minded Christians in other areas of the United States.
- A reader may comment on a post and that may spark an online conversation.
- A reader just might be inspired to faith and salvation.
How A Blog Might Impact A Common Scenario
In yesterday’s post, I posed a scenario where a congregation became aware that their neighborhood was changing. A new and very different ethnic group was moving in and changing the demographic. This isn’t a stretch. It’s happening all over our city (Philadelphia). A common result within our denomination is to declare churches closed in changing neighborhoods. We can only guess that they feel their message will not fly with the changing demographic. (Actually, we are not guessing, that’s what our church was told by our regional body.) This is foreign to the biblical mission of the church—and unnecessary—especially if congregations use social media as a mission tool!
What if a congregation started blogging about the changes in the neighborhood in a way which fostered interaction between the settled population and the newcomers. If they did so regularly, it would be noticed within a few weeks. Doors would open. Introductions would be made. When the new population began to show an interest as neighbors, they would feel like they already know the people who sponsored such a welcoming blog.
Civic organizations would likely notice, too. The church would gain respect in the neighborhood. The voice of the Church might carry more weight. Mainline news might notice. The possibilities are endless.
Actionable blogs should be a goal of every congregation.
Many of these benefits can be achieved without a blog. But there is no denying that blogging amplifies the likelihood and the reach of ministry efforts. It is work. It is a new discipline. But it is exciting. Time must be carved out to learn new skills. But the potential for ministry is so much greater with a blog than without. Frankly, the time invested in blogging will steal time from ministry efforts which may be traditional but which are not resulting in church growth. No real loss.
One last thing!
An actionable post should end with what in business is termed a Call To Action. This can be as simple as posing a question. Or it could be a simple form.
Here’s our Call to Action!
If you’d like help getting started in social media or blogging, submit the brief form below. We’ll see if we can be of service or point you in a helpful direction.
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]
29 Jan 2013
The Value of Honing Leadership Skills
One afternoon at Redeemer, we hosted the choir from the public school across the street. The sanctuary was filled, people were standing in the aisles and down the steps. I found a seat in the choir loft behind the choir. It didn’t hurt the sound one bit.
They started an anthem that featured a soloist. She had a hand-held microphone, hardly necessary in the small sanctuary, but it gave her confidence. She was singing with every ounce of her heart and the solo was reaching its climax, building phrase by phrase.
All I could see was the back of the choir. The middle school girls in the back row had a tacit communication going. They were anticipating the soloist’s coming high note. Each of them literally had their fingers crossed, their wrists punctuating every beat as they waited for what they hoped was coming.
And when that singer hit that note, you could feel them rejoicing within the decorum of the choir. But even if they jumped for joy, it wouldn’t have been out of line. The congregation was on its feet applauding in the middle of the anthem.
And so the congregation returns to routine. It’s Wednesday evening. For the last six decades Wednesday evening has been filled with church choir practice.
Every week the choir meets to make sure their Sunday music is as fine as they can make it. Every week the choir pools all its talent and raises voices to God. Even with all that practice, none of the members sitting in the pew expect them to be perfect. They won’t always hit that high note. But they’ll be back working on it next Wednesday night.
What about other skills of church leadership? Where’s the time for practice, honing skills, attempting something a bit beyond the usual, growing together, cheering for one another when a tough job goes great, laughing together when efforts bomb.
Maybe we need to hold Monday—evangelism practice, Tuesday—teaching practice, (Wednesday’s taken!), Thursday—prayer practice, Friday—stewardship practice, Saturday—social ministry practice.
It might be worth considering making these other skills as much a discipline as we expect from our musicians. Practice may not make perfect, but it builds confidence and it opens doors for new ideas. Skill sets grow.
Let’s practice mission. Try some new things. Be intentional enough to work at them weekly. Cheer when we succeed. Back to the drawing board when we don’t. We will experience both failure and success. Failure feeds success. But not if we don’t practice!
photo credit: Shavar Ross via photopin cc
17 Jan 2013
A Bishop Abuses the Respect of Her Office
Bishop Claire Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has frequently criticized Redeemer for “resisting” her leadership. With scant detail, she seeks to create the illusion of a renegade congregation that must be reined in for benefit of the whole Church. Her mission is easily accomplished in a synod where the rank and file is passive.
In her words, she sensed “resistance”—a definite taboo in her leadership style—but definitely allowed within the church’s democratic processes and under the beliefs of our faith.
In another tirade Redeemer was “adversarial.”
Adversarial. Resistant. Not bad words. By definition, nothing for Redeemer to be ashamed of — except by innuendo and the surety within the ELCA that no one will investigate.
Redeemer was placed in an adversarial position by unreasonable and unconscionable behavior of a bishop who uses name-calling to disguise self-interest.
Congregational leaders should stand up for the people they lead (be adversaries) and resist selfish outside agendas.
If congregational leaders are not permitted to represent their congregation’s interests, they serve no purpose. This may be the problem in SEPA and the ELCA. Its governing structure is ineffective.
If you read the three illustrations we recently posted about SEPA’s concept of mutual discernment, you will notice that Redeemer was very cooperative whenever SEPA leadership asked them to do anything that made sense and would further their mission efforts. Redeemer often sacrificed self-interest in its cooperation.
Redeemer resisted when the congregation was asked to do things which would endanger their ministry.
- Redeemer cooperated with Bishop Almquist’s proposal to call Pastor Matthias for 18 months. Bishop Almquist broke the call agreement three months later.
- Redeemer cooperated with Bishop Almquist when he declared synodical administration. Redeemer resisted within Lutheran rules but worked with Bishop Almquist and the trustees, bringing the matter to peaceful resolution within a year. Redeemer resisted when he failed to return our money upon the release of synodical administration for an additional year.
- Redeemer agreed to accept the only pastor Bishop Almquist offered. Redeemer resisted locking in to a term call when the pastor announced his intentions to provide only the barest amount of service. Redeemer supported a term call, which Bishop Almquist refused to consider.
- Redeemer cooperated when we were approached to help Epiphany when its building was condemned. We worked in good faith for 18 months. Redeemer was not given the opportunity to resist when SEPA began working with Epiphany in secret to close down their ministry, without considering the covenant made with Redeemer.
- Most of the attention of the covenant for the first year was on settling Epiphany’s pressing problems. As soon as the covenant began to show some promise of benefitting Redeemer—the covenant was broken with all benefits to SEPA. Redeemer did not protest the inequity, but we felt used.
- Redeemer cooperated for an additional six months, allowing both Epiphany and synod ready and rent-free access to our property. Less than a year later synod tried to lock us out!
- Redeemer brought our successful outreach ministry to local East African immigrants to the attention of Bishop Burkat. She told us we were not allowed to do outreach ministry and refused to recognize our East African members—some of whom had been members for a decade.
- Redeemer met with the trustees in good faith and shared our ministry plan with both them and Bishop Burkat, unaware in the beginning that the trustees had lied to us for five months. We learned from a synod staff member that Bishop Burkat never intended to give Redeemer’s ministry consideration.
- Redeemer followed ELCA and SEPA constitutions, asking to withdraw from the ELCA, which clearly was not serving the congregation. SEPA resisted, refusing to allow Redeemer the 90 days of negotiation called for in the constitution.
Many of the continuing travesties of this sad and horrific chapter in SEPA’s history—that everyone just wishes away—would not have happened had SEPA worked with Redeemer. That’s the subject of another post.
02 Jan 2013
This begins a short series of posts springboarding from an article in The Jewish Week, written by Rabbi Hayim Herring.
Is the Church a club?
Rabbi Herring suggests that there is a “club” aspect to religious life.
The rabbi and blogger discusses the way religious, civic and non-profits rotate leadership, sharing expertise. He recognizes that organizations benefit from working with a field of trusted leaders. But he points to a serious downside.
“In this model of involvement, there was a right way and a wrong way to get things done and one year’s program often served as the next year’s template. This pattern of involvement created predictability for organizations but, over time, unresponsiveness in addressing new community problems.…
“Yet, this informal rotation of leaders from one organization to the next created the appearance of a privileged club and also fostered a narrower sense of communal vision.”
This is often true within Christian leadership circles.
Just this week, I opened a newsletter from a local Lutheran Service Agency. I glanced at the Board of Directors. The names were familiar. Some of them had served on the same board off and on for decades. Other names I recognized from other Lutheran Agency and Synod boards, councils, and committees. Many of them, too, have been serving for decades.
A great pool of expertise . . . sure! But the same pool of leadership is likely to ensure that proposed initiatives will be cookie-cutter in nature. They aren’t settled in these leadership roles because they rocked the boat! They are appointed, elected, and re-elected because they are predictably safe in their leadership style.
Same people, similar thinking. At worst, the boards become rubber stamps for leadership. And all in all, there is an element of the “club.”
I recently read reports of the last Biennial Meeting of the ELCA. Wow! It was exciting. It was inspiring. It was moving. People had stories to tell. But I didn’t get a sense that anything happened, that problems were hashed out, that new directions were forged. It appears to have been a showcase for the leadership “club.”
Synod Assemblies, too, have a “feel good” (strike that) “feel great” ambiance. The voices of the Assembly are drowned out by the “show.” Participants must return to their churches pumped with stellar reports.
This was reflected in one of our Ambassador visits. One pastor introduced the lay representative to a Synod Assembly that had taken place just the week before. The young woman told of her thrill at being there, her awe in meeting the bishop, and the exciting worship expression. She added that she couldn’t remember much about the meeting part and didn’t understand a lot of it. But it was a great experience. She couldn’t wait to attend again.
If the Church is an organization charged with service in the world where service is most needed, you’d think there would be some sobering discussions leading to unsettling feelings, cries for solutions and service, and the introduction of new issues that might open a door for the interests of new leaders.
But church problems are pretty much glossed over in quickly read reports. Questions? You have 10 minutes. On to the next stirring worship service.
The Church can so easily become a club. If you are “in,” you work hard to stay “in.” If you venture to raise issues, you risk informal (or even formal) censure and you may never feel like a part of your church again.
Is it any wonder that people are not breaking down the door to get “in”?
photo credit: JLM Photography (aka Spookman2011) via photopin cc
26 Oct 2012
Let’s face it. One of the biggest challenges for small churches (and that includes most churches) is meeting the costs of professional leadership. Salaries and perks are the bulk of the budget.
At the first sign of financial distress, what do most churches do? Call a part-time minister.
What is the priority of every part-time solo minister? Preparing for worship and Sunday morning.
Often, that’s about all a small congregation can negotiate from their leaders. It is the frequent source of conflict.
Sunday morning preaching alone does not grow a church, especially when the sermon is delivered to only a few dozen part-time listeners. But the pressure on congregational lay leaders is to grow and transform or else, while all the congregation’s resources are tied up satisfying the salary requirement for a requisite pastor—whether that pastor is helping the congregation grow or not.
This must change.
Education is coming to realize that the responsibilities of teachers are changing. There is no longer any need for thousands of biology teachers working to craft a lecture on photosynthesis when just one expert educator can thoroughly cover the topic online, complete with visuals and links to enhance the lesson. This role can be competitive to ensure quality, but duplication in every school district is no longer necessary. The old model for education, born of pre-Information Age traditions, will soon be obsolete and recalled as quaint.
It is projected that the typical class day will flip. Listening to lectures will be the homework. Class time will be spent with instructors facilitating discussions, problem-solving and projects—what used to be called “homework.”
Similar changes will benefit the Church. Small churches do not have to devote scarce resources to pay theologians to craft a sermon on the same topic as a several thousand other pastors. This model belongs to the ages.
It may once have been necessary when information was harder to come by and many members were illiterate. As the economic model of Church shifted to totally monetary compensation, it has been pricing small churches out of existence. This is a shame. Small faith communities still hold the greatest number of total denominational membership. People like small churches. Soon, only the privileged will be able to afford to live in Christian community. The Church will have defeated its own cause.
Today, we need more pastors and fewer preachers. We need comforters, advisors, peacemakers, innovators, advocates, teachers and leaders. Knowledge of scripture and church teaching is still important in performing these roles. But the expense of dedicating one full salary to every congregation for the primary purpose of filling a Sunday pulpit is imperiling the entire Church.
If small churches are to return to prosperity, they need hands-on pastoring more than expensive preaching. Just as in education, the Church must turn its priorities upside down. Thoughtful preaching can be provided online and delivered by anyone who can speak well. Professional staff will free a day or two for hands-on interaction in the community.
This is already beginning to take shape. Luther Seminary’s online preaching helps (www.workingpreacher.org) is a resource that covers each Sunday’s lessons from the Common Lectionary. Many seminary professors from varying traditions comment on the lessons, helping to free the time of hundreds of pastors. 2×2 fashions both its Daily Devotion and the weekly object lesson from this online discussion.
Meanwhile, online preaching is being honed to an art. The temptation for many preachers is to post their ten-page sermon manuscript on-line. These do not fit the habits of online readers.
Online preaching must conform to the new rhythm of modern life. Pastor Jon Swanson broadcasts a short devotional reading daily and elaborates more fully in his blogs. 7×7 (very short daily devotion) and 300 words a day (a longer—but still short—daily blog lesson). He is growing an enthusiastic following — including 2×2.
All of us pioneers in the social media world have analytics at our fingertips. We can test and hone our skills, using actual data. Pastors preaching in sanctuaries have to guess and wait a week to correct their course.
The role of ministers must change if ministry is to remain affordable to most congregations.
Now would be a good time to start.
23 Oct 2012
In the Church, we are still shaking off the dust of the Middle Ages. Back then, as always, there was a crying need to organize society, partly due to unparalleled spread and power of Christianity.
- Who would have the power?
- Who would control the wealth?
- Who would protect the wealth and power?
- Who would pay for everything?
There was tension between church leaders and the people they relied upon to protect their impressive assets. This ragtag group of warriors would be most effective and reliable if they were given some official status and a smidgen of power.
Somebody came up with the idea of “estates.”
The First Estate included the clergy. They controlled much of the wealth, demanding contributions of the faithful. They paid NO taxes.
The Second Estate included the warriors that were to become the nobility. They were willing to risk their lives to protect the Church, and so, they were allowed some very nice tracts of land and the power to get the general population to work for them. They paid NO taxes.
The Third Estate was everyone else—about 97% of the population. THEY paid taxes.
As for upward mobility—it was next to impossible to enter the Second Estate by any means other than birth or marriage. Is it any wonder that there was no shortage of clergy in the Middle Ages?
Then came the printing press. The Fourth Estate was born. It was soon recognized that anyone who owned a printing press held power that had to be respected (and controlled, if possible). The press became the Fourth Estate.
Along came America and the power of the press was given constitutional protection.
Today we stand at the threshold of new possibilities and the birth of the Fifth Estate. The term seems to have started in Canada, referring to the media. It is evolving to include the power that lies in the hands of millions of unfettered individuals (the same 97% who have been supporting the power structure of both Estates One and Two for a thousand years).
Enter the power of the blog—The Fifth Estate.
This is a new form of power— a bit like the press but rawer and more independent, uncontrolled by any structure and empowered as much by the low cost as the technology..
- Blogs are available to all.
- Blogs do not require wealth and backing.
- Blogs can create their own following.
- Blogs are immediate.
- Blogs have no cumbersome internal power structures.
- Blogs are not restricted by the costs of print, marketing and circulation.
- Blogs are not beholding to advertising for revenue.
- Blogs are controlled by everyone’s ability to respond if they disagree.
- Blogs are protected by the same Bill of Rights that protects religion and the press.
Anyone can become a thought leader in this new world. You won’t need a title or fancy degree.
The Fifth Estate will outpower every other Estate.
We have already seen the Fifth Estate affect government and international relations—swaying elections, inciting rebellion, changing the world.
We are beginning to see the Fifth Estate change education with free and easy access to course material once available only to the privileged.
Business has changed. Publishing has changed.
Will the Fifth Estate change the First Estate—the Church?
It will…if we start using the power at our fingertips.
The Church’s resistance to change—which begins at the top—will hamper it. Leaders will try to protect the status quo, which is their expertise. They will continue to rely on outdated communication techniques—20-minute sermons in cavernous, empty sanctuaries, newsletters filled with fluff, feel good web sites that invite little interaction or thought leadership.
One day soon, the power of the Fifth Estate will force open the doors and windows that have been sealed for centuries. The change is not going to be dictated by the seminaries or bishops or even the clergy. It is going to come from the bottom up and it is going to be truly transforming.
Are we ready?
photo credit: BottleLeaf via photopin cc
21 Oct 2012
This series has addressed evangelism in terms used most often by people in marketing and advertising. Again:
Advertising is getting the word out.
Evangelism is getting the Word out.
We’ve concentrated in this series on branding, applying this term to a favorite strategy of church developers — beginning a ministry with the tactic of writing a Mission Statement.
Often that’s where this sort of evangelism program both begins and ends. The Mission Statement is written and it’s back to business as usual.
One of the leading voices in the marketing world is businessman Seth Godin. He recently presented a concept and granted permission to share it. So let’s take a look at what he has to say.
Seth Godin’s Acute Heptagram of Impact
According to Godin (who has initiated countless ventures and helps many more kick-start their dreams) all of these seven qualities must be present if a project is to succeed. The absence of even one can snuff out the light! I revised his Heptogram to make it make sense to me. The concepts crisscross as if you are drawing a star, but otherwise it is Seth’s.
Start at the top of the star. Godin says you can have a STRATEGY but if you do not define your TACTICS and if you lack the SKILLS to EXECUTE those tactics. the STRATEGY won’t matter. Your ability to garner support from sponsors or workers depends on your REPUTATION. Nothing mentioned so far matters if the DESIRE to succeed is not present and the individuals involved do not PERSIST. The biggest enemy of PERSISTENCE is FEAR. And with this, you return to STRATEGY, completing your seven-pointed star.
Each point on this Marketing Star applies to any Congregation engaged in forging a new mission.
- The strategy to create a Mission Statement is the tip of this seven-pointed star.
- Start to draw the star and you come to tactic. That is the Mission Statement!
- Keep drawing. You now need tp decide what skills and assets you already have or need to help you execute your Mission Statement.
- Cross over to reputation. If you have a problem with reputation, begin to address it immediately. It may take a while!
- Work with your membership to foster desire. Chances are your leaders understand the need to evangelize better than other church members. Leaders must find a way to communicate their enthusiasm to the rest of the congregation.
- Then you have to start working your plan. Chalk up some success. Address each failure (and you will have some).
- Don’t let fear of failure or making mistakes keep you from trying.
Godin claims that when things aren’t working, one or more of these elements are amiss. Often, he says, none of them are quite right. The biggest danger, he suggests, is the concentration on tactics before the full scope of the project is understood.
And that’s a problem with concentrating so hard on the Mission Statement that we miss everything else!
17 Oct 2012