Mark Batterson recently shared on his blog the following creative advertising from Plum Creek Community Church (Castle Rock, CO):

 

One thing is certain, any giant box of popcorn on the side of the street is sure to get attention. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of great things coming from Plum Creek Community Church.

This upcoming October 13th-15th, Lakewood Church (Houston, TX) will be hosting their 2006 Leaders in Ministry Conference. Attendees will get a behind the scenes perspective of Lakewood’s children’s, youth, music, and Spanish ministries, as well as, their media and marketing operations.

Particularly interesting sessions include:

• The Building of a Brand :: Duncan Dodds
• Reaching Your Hispanic Community :: Randall Gonzalez

Of course, there are plenty of other topics to choose from if those two aren’t your cup of tea. You can register online. Tickets are very affordable at $99/person (standard) and $69/person (5+ group discount).

Last April, we discussed Islam’s focus on community and how it has won numerous converts in the United States since 9/11. This week, Time Magazine has published two intriguing articles discussing Islam spreading in the West and Christianity spreading in the East.

Article #1 :: “Allah’s Recruits” highlights include:

• “I found that Islam was giving me good, solid answers to my questions,” he says. “It wasn’t difficult for me to embrace it.”
  Jamal Harwood :: Muslim Convert from London
• Although figures on conversions to Islam in Western countries are difficult to nail down, it’s safe to say that Muslim converts in the U.S. and Europe number in the hundreds of thousands, and anecdotal evidence suggests the number is on the rise.
• As with any religion, converts to Islam tend to be more devout than those born into the faith.
• The reasons converts give for making the change vary widely. But one common refrain is that in an increasingly secular world in which society’s rules get looser by the day, Islam provides a detailed moral map covering everything from friendships to protecting the environment.
• Another appeal to converting to Islam: it’s relatively easy. In Catholicism and Judaism, the conversion process can involve years of preparation and study. In Islam, the process is called reversion (because Islam literally means “submission to God,” believers hold that everyone is born Muslim), and it’s mainly a matter of uttering a two-line declaration of faith, the Shahadah. Say the Shahadah aloud in Arabic, and the conversion is complete.

Article #2 :: “The War For China’s Soul” highlights include:

• After four failed attempts over a millennium and a half by foreign missionaries to gain a foothold in China, Christianity is finally taking root and evolving into a truly Chinese religion.
• Estimates vary, but some experts say Christians make up 5% of China’s population, or 65 million believers. And thousands more are converting every day, the vast majority through unofficial “house” churches.
• Long criticized by Western governments and human-rights groups for its virulently antireligious policies, China’s central government has in recent years adopted a more lenient attitude toward religious expression.
• Although Christians tend not to see themselves as revolutionaries, house churches have become one of China’s few bulwarks against government power.
• Across the country, Christians are worshipping with a fervor once unimaginable in a communist society.

If you have time, both articles are worth the read. According to the article on Islam, converts are attracted to Islam because of a curiosity/an unknown, defined morals, and an easy conversion process. Christianity also has an easy conversion process; God handled that part. However, many Westerners are anything but curious about Christianity, and a wide range of stereotypes have left many people disgusted by their perception of Christianity. The Bible also has a defined system of morals. However, any pastor knows that “Christians” as a whole have much to improve upon in following these morals.

With that said, it is important that churches learn to take the familiarity and misconceptions out of “church” and offer their community something to be curious about and attracted by. Also, churches and their congregations must learn to practice what they preach if they expect to win converts.

Special thanks to Dave Ferguson for highlighting the two articles.

Great ideas can be a church’s most valuable resource. But getting and keeping such big ideas aren’t typically easy. Fortunately, LifeDev has offered the following seven tips (summarized by Church Relevance) for getting and holding on to great ideas:

1. ALWAYS carry paper. Recording good ideas as soon as you get them ensures that you will not lose them, and as LifeDev puts it, “Writing it down gives you freedom to let your mind explore it even more, because it doesn’t have to work on actually remembering it.”
2. Be descriptive when writing it down. Sometimes the greatness of an idea is in the details. Don’t forget to write down all of the vital components of the idea.
3. Plan for not planning on it. Often, the best ideas come out of nowhere and even when you are doing something unrelated. Don’t be surprised, but be prepared to record it.
4. Good environments matter. Learn to relax and “observe the Sabbath.” A relaxed mind can produce some incredible things.
5. Think big picture down. Think about the full scope of the idea and potential problem it addresses. Justify recording the idea by understanding why in the big picture it is important.
6. Organize your thoughts. Don’t just record your ideas, but organize them. Link them together to strengthen an existing idea or to create a new one. Determine the best means to implement them.
7. Know when to stop. Don’t try to force big ideas. Sometimes you need to walk away from the problem, forget about it, and give your mind a break. But be prepared! When you do this, an idea could come at any minute (see #3).

Special thanks to Lifehacker for highlighting the tips.

Successful marketing needs, first, the right message and, second, the right channel. Cooz0r, a marketing blog, has compiled a list of 100 marketing channels that just might make you reconsider your current marketing plan.

The channels from the list that could classify as traditional church marketing are:

• Corporate Website
• Sports
• Street (Guerrilla)
• Concerts
• T-Shirts
• Postcards
• Flyers
• Billboards
• Posters
• Newspapers
• Radio
• Television
• Personal Mailings
• Buses

In recent years, more churches have begun to use the following channels from his list:

• Static Promo-Website
• Flash Promo-Website
• Blogs
• MySpace.com
• Online Banners
• Movie Theaters
• Email Newsletters
• YouTube (and clones)
• Podcasts
• Vodcasts

As technology progresses, the available marketing channels will only multiply. Coolz0r’s list is just the tip of the iceberg. So how does your church market yourself? What channels do you use?

Most church leaders have to conduct an interview at some point in their career. Yet knowing what to ask potential volunteers or staff members can be tough. The right interview questions will weed out candidates that are not right for your ministry and give you insight as to which areas will benefit most from their skills. In other words, the right questions determine the future efficiency of your church.

Software engineer Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy has made a list of fifty common interview questions and how interviewees should respond to them (excerpted from The Accelerated Job Search by Wayne D. Ford). So whether you plan to be an interviewer or interviewee, use the list as a resource to create a better all around interview.

Consider the following questions from the list:

2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What experience do you have in this field?
5. What do co-workers say about you?
7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
12. Are you a team player?
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?
18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization.
21. What irritates you about co-workers?
22. What is your greatest strength?
23. Tell me about your dream job.
24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
30. What has disappointed you about a job?
33. What motivates you to do your best on the job?
46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?
47. Describe your work ethic.

Last month, Web Japan reported that Japan is now using vending machines that allow users to donate their change to charity.

Perhaps this innovation could be useful to churches. Of course, most churches do not have vending machines lining the hallways, but for the youth groups and church recreation centers that do use them, this new vending machine concept could be a fun and profitable replacement.

Special thanks to Trend Hunter for highlighting the new vending machine.

Last week, a new kind of social networking site was launched. It is called Oaktreeidea.com. Founded by Brady Stump and developed by Bombay Creative, Brady describes his new site as:

Oaktreeidea is not your average online social community. If you want to make a real difference in the world, then our site is for you. We have built the site for the innovators, the out-of-box thinkers, the emerging churches, the creative people and those living life with purpose, passion and meaning.

Use our site to: meet others, inspire, collaborate, to reach out, make a positive impact in your community, introduce your ministry to the world, to show God’s love, to give hope to others, and to promote any other positive world changing endeavor you may have.

It is in beta testing but still has a lot to offer. Oaktreeidea has the usual staples of online social networking - forums, chat, and user profiles, but what makes it particularly unique is its Christian roots and the following three features:

• Impact Projects - equips users with the tools to share and grow world changing ideas while encouraging others to join them in their pursuit to make a difference
• Photo Rocket News Stories - it allows users to become “photojournalists” and report interesting news at the click of a shutter
• Hope Exchange - a hub to either post prayer request or encourage and pray for others

The site also offers four different profile types:

• Oaktree Individual - the account for the individual looking to connect with friends, meet new people, and join exciting impact projects
• Oaktree Author - an account that allows authors to get the word out about their works while being able to network with other writers at the same time
• Oaktree Musician - an account that allows musicians and bands to upload their music and use Oaktreeidea as a platform to find new fans
• Oaktree Ministry - an account that allows people in ministry to meet people who want to share your vision and to network with other ministries/ministers to make a bigger difference

Signing up is free! Be one of first to check it out.