A few weeks from now on October 25-27, Willow Creek Association will be hosting A2 2006. Designed for progressive church leaders, it is going to take the conference learning experience to a whole new level by exploring case studies of five innovative church models with unscripted, interactive dialogue.

The goal is to help you and your key staff learn how to anticipate and avoid common ministry pitfalls and apply breakthrough thinking and principles to the unique mission of your church. In other words, the conference is designed to not simply teach you principles that have worked for other churches but to teach you how to apply those principles to work for the unique circumstances of your church.

The church models to be studied are:

• Christ Church (Montclair, NJ) :: David Ireland :: Multicultural Outreach
• CityLife Church (Australia) :: Mark & Nicole Conner :: Leading Through Change
• Gateway Church (Austin, TX) :: John Burke :: Come-As-You-Are Culture
• LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) :: Craig Groeschel :: Multi-site Phenomenon
• Los Angeles Dream Center (Los Angeles, CA) :: Matthew Barnett :: Community Impact

To get at the deeper issues and questions you want answered, the leaders from each of these five innovative churches will enter the Bullpen to be questioned by a panel of church experts which includes Bill Hybels, Erwin McManus, David Anderson, William Vanderbloemen, Jim Mellado, and Greg Hawkins.

And to top it off, Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL) will share their latest transition strategies and leadership challenges for their next era of ministry. It sounds like it is going to be an incredible conference.

Check out their website to learn more.

Griffith Coaching Network offers the top ten reasons church plants fail. Their list is as follows:

1. Lack of a clear definition of “success” and a clear exit strategy
2. Premature birth (starting public worship too quickly)
3. Mismatch between the planter and the community/context/target audience
4. Insufficient assessment (of the planter and the planting context)
5. Lack of training and coaching
6. Putting all your eggs in one basket (depending on one big advertising campaign or event)
7. Too much overhead too fast
8. The inability or unwillingness to recruit new people
9. Lack of focus and ignoring the pressing priorities
10. Inebriation (being drunk on your vision)

Special thanks to Ben Arment for sharing the list. I particular like his addition to #5 - “Lack of ongoing training and coaching.” - and his paraphrase of #10 - ”Unwillingness to change the strategy when it doesn’t work.”

So what do you think? Are there any reasons you would add to the list?

A month ago, we discussed the importance of church differentiation. In response to the post, a pastor named Randy asks the following question:

How often should a church change NOT ITS NAME but its logo? I’ve noticed corporate E.g. PepsiCo (MT. Dew) changes their look often - and so on - what do you think?

I thought I would share my response for any other ministers who have the same question.

How often should a church change its logo?

First off, let’s assume that a church’s logo is originally created to reflect not only the church’s brand (core values/what makes it unique/its mission) but also to appeal to the primary target audience that the church is called to reach. If this is the case, a logo should only be revised if:

1. The culture of the target audience evolves to such a degree that the logo also needs revised.
2. The brand (core values/mission) evolves to such a degree that the logo also needs revised. (Hopefully, this evolution would be a God directed change.)
3. It is not timeless but designed around fashionable design trends that are now outdated.

Ideally, you will begin with a good logo that is timeless and you can keep a lifetime. Consider NBC, CBS, Coca Cola, or even Pepsi. They are all simple yet timeless marks that have for the most part successfully weathered the years. Mt. Dew has kept the same identity but has often changed their creative approach to communicating their brand. There is a difference between a logo (which is to timelessly support the brand) and a creative approach (which is a temporary means to communicate a message with consideration to the brand).

To expound on #2
Sometimes a logo revision is simply a way to repackage a brand and reposition it in the minds of prospects (this repositioning will only last if the company also changes internally).

To expound on #3
Sometimes companies will update their logo every decade to seem a little more current.

The problem many churches (and businesses) have is they have logos designed based not on timeless qualities that reflect their brand but on fashionable design trends. The problem with this approach is the logo will be outdated in five years. Like an out-of-date shirt or haircut you will be judged based on cultural opinion and not on the actual identity unique to your church.

That’s the basics in a nutshell.

If you are truly interested in learning more about branding and creating a good logo, I recommend that you read Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler. It is a very comprehensive approach to the subject.

Any further questions? Any input?

Gospel Communications has created a website for Internet Evangelism Day that offers a comprehensive list of over 70 tips to consider when developing a church website to reach your community. Not every tip will be right for your church, but they do offer some good food for thought. I do not agree with all seventy plus tips, but some of the ones that I would recommend include:

2. A good church site must communicate with three very different target groups: (1) the church members, (2) Christians moving to the area who are looking for a new church, and (3) non-Christians in the community.

3. If you wish your site to reach non-Christians in the community, make a conscious decision that this is to be an over-riding priority for every aspect of the site.

5. Avoid all “churchy” jargon and “Christianese” language throughout the site, especially on the homepage.

8. A primary task of the website is to convince non-Christians of these four things: (1) our church is made up of real people, (2) we understand their problems, (3) we are a community, family, and there is unconditional welcome waiting for them, and (4) in that context, God can meet them and help them.

15. Consider a “New to this site?” visitors link on your homepage. This enables you to offer a particular welcome to an outsider. 

24. Your church site will be the first point of contact for many people in your community. First impressions count.

25. Do not place too much information on your homepage.

27. Avoid “churchy” graphics – open Bibles, stained glass windows, doves, candles. And appeals for money. These are off-putting to many non-Christians.

36. Also learn how to use CSS.

37. Use colors correctly: understand how to choose a color scheme, how colors relate to each other, and what mood they communicate.

43. Don’t leave out-of-date content online.

46. Take time to assess your target audience, their interests, needs and circumstances.

57. Test your site from a technical viewpoint in different browsers, and at different screen resolutions.

62. Do not offer too many links in your navigation menu.

64. Make sure your pages download quickly.

73. Ensure that every day, someone reads incoming emails to the church.

Church Relevance’s July 2006 newsletter, Ministry Duplication, has been added to the site.

One thing I love about the automobile industry is their solution to problem solving. Faulty parts do not have to undergo painstaking surgery. They are simply replaced with a duplicate part that works.

Imagine if God suddenly called you to a different role in ministry, would there be someone that could fulfill the responsibilities of your current position? Would there be a replacement that could do the same job? Learning the principle of duplication is an important key to being able to grow a lasting ministry. It allows for your church to keep running smoothly even if a few parts are replaced along the way.

Read More >>

We will be posting articles from Church Relevance’s newsletter a few months after we send them to subscribers. If you would like to receive the latest issues of Church Relevance’s newsletter as soon as possible, you may sign up to begin your free monthly subscription to our newsletter.

Wouldn’t it be incredible to have a children’s ministry that looks like Disney World? Grace Church (Broken Arrow, OK) built one.

 

In 2000, Jonathan Martin Creative helped turn the second floor commons area of Grace Kids into an incredible Epcot-style world of adventure. With design that appeals to both young and old, Jonathan Martin and his team transformed the children’s ministry into a one-of-a-kind global experience.

Themes include New York City, ancient Egypt, Venice, Morocco, France, England, Germany, China, and Australia.

Every wood structure was fire-treated and hand-crafted. And a mixture of three-dimensional facades, mural work, themed lighting, and sound effects have brought a whole new level of fun to Grace Kids.

 

The Barna Group recently shared the following research about the life of tweens (children ages 8 to 12):

• 94% said they have good friends whom they can trust. 
• 91% get punished by their parents if they are caught using bad language.
• 79% feel safe when they are at home.
• 74% said their parents enforce a strict curfew.
• 69% say their family eats dinner together at least five nights a week.
• 64% say they feel they can always trust their parents to do what is right for the child.
• 67% noted that the amount of television they are allowed to watch is limited by their parents.
• 57% contend that they look forward to spending free time with their family. 
• 56% believe that they will have a great life. 
• 43% rejected the notion that they would rather be popular than do what is morally right.  
• 38% said that churches have made a positive difference in their life.
• 35% said they find it easy to talk to their parents about everything that is happening in their life these days. 
• 34% said that prayer is very important to them.
• 31% are bothered by bullies who threaten or scare them.
• Young people who get mostly “A’s” in their schoolwork tended to have a much more positive experience and outlook.
• Having both parents in their home also makes a big difference.
• Born again Christians were also much more likely than non-born again tweens to possess an upbeat life perspective and experience.

Barna concludes that:

Parents must take the lead in establishing the centrality of faith experiences and practices for their children. That begins with parents modeling the significance of faith in their lives. It also highlights the importance of families taking the lead in the spiritual development process, rather than expecting or waiting for a church to produce spiritual growth in adolescents.

At the same time, it is essential that children’s ministers strive to create an environment where students will not only grow deeper in their spiritual development but have fun and actually look forward to going to church. Fun environments enhance the learning experience.

Does your church have a singles ministry? If you do, did you know that according to the U.S. Census Bureau:

• 41% (89.8 million) - the number of U.S. residents age 18 and older who are unmarried and single in 2005.
• 54% - percentage of unmarried and single Americans who are women.
• 60% - percentage of unmarried and single Americans who have never been married.
• 25% - percentage of unmarried and single Americans who are divorced.
• 15% - percentage of unmarried and single Americans who are widowed.
• 14% (14.9 million) - percentage of unmarried and single Americans age 65 and older.
• 49% (55 million) - percentage of households nationwide maintained by unmarried men or women.
• 26% (29.9 million) - percentage of households nationwide with people who live alone.
• 32% - percentage of births in 2004 to unmarried women.
• 12.9 million - number of single parents living with their children in 2005. Of these, 10.4 million are single mothers.
• 40% - Percentage of opposite-sex, unmarried-partner households that include children.
• 672,000 - Number of unmarried grandparents who were caregivers for their grandchildren in 2004.
• 4.9 million - Number of unmarried-partner households in 2005. These households consist of a householder living with someone of the opposite sex who was identified as their unmarried partner.

A few thoughts about these statistics:

• Singles ministries need to reach a much broader demographic than twenty somethings.
• With 49% of households nationwide being maintained by unmarried men or women, it is important that churches also consider resources or a ministries to aid single parents, particularly mothers.
• Children’s and youth ministers must consider how the diverse living environments experienced by students raised by a single parent or grandparent or even an unmarried-partner household will influence the needs of the students.

Is your church reaching the singles in your community? Are you reaching the never-been-married ones, the divorced ones, and the widows? Are you reaching the single moms? Each group has specific needs, but the question is, “How will your church reach them?”