Monday Morning Insights

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    15 Innovations the Church Should Embrace Now…

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    Here are the 15:

    1.  Podcasting - circuit riding at the speed of light

    In addition to your weekly messages, how about spicing it up with special editions? Try doing interviews with church neighbors, the mayor, volunteers, staff intros., etc. If it’s worth preaching it’s worth podcasting. Any church of any size can exponentially increase its impact via MP3 technology.

    2.  Blogging - digital discipleship

    Don’t blog for an audience, blog for you. The more you write about what’s on your head and heart, the more people will respond. Blogging increases your bandwidth and allows you to digitally disciple just about anybody, anywhere, anytime.

    3.  Video Technologies - postmodern stained glass

    The medieval church used stained glass to tell the gospel story in pictures. We’re using screens to tell the gospel story in moving pictures. Jesus isn’t just the Word of God. He is also the Image of God. The Church needs to communicate in images!

    4.  Viral Video - get contagious quickly

    Use YouTube to spread the love. There’s even a first-time visitor orientation.

    Use it creatively for things like behind-the-scenes sermon prep, church staff meetings, or videos created by the congregation. There’s a reason why this is one of the top visual communication sites on the Web.

    5.  Multi-Purpose Church Buildings - doing ministry in the marketplace

    Jesus didn’t hang out at synagogues. He hung out at wells. Wells were natural gathering places in ancient culture. Coffeehouses are postmodern wells. That’s why National Community Church, in Washington, D.C., built a coffeehouse on Capitol Hill instead of a church building — to create a marketplace environment where the church and community could cross paths. Less than a year after it opened, “Ebenezers” was rated the #2 coffeehouse in the metro DC area by AOL CityGuide 2007. They serve 600+ customers seven days a week. Instead of asking people to come to them, the church is going to the people.

    6.  Multi-Site Churches - one church, multiple locations

    Once thought to be a mere fad, satellite campuses are here to stay. This is one of the most effective ways to plant strategic, intentional churches … and bring economies of scale to boot!

    7.  Web Site - your church portal

    Guests can watch a Webcast, read your history, and get as much information on your church as they want. And they can do it from the comfortable confines of their computer. Most people will visit your Web site long before they visit a service. Your Web site is your first impression.

    FREE BONUS TIP: Ruthlessly eliminate lame Web sites (you know who you are!)

    8.  E-Mail - word of mouse

    Churches should avoid spam at all costs, but an e-letter is an easy and affordable way to keep the church connected. An e-mail is a simple way to keep a ministry team on the same page or evite a friend to church. Think of it as word of mouse. Many pastors preach to more people via e-mail than they do via voice. It’s a form of e-vangelism.

    9.  Branding - the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing

    In the last decade, branding has become the marketing rage. And there is a reason. The opposite of brand is bland. The most important truths ought to be communicated in the most unforgettable ways. Churches need to be intentional about branding themselves and branding their messages. Branding isn’t dumbing-down or watering-down the message. It’s putting the creative energy into marketing the message that it deserves.

    10.  Social Networking - church as a tag-team sport

    Create a MySpace page and build an online congregation. The way we network has radically changed with the advent of myspace.com, facebook.com, and even eHarmony.com. The Church needs to piggy-back off of the networking trend for Kingdom purposes.

    11.  Get a [Second] Life! - “Go into all the [virtual] nations…”

    Check out LifeChurch.tv’s campus at SecondLife.com (an Internet-based virtual world). It may be more real world than this world.

    12.  Get Joost - the magic of television meets the power of the internet

    The guys behind Kazaa and Skype are shaking it up again with Joost (Joost.com). Imagine watching your service (or other content) online and chatting with viewers at the same time on the same screen.

    13.  Text Message - get instant feedback

    Instant audience polls. Text to vote during the service for immediate results posted live on the sidescreens. Or text to donate to a cause, building campaign, etc.

    14.  RSS - the feeds that matter most

    Use RSS feeds to get your info fed fast (weekly bulletin, small group announcements, daily devotionals, blog entries, etc.)

    15.  Live! Missionaries - bridging the geographic distance

    Link up around the world with missionaries your church sends and/or supports.

    Put them on the big screen and have Q&A with the pastor as everyone sees in real time.

    You can read more here...

    So… what do you think?

    This is from the latest Willow Magazine (from Willow Creek Association). They asked a bunch of church leaders what innovations they are using and came up with this list of fifteen or so innovations that they think have merit in local church ministry. Take a look at the list and see what you think. What's missing? What would you add or take off this list? I'd love to hear your response!

    Comments

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    1. Jeremy Myers on Tue, October 30, 2007

      These 15 things are a full time job, but right on the money. The trick is adding these things to the already full plate of pastoral ministry. Sure, we can pass some of this off to volunteers (or other staff members if we have them), but the pastor must be invovled in some of this.

    2. Daniel on Tue, October 30, 2007

      Just a factual correction on number 5, Jesus did hang out at the synagogue—he was a good Jew in that regard.  Heck, Luke portrays the synagogue as his ministry launchpad—it’s where he ‘comes out’ as the hope of Israel!


      The idea in number 5 is still valid though.


      All 15 of these seem like helpful tools, but let’s remember that they’re tools.  Tools to accomplish a purpose.  The purpose comes first, and the tools required for the job are used.  I’m thinkin’ there might be a temptation to use all the tools and forget what the job is…


      My two cents.


      -Daniel-

    3. Nora on Tue, October 30, 2007

      I think branding needs to be handled extremely carefully.   There is nothing wrong with making something look nice, or giving something a particular flavor, but like anything else out there that is being “sold,” there is a fine line between “cool” and “cheesy.”  Post moderns in particular are very quick to sniff out something that seems too “packaged.”

    4. Stewart on Tue, October 30, 2007

      It’s funny (sad) that these things are considered innovations. Unfortunately if it’s new in the last century, the church labels it as innovation.


      With the exception of Joost and Second Life - the rest of the “innovations” are old hack. We’ve got to get more creative than this folks.

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    6. OlivaB. on Tue, March 10, 2009

      These all sound like good ideas.  The real question is: which are the most appropriate for me?  Which is the most effective?  Which one should I be working on, on a daily basis, weekly basis, or monthly basis.  Making the list was probably the easy part.


      ————-


      OliviaB.


      San Francisco lawyer

    7. online special education degree on Mon, May 11, 2009

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    10. whats on Mon, June 22, 2009

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    11. packer on Tue, June 30, 2009

      I like this share.It is creatively for things like behind-the-scenes sermon prep, church staff meetings, or videos created by the congregation.Hannah Montana Games

    12. Crystal on Thu, July 02, 2009

      There is nothing wrong with making something look nice, or giving something a particular flavor, but like anything else out there that is being “sold,” there is a fine line between “cool” and “cheesy.”


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    13. medicament cholesterol on Mon, July 20, 2009

      Really interesting. I have read a lot about this on other articles written by other people, but I must admit that you is the best.

    14. Best CD Rates on Sat, September 12, 2009

      Agreed, the church really needs to move with the times if they want to survive.

    15. Stained Glass Review on Thu, November 12, 2009

      This is very true, church is a little old school and gets lost in the clutter of pop culture, technology, work, school, friends etc. People’s lives are very busy today but, most are familiar with these kind of innovations and should be able jump on board fairly easily. Good article.

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