Monday Morning Insights

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    Maybe the Church Should Become a Little More Like Wal-Mart…

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    Wal-mart puts a high value on me and every other person and family in my community.

    Many churches, on the other hand, seemingly couldn’t care less about the people in their community.  Sure, we give them lip service, but when it really comes down to reaching our target, many of us are too busy arguing about carpet color, worship styles, and how much to ‘give’ to missions in Africa, all the while missing the main point of reaching our own community for Christ.

    Wal-mart provides diapers and socks and hemorrhoid cream for a profit.

    The church offers eternal life and salvation for free.

    Shouldn’t our communities know we value them at least as much as Wal-mart?

    FOR DISCUSSION: Here’s today’s questions for you: 

    --Does your church value people more than Wal-mart? 
    --If so, what does that look like in your community?
    --Who is better at reaching their audience in your community?  Your church or Wal-mart?
    --Does your church even have a specific target audience?
    --Does your church have a specific plan to reach that audience?
    --If your church shut down today, would your community notice?
    --And if they noticed, would they care?
    --What is your church offering your community that no one else can or does?

    I’d love to hear your response.  Please add your comments below…

    PS—Please know that I realize that not everyone is a huge fan of Wal-mart.  And no, I’m not calling for the commercialization of the church or for the church to take the same business tactics as a giant corporation.  I’m also not comparing the church to Wal-mart’s hiring practices, their growth and expansion strategy, or their position on gay workers.  Just to be clear… I’m just saying that Wal-mart knows their target and does everything in their power to reach their target more effectively.  That by itself is something that I think most churches can learn something from. —Todd

    What is the price or value of a soul? $215,000. That’s the price that Wal-mart has put on each of their customers. A couple weeks ago, I happened upon a documentary on CNBC about the inner workings of Wal-mart. It was a very interesting program. One of the main things that stood out to me is that Wal-mart has done extensive research into their business. If, for example, I go into my local Wal-mart store and get bad service; can’t find what I need; have to wait in the checkout line too long; or anything else that really makes me upset, Wal-mart knows that they have a lot to lose. In fact, they’ve calculated the value of what I’m worth to them. If I get mad at Wal-mart and never return, I have just cost the company (on average) $215,000. That’s how much sales they have figured they will lose from the average customer over their lifetime if they don’t come back...

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    1. Douglasah on Mon, June 11, 2007

      An interesting idea.  It would be interesting to know how much an “Average”  church member might donate to churches over the course of their lives… 


          Part of the problem with “Target Audiences” is that (as has been said before) our “Target” is people who have yet been to our church - and that since we have yet to meet them, it is difficult to discover what they want out of, or from a church, or what gifts they may have that they would like to share..


          As I see things, our big problem still is establishing relavency and providing meaning in communal activities in a world that tends increasingly to be made of many solitary individuals, and fewer (and smaller) communities or even families.

    2. Peter Hamm on Mon, June 11, 2007

      We target Wal-Mart customers! http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/wink.gif

    3. Christian Web Trends on Mon, June 11, 2007

      I wonder how much churches could benefit from placing a simple “Comments and Suggestions” box in the lobby.  Seems most churches don’t really have any idea why people leave or don’t “stick” after visiting.  Church leaders could also benefit from receiving more feedback from members and attenders who are committed to the church.


      Not that church leaders are obligated to implement every suggestion, but often the leaders are the last to hear about things.

    4. Scott on Mon, June 11, 2007

      What could be more relevant than providing something that everyone needs - a relationship with God and with other people?


      In many communities Wal-Mart is the “town square” - especially on weekends, the aisles are crammed with neighbors and frineds catching up with each other.


      The church could take a lesson in market relevancy and providing community from the retail behemoth.

    5. Steve Nestor on Mon, June 11, 2007

      Todd,


      I believe that this is the one thing the church misses.  While we read and even preach the great commission, not too many people are living it day to day.  The mega churches of today are driven by programs, concerts, and special events to attract new people.  The smaller chruches cannot compete with this approach of “getting people in church.”  Even churches within the same denomination act as if they are in competition with one another.  When it comes to focusing our attention on the lost, there are host of excuse used to why we do not follow through with God’s plan for His church.  Perhaps we need to learn to value each person in the same way that Wal-Mart values its customers.  Common sense tells us that we will never please all the people all the time, but we should be more concern with the lost.  I think it has been said, “if you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.”

    6. Curt on Mon, June 11, 2007

      Hi Todd: 


      I thought many churches do treat people with a Big Box mentaility. 


      We pay people minimum wages.


      We encourage ovetime without putting it on the clock.


      We rally the staff to keep morale up when income is low.


      We notify staff that floggings will continue until morale improves…


      Sent in a light hearted spirit…any resemblance to real churches or Big Box stores is purely co-incidental.  http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif

    7. Sharon on Mon, June 11, 2007

      My husband is the pastor of a church in rural southeastern Colorado where there has been a drought for 5-7 years and an economic down turn as a result. Our church is reaching out in the community to help people with their emergency basic life needs such as electricity, gas, food, rent/mortgage, prescriptions, trips to the doctor’s to other cities and other emergency needs. We provide free budgeting classes and have an opportunity to present the gospel apart from the emergency assistance we give. We become advocates for the people in need to help them receive services from other agencies, assist them where needed in filling out any applications or assisting them in any way we can. Changes here are very incremental, but we do by God’s grace see changed lives.

    8. Jim on Mon, June 11, 2007

      Why do people go to Wal-Mart in the first place? They have a need that the store can meet. Many times a store will advertise a product that they are selling below cost just to bring in customers and sell them the other products that they may not have even known that they needed, 


        In order to bring in the unsaved we must find a need that they have and meet that need and they will come. They do not know that they need salvation or they believe they already have it. What other need might the church help them with ? Fellowship,  at times even entertainment, support for: divorce,grief, single moms etc…


        I looked back on my unsaved life and found that when I had a need I searched for the solution. Let’s take fellowship for example. I went to the bar of my choice. I met friends, made new ones and spent my money. If I missed a week ,the bar tender did not call me nor did he visit me. I wasn’t offended nor did I vow never to return. I went back because I wanted to, they fulfilled a need I had.


      If we could meet peoples perceived needs and then introduce them to Jesus, the one they really need, they will come back no matter what color the carpet is.

    9. randy on Mon, June 11, 2007

      First thing that caught my eye in your musings—


      “Wal-mart puts a high value on me and every other person and family in my community.”


      What planet did you just drop in from?


      Arkansas?


      Wal-mart has proven over and over again that they put a high value on one thing, and one thing only, higher profits! Everyday low prices? Only to the extent it yields greater sales of more and more stuff people may or may not need, stuff purchased from vendors increasingly pressured to cut their own workers’ wages (and/or out-source to foreign vendors) so that Wal-mart can make more and more money. 


      My preaching prof in seminary told us to avoid having the sermon point lost in an inappropriate illustration.  This is a great example of what she was talking about.

    10. Leonard on Mon, June 11, 2007

      Wal-Mart does not just meet needs it does so at a value.  It is it’s greatest strength that you can meet your needs for less.  It is now becoming one stop for many people because what people values is time.  One of the lessons we can learn is offer value at a value.  I know Jesus said unless we take up our cross and deny ourselves… and this is critical to the making disciples, but unless we demonstrate that there is indeed values here they will ship for intimacy in sex, community in clubs and sports, friendship in co-workers and soft ball leagues, acceptance in the WWW and other communities in which acceptance is based in a certain level of denial. 


      As a youth worker to students for over 18 years I never tried to match what the world, MTV or any other group could offer, I simply focused on what I could offer and how to make that offer as clear as possible.  Wal-Mart does this.  They get in trouble with competitors because they are focused on what they are building and offering without regard to competition.  The churches dfficulty is that we are focused on other churhces as competitors and not on the enemy.


      I have always said, the largest youth group in any city is the one that Satan has.  The largest group of people in any city is the unchurched, who shop for their needs in money, success, sex, addiction, isolation…  This is why I now plant churches, to go get those people.

    11. randy on Mon, June 11, 2007

      P.S.  Just read your P.S. which seems a little like me saying at the end of a sermon… I know many of you women worshiping here are offended and/or bored to death by male-dominated imagery and that my entire sermon has been about how the Christian life is like two-a-day football workouts in August… but never mind that… I still think you can learn something from it.


      Besides, a better example of real communitiy would be the small town corner bar and grill. At least their profits are reinvested in the community.

    12. randy on Mon, June 11, 2007

      And one more thing, Todd.


      Your paragraph—-  “The church offers eternal life and salvation for free.”


      Is that really what the church offers?


      A neat little gift card which reads, “Get out of hell…. FREE!”


      Your statement is technically correct. But most lay-readers and too many pastors have a limited vision of the meaning of “eternal life” and “salvation.” So I think you need to be more clear.

    13. Kim K on Mon, June 11, 2007

      Jim, your bartender analogy is spot-on.  I am from the Bible-Belt and most of my older family and friends still hold to the same mentality of “the preacher should come visit me if I have my tonsils removed or cut myself shaving…”  And, of course, the same old “I was out 2 Sundays in a row and nobody called me…” 


      I love your comparison.  If more people “got” that point, we could really shake up some of our “Christian” communities!

    14. GR Guy on Mon, June 11, 2007

      No question the church can take some tips from business and marketing to help in the cause.


      But it must never take the place of loving others and worship to God.  But if it can help get people in the door, let’s use it as a tool.

    15. randy on Mon, June 11, 2007

      GR Guy says, “...if it can help get people in the door, let’s use it as a tool.”  The end justifies the means?  I don’t think so!


      I wonder if “concern for the un-churched” simply the label church leaders give to their own passion and drive for success which is, in the end, defined by numerically increases in members and staff and budgets.


      “We have been called to be fruitful—not successful, not productive, not accomplished.  Success comes from strength, stress, and human effort.  Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and the admission of our weakness”  (Henri Nouwen).

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