churchrelevance.com

Creating Passionate Users recently discussed the problems with products that are so complex that users never learn how to use most of their features. They pose the question, “How many things do you own where you can’t use more than 10% of what they can actually can do?” They discuss how home stereos, cell phones, and digital cameras users have a tendency to stay “stuck” in “Program Mode” - just using the default settings.

But what about your church? How many people attending your church are stuck simply attending? How easy is it for people to get involved in the heart of your church’s community and to use it to its full potential? How useful and valuable is your church in people’s lives?

Creating Passionate Users offers four questions to ask to determine if a company’s product has usability problems. Let’s change those questions to apply to your church so that you can determine how usable your church is.

1. Are we focused too much on “church” rather than the needs of the people our church wants to reach? Is your church offering solutions to its congregation’s problems? Are you giving them something practical, or have you become stuck in meaningless tradition or pursuing obscure dogma? Usable churches try their best to minister to the needs of the people they want to reach.
2. Is our church too hard to use? If your church has poor signage and little organization, it does not make it easy for people to attend or get involved. Even the best organized and designed churches have areas to improve. Don’t reach a point where you are comfortable, but constantly look for ways to better serve people. View your church through the eyes of your guests.
3. Do we encourage/support a church community that emphasizes growing spiritually? Well organized church communities ensure that church members don’t just attend church but apply God’s Word in their lives. A church without community offers no accountability for those who attend to actually apply to their lives what they learn in church. Community motivates users.
4. Do we train our church members how to practically apply what they learn in church and become involved in furthering the church’s vision? Explain to your church how they can apply Biblical truths to their lives, and explain to them how they can become involved in supporting the church’s vision. Preaching the Bible is great, but teaching people how to use it is even better.