Brad Abare of Church Marketing Sucks and Center for Church Communications taught a morning session at The Internet Ministry Conference today titled “A Matter of Message.”

Here are my live blogging notes:

RECAP ON BRAD’S MINISTRYCOM TALK 

The description and prescription for how we should communicate: Matthew 5:13-16 & Matthew 10:5-10

1. Be salty (Pursue more of God.)
2. Be transparent (Open up to others so that they will open up to God.)
3. Think local (Pursue others.)
4. Keep it simple (We are the equipment.)

GIANT MISTAKES ONLINE 

David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

1. What is your giant?
   Identify the problem. The giant was the same for everybody.
2. Who is fighting?
   Identify who will solve the problem. David was the one who was ready to fight. An example of a leader (Saul) supporting others (David). An example of a generation (Saul) allowing the next generation (David) to take on the challenge.
3. What are your five smooth stones?
   Identify what methods should be used. The methods did not come first.

9 Common Communication Mistakes

1. We confuse the 3 M’s (Message, Method, & Movement)
   Understand what your message is.
   Understand what is the movement that you want to happen.
   Understand what method will make it happen.
2. We assume that people get it.
   Not everything that communicates works.
3. We assume that we are credible.
4. We copy others methods.
   When we just copy the methods, we forget what the message was in the first place.
5. We forget how to develop a plan and how to measure it.
6. We underestimate our boringness.
7. We speak Christianese.
   We need to pay attention to how our message is being translated.
8. We choose the easiest or cheapest method versus the right method.
   It does not mean that easy or cheap is bad, but when it is at the expense of the right method, it is bad.
9. We forget that design matters.

9 Tips for Better Communication Online

1. Lower the drawbridge.
   One entry point.
2. The call to action.
   What is it that we actually want people to do?
3. RSS is our friend.
   It is not just for blogs.
4. Cute, Clever, & Cool (via 37signals)
   Understand them as ingredients, and understand their place. These are spices that enhance the dish. Avoid too much spice or two little.
5. Remember the 2 second rule.
6. Understand that printed content does not equal web content.
   It is easy to control who receives print. Online is a much broader audience.
7. Blogs for me.
   Blog for me not the audience. The more we are transparent, the more the audience connects.
8. Let’s not reinvent the wheel.
9. Share.
   How can you help others?

I am off to the Internet Ministry Conference for the rest of the week. If you are going, be sure to introduce yourself.

For those of you who did not have a chance to attend the Q Conference this past April, Jeff Johnson’s talk about the church and hip-hop culture is available to watch on YouTube.

To read notes for this session, read my previous post about Jeff’s talk.

Bob Coy is the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale, a Florida multi-site church with 3 campuses located in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Plantation.

ABOUT CALVARY CHAPEL FT. LAUDERDALE

Year Began: 1985
Locations: 3
Weekend Services: 9
Attendance: 18,500
Staff: 720 :: 1/26 attendees
Volunteers: 4300 :: 1/4 attendees
Primary Audiences/Lifestyles Reached: People who’ve been broken and burned out by the empty promises of this world.

10Q WITH BOB COY

1Q = What values and beliefs unify Calvary Chapel‘s staff and drive their performance?

As a Church, we believe that it’s our mission to pick up where Jesus left off, which is the Great Commission to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Everything that we do as a ministry must meet the criteria of making disciples. If it doesn’t, then we don’t do it.

2Q = What is Calvary Chapel’s chain of command from the senior pastor to the church volunteers?

As the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel, I’m supported by several (at this point 22) Assisting Pastors. Each of these Assisting Pastors oversees a team of support staff and key volunteers who actively implement the goals of their respective ministries. We also have a person on staff whose sole responsibility is to make sure that people who have a heart to volunteer are matched up with the ministries that would be best served by their spiritual and natural gifts.  

3Q = For big decisions, what is Calvary Chapel’s decision making process?

Our leadership team firmly believes that there’s safety in the multitude of counselors (Proverbs 11:14), which is why all of our major decisions are taken to and made at our regularly scheduled pastoral and board meetings. If there’s difficulty in arriving at a consensus decision, then the decision is made to wait and pray until it becomes very clear which course of action we should take or not take.

4Q = How does Calvary Chapel market itself?

We want people to know that Calvary Chapel is an environment where people will be welcomed, loved, encouraged, valued, and instructed in and challenged by God’s Word. Above all, our church is a place where people can expect to find and cultivate an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

We communicate this through every creative means available to us from the latest advances in multi-media to rolling up our sleeves and meeting our community’s needs through various outreaches. We want to take advantage of the fact that we live in the information age by providing a strong virtual presence, but we also understand the importance of keeping things relational.

5Q = What is the most effective thing Calvary Chapel has done to reach people?

Generally speaking, preaching Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2), but specifically, we’ve experienced an exponential impact on our community through our Christmas Eve and Easter Services. Using a public venue like an arena or stadium gives us a great opportunity to get the gospel message to those who need to hear it. I’m always amazed at how God uses these celebrations in the lives of those who wouldn’t normally consider going to church.

6Q = What is your leadership style?

I pray that my leadership style is similar to Christ’s by being servant-based (John 13). In God’s economy, the greatest in the Kingdom is also the greatest servant (Matthew 20:27) and so I strive to wash as many feet as possible. Over the years, I believe that God has blessed this model by surrounding me with many others who are also servant-minded, which has enabled our ministry to grow and advance year after year.   

7Q = Who has influenced you the most as a leader?

I have been blessed with many godly role models over the years. But without question, my understanding of God, His Word, and “doing church well” has been influenced by Pastor Chuck Smith more than any other single individual. He’s the man that I call “Pastor”.

8Q = What resources have had the biggest impact on how you do ministry?

I have a strong appreciation of the literary legacy left to us by the “stalwarts” of the faith; men like Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, G. Campbell Morgan, Charles Finney, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, A.W. Tozer, and Henry Ironside. I’ve also reaped enormous benefits from more contemporary authors like Philip Yancey, Charles Stanley, Max Lucado, Charles Swindoll, Norman Geisler, Josh McDowell, James MacDonald, Lee Strobel, and Andy Stanley.

I’ve been greatly impacted by the various Calvary Chapel conferences that I’ve been privileged to take part in, as well as the times that I’ve spent at The Billy Graham Training Center.

As for the Internet, there’s so much out there that it’s difficult to single out any specific sites. But as a whole, it’s an invaluable tool for taking our society’s pulse and knowing what kind of questions the world is asking. In that sense, the Internet has had a tremendous impact on how I do ministry. 

9Q = What is the greatest ministry lesson you have learned?

I’d have to list two here.  One is to keep the message of Christ and Him crucified front and center in all things (1 Corinthians 2:2), nothing else in this world has the power to change lives. The second is to remember that God desires to accomplish His work by the power of His Spirit. Kingdom business isn’t accomplished by man’s might or power, but it’s by His Holy Spirit who actively works in the lives of those who are surrendered and submitted to Him (Zechariah 4:6).

10Q = What is the best advice you have for church leaders?

As simplistic as it sounds, I can offer no better advice than what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33, to seek Him and His righteousness first, and then to entrust everything else in life (including the matters of ministry) to Him. A church leader who does that is a success in God’s eyes, which is all that really matters…everything else is up to Him.

Be sure to check out Church Relevance’s “10Q” category to read previous 10Q interviews.

USA Today reports that an increasing number of young adults ages 20-29 are delaying marriage. Among this demographic:

NEVER MARRIED

• 73% of young men in 2006 had never been married
  >> up 9% from 64% in 2000
• 62.2% of young women in 2006 had never been married
  >> up 8.8% from 53.4% in 2000

NOW MARRIED

• 24.6% of young men in 2006 are now married
  >> down 8.3% from 32.9% in 2000
• 33.9% of young women in 2006 are now married
  >> down 8% from 41.9% in 2000

The trend toward delaying marriage has emerged over several decades as economic and social forces have made it more difficult for those in their 20s to reach independence. Sociologists and demographers say other factors are also at work, including increasing numbers of cohabiting couples, more highly educated women who have fewer highly educated men of comparable age to partner with, and more choices open to women than in decades past.

For those reasons and others, experts say they don’t expect this upward trend in the ages for marriage to reverse.

What does this mean for the church?

Ministry to singles has undergone a dramatic demographic shift over the past 6 years. What worked in the ’90s may not be as effective or work at all with this newly widened age range.

Unfortunately, this trend has also led to more couples living together before marriage. The article highlights data from the U.S. Census Bureau that shows that the number of unmarried partner households rose from 5 million in 2000 to 6 million in 2006. In fact, 70% of the people who are getting married lived together first. It is an issue that needs addressed from the pulpit.

The Barna Group asked parents to identify the most significant or challenging issues facing their kids and teenagers, and they discovered:

For Teenagers

• 42% listed peer pressure
• 16% performance in school
• 16% substance abuse
• 15% behavioral issues
• 6% values development
• 5% college choices and acceptance
• 5% attitude
• 5% media use
• 3% listed challenges related to their teen’s faith

For Young Children

• 26% listed school performance
• 24% listed peer pressure
• 10% behavioral issues
• 6% attitudes 
• 6% media use
• 5% family-related struggles
• 5% health-related struggles
• 5% issues related to maturation
• 3% listed challenges related to their child’s faith

George Barna notes that the percentage of youth challenged by peer pressure doubles by high school, and he adds the following bit of wisdom:

Understanding the tensions that kids are wrestling with enables an adult to connect with a child at a deeper level. Acknowledging the challenges, relating teaching to the issues they face, and even praying more specifically for these young people are ways of retaining and even deepening the relationship while providing tangible assistance to each child.

Whether you are a children’s minister or youth pastor, you need to understand what life is like for the young people in your ministry. The key to relevance is understanding people.

FontShop has released yet another free high-quality font. It’s called Revalo Classic Regular.

Get your copy today!

When it comes to church volunteers and vision, Gary Lamb of Revolution Church (Canton, GA) says:

You can NEVER cast vision too much. Volunteers do what they do because of the vision, not because they need something else on their schedule.

[via Monday Morning Insight]