What is it?

It's the things that NO ONE sees, that produces the results EVERYONE wants.

It's the Little Things

From Craig Groschel:

I’ve written about four things that people (or companies) did for us on a recent trip to Florida that made a difference to me. Today I’ll write about a small thing ignored that could have made a difference.

For my daughter’s sixteenth birthday, we ate (for the first time) at a certain restaurant chain.

The waiter botched our order (which is an understandable mistake with eight people to serve). The food came out in three shifts over five minutes apart. Three orders were wrong including mine. Instead of a salad, I received a cheeseburger. Since the food took so long to arrive, I ate the burger instead of waiting for a salad.

When the bill arrived, not only did they not remove any charges for the wrong food, but they overcharged us for two things we didn’t order. When I asked the waiter if he’d remove the overcharged portions, he seemed very put out.

I told him not to worry about it and just decided it would be my first AND last visit.

Admittedly, I’m being a little petty. But in a world of great service, bad service stands out like a sore thumb.

It makes me wonder how often guests might not return to our churches because we didn’t welcome them, help them find a seat, or help them feel comfortable dropping their kids off to complete strangers.

Thoughts?

Failure, Success or Neither

From Seth Godin:

The math is magical: you can pile up lots of failures and still keep rolling, but you only need one juicy success to build a career.

The killer is the category called 'neither'. If you spend your days avoiding failure by doing not much worth criticizing, you'll never have a shot at success. Avoiding the thing that's easy to survive keeps you from encountering the very thing you're after.

And yet we market and work and connect and create as if just one failure might be the end of us.

So Close.........

Most of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

~Thomas Edison

Lessons from the Biggest Launch Ever

From Seth Godin:

Apple reports that on the first day they sold more than $150,000,000 worth of iPads. I can't think of a product or movie or any other launch that has ever come close to generating that much direct revenue.

Are their tactics reserved for giant consumer fads? I don't think so. In fact, they work even better for smaller gigs and more focused markets.

1. Earn a permission asset. Over 25 years, Apple has earned the privilege of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to their tribe. They can get the word out about a new product without a lot of money because one by one, they've signed people up. They didn't sell 300,000 iPads in one day, they sold them over a few decades.
2. Don't try to please everyone. There are countless people who don't want one, haven't heard of one or actively hate it. So what? (Please don't gloss over this one just because it's short. In fact, it's the biggest challenge on this list).
3. Make a product worth talking about. Sounds obvious. If it's so obvious, then why don't the other big companies ship stuff like this? Most of them are paralyzed going to meetings where they sand off the rough edges.
4. Make it easy for people to talk about you. Steve doesn't have a blog. He doesn't tweet and you can't friend him on Facebook. That's okay. The tribe loves to talk, and the iPad gave them something to talk about.
5. Build a platform for others to play in. Not just your users, but for people who want to reach your users.
6. Create a culture of wonder. Microsoft certainly has the engineers, the developers and the money to launch this. So why did they do the Zune instead? Because they never did the hard cultural work of creating the internal expectation that shipping products like this is possible and important.
7. Be willing to fail. Bold bets succeed--and sometimes they don't. Is that okay with you? Launching the iPad had to be even more frightening than launching a book...
8. Give the tribe a badge. The cool thing about marketing the iPad is that it's a visible symbol, a uniform. If you have one in the office on Monday, you were announcing your membership. And if it says, "sent from my iPad" on the bottom of your emails...
9. Don't give up so easy. Apple clearly a faced a technical dip in creating this product... they worked on it for more than a dozen years. Most people would have given up long ago.
10. Don't worry so much about conventional wisdom. The iPad is a closed system (not like the web) because so many Apple users like closed systems.

And the one thing I'd caution you about:

1. Don't worry so much about having a big launch day. It looks good in the newspaper, but almost every successful brand or product (Nike, JetBlue, Starbucks, IBM...) didn't start that way.

A few things that will make it work even better going forward:

1. Create a product that works better when your friends have one too. Some things (like a Costco membership or even email) fit into that category, because if more people join, the prices will go down or access will go up. Others (like the unlisted number to a great hot restaurant) don't.
2. Make it cheap enough or powerful enough that organizations buy a lot at a time. To give away. To use as a tool.
3. Change the home screen so I can see more than twenty apps at a time (sorry, that was just me.)

As promised, the folks at Vook made their deadline and were ready on launch day. It's early days, but it's pretty clear to me that the way authors with ideas will share them is going to change pretty radically, just as the iPad demonstrates that the way people interact with the web is going to keep changing as well.

Now......how can we apply these principles to the church???????

Is There Room In Our Church?

From Tony Morgan:

People with spiritual gifts like mine aren’t welcomed in your church.

My spiritual gifts include leadership and administration and discernment. That’s how God has wired me. As a result of that mix of gifts, I think in terms of systems and strategies. I have the ability to walk into a chaotic situation and offer clarity and encourage simplicity. I can’t explain it, but God allows me to see the future in some situations and develop plans and next steps that help bring a vision to fruition.

Here’s the rub, though. Since my spiritual gifts don’t include teaching or prayer or shepherding, I don’t look or smell like the typical “Spirit-filled” pastor. When I start talking strategy and planning, people automatically assume that my counsel is being driven by my own strength and not God’s power.

I admit there are days when, like every Christ-follower, I try to take control of my life rather than embracing God’s control. I’m far from perfect. But I also know that the strengths that make me unique are God’s design for my life. I assume God wants me to use those gifts in the church. You’d be amazed, though, at how much my gifts are disdained within “Spirit-filled” churches.

Engaging the counsel of others won’t limit the Holy Spirit. Planning for the future shouldn’t constrict the power of the Holy Spirit. Learning from the experiences of other leaders and ministries doesn’t constrain the Holy Spirit. Bringing order and systems and strategic approaches certainly don’t stop the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers people like me to do all those things.

It’s crazy. In the business world, people like me are rewarded handsomely for helping to expand the business. When people use those same gifts to help expand the impact of the church, though, they’re doing something wrong.

Are people who have these gifts supposed to get jobs in the marketplace where their strengths are welcomed? Is there room for them in your church?

PC's Thoughts

Why re-name Osceola Assembly?

First, we need to remove the geographical limitation posed by the name of our city in the title. Yes, we exist here in Osceola, but our vision is to be able to establish satellite churches in other communities. A geographical reference in the title of the church makes that extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Second, we need a name that reflects the vision and purpose of the church, rather than a denominational affiliation.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so blessed that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Are we giving people information or inspiration?

Third, denominational names are barriers. This applies to all denominational barriers. People tend toward distrust of large organizations. So if we can remove that barrier, why not do it?

We seem to be concerned about “losing” a few families who would be upset with removing the denominational name. That could happen, but that would beg some questions:

1) If someone is willing to leave the church over the denominational name, then what is their priority; the denominational name or people’s souls?

2) When did the denominational name become more important than the souls of lost people?

3) If it was their family member who refused to attend a church with a denominational name in the title, would that sway their opinion? If not, then what would?

4) For some it’s an issue of “heritage”. If removing a denominational name would bring in more people, then isn’t that like taking a solid foundation and building a skyscraper? That would actually create a greater heritage!

5) We often tell people that God is far more concerned about their future than their past - and He is. So then, why does “heritage” trump vision? Paul said that he “forgot the past and pressed on toward the mark......”

6) When they stand before God, what will He say?

I doubt that He will be proud of their accomplishment of maintaining a denominational loyalty over being willing for people to spend eternity in hell.

Are there other churches someone could go to? Sure. Will they? Maybe. Maybe not. But why should they have to? In front of the west building we put in a cement ramp to make it easier for those with disabilities to get into the building. In turn, that made it easier for everyone to get into the building. No one argued that making it easier and more accessible was a bad thing.

Did everyone use the ramp? Nope. Many still used the step. Will people still come here if we keep the denominational name in the title. Sure........but what about the ones who need “the ramp”? They won’t. And if we believe it’s important to make an entrance door accessible by removing the step barrier, doesn’t it also make sense to make the church more accessible to everyone by removing the denominational affiliation barrier?

Another argument is that missionaries aren’t “ashamed” to be affiliated with the A/G. First, we’re not “ashamed” either. But like so many of our missionaries, we don’t make our affiliation the central focus. We have numerous missionaries throughout the A/G - some of whom we support as a church - who are in sensitive countries and aren’t even listed as missionaries. They are there as teachers, or engineers or architects. They don't use A/G in their name at all. That’s not because they’re “ashamed”, but because it’s wise. It opens far more doors. That’s all we’re trying to accomplish here as well.

Just like some of those missionaries would never be able to set foot in the country God has called them to if they were A/G missionaries, there are people who will never set foot in a church with a denominational affiliation as it’s central focus.

We need to base everything on Scripture - Why? The Great Commission and the Great Commandment can be boiled down to two essential statements:

1: Love God

2: Love other people

These are really the only two things Jesus saw worthy of contending for. Everything else is secondary. I love the Assemblies of God, but a denominational affiliation wasn’t a priority to Jesus.

More questions about those who “might leave” if the denominational affiliation is taken out of the church name:

1) When did keeping people happy become a priority over reaching the lost?

2) Some of those people are faithful givers. When did money (tithes) become a priority over reaching the lost?

This is a contentious subject, to be sure. People have strong feelings on both sides of the issue. That’s why we must approach it with great care and loads of prayer.

I like the idea of putting it before the church family and letting them make the choice. However, I pray that we use wisdom and don’t go “campaigning” for our particular viewpoint. That’s what the informational meeting will be about. That’s what the discussion prior to the vote is for. When it comes to choosing a deacon you wouldn’t “campaign”. You would say, “We need to let the Holy Spirit direct the vote.”

The same applies here. Sure, there will be discussion about it. That’s to be expected.......and welcomed. But any kind of concerted effort to persuade people to vote a particular direction will only become divisive. Please, please, please..........we are experiencing great momentum and we must do all we can to avoid division. Gaining momentum is difficult enough........regaining it after it’s lost is even more challenging.

Once the church family makes the decision, we move forward TOGETHER. We take the essential legal steps and begin the “re-branding” process. Then we go about the business of taking the Gospel to Osceola, southern Iowa and the world!

All in Favor?

All in Favor of a New Church Name?

Our game plan for changing the name of our church.

One Monday morning at staff meeting, Jerry, our pastor of student ministries, told us that it had happened again. A high school student had invited a friend to the church youth group, and the friend was planning to come, until he found out it was at a "Baptist" church. Then he backed out because he felt his parents would disapprove.

This had become an ongoing problem. Nassau County, just outside of New York City, is about 55 percent Catholic, 25 percent Jewish, and the remaining 30 percent covers everything from any world religion to atheism. In our neighborhood the word "Baptist" is met with complete ignorance or is considered a form of extremism.

The high school student was open about it, but we knew that for countless others, even if they didn't say so, our name was an obstacle.

When I was called to be senior pastor of Manhasset Baptist Church in the fall of 2002, I realized that changing the name of the church would need to be one of my early priorities, if we were to reach beyond the boundaries of Manhasset and beyond the boundaries of those already positively inclined toward Baptists.

But in a congregationally governed church, it wasn't my decision alone. I needed to proceed wisely and carefully. I waited until the third elders meeting to broach the subject. While none of the elders felt our current name was an asset to accomplishing our church's mission, some were concerned about the timing of any change.

We agreed to wait one year before going public with any recommended name change. That way the congregation could get to know and trust my leadership.

In hindsight this proved wise because building relationships is crucial to any bold leadership decision. Many people, because they know you, will give you the benefit of the doubt even when they may disagree with you over something.

That first year the elders and I laid out a plan of action:

Present the idea of a name change at the October 2003 congregational meeting and ask them to pray about it.

Teach the theological underpinnings of a name change. We focused on 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, which culminates with the phrase "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."

Hold an all-church prayer meeting, inviting people to an informal meeting for them to ask questions, and then calling them to come before God concerning the issue.

Vote on the concept of a name change at the January congregational meeting. This would be done without a particular name proposed. Any specific name could become a distraction. Voting only on the concept would keep the main issue on the table.

Upon a favorable vote, we would then give the whole church, members and regular attenders, an opportunity to suggest possible names via postcard.

The elders would then select the three top names and send out another letter, announcing the possible names, and asking the congregation to return the enclosed postcard as a straw poll, identifying which name they considered the best.

Propose the name that had the greatest support for a congregational vote at our April congregational meeting.

Hold a "Celebration Sunday" to get the word out and reemphasize our desire to see people come to Christ.

The plan proceeded mostly the way we anticipated. The whole process, from the first October meeting to our Celebration Sunday in June 2004 took about nine months. We had 120 names suggested, and going through them all was one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. We all had our favorites that made us chuckle like "The Love Church" or "Streams of Living Water of Jesus Christ."

What's In a (Church) Name?

Gordon MacDonald told us a while back that the church he serves was considering changing its name. It has finally happened. His account of a 180-year-old congregation's year-long wrestling with its identity is amusing and instructive. Read on.

About a year ago I filled some of this space with comments about changing a church's name. At the time our New England congregation (Baptist in background) was thinking about exchanging its 180-year-old name for something more adaptable to the times. I invited comment from all my readers. And all four of you wrote to me. (Just fooling). Actually, there were a significant number of responses.

Many e-mails were thoughtful and gave evidence that people had done their homework and accumulated useful insight about how and why a church's public moniker ought to be reappraised occasionally and sometimes changed. One or two respondents trumped me by writing that if I prayed more, Jesus would provide the name since it is his church.

A name is important. It can say something about who you are or who you want to be.

There are name-changes throughout the Scriptures. Jesus renamed Simon Peter in order to map out his journey to maturity. The early church called Joseph of Cyprus Barnabas because he was a fountainhead of encouragement. And Saul of Tarsus became Paul in order to contextualize himself in the Greek-speaking world.

I'm one who believes a church name ought to arouse curiosity, reflect congregational character, or provide some sense of meaning as to why a church or organization exists. My opinion? First Baptist Church doesn't cut it any longer. And most of our people agreed - some enthusiastically; others with a compliant shrug of the shoulders.

Our people studied church names and the stories of name changes all across the country. Some stories they collected ended well; others reflected the anguish a congregation can go through when a few become determined to fight change of any kind. Here in this church we're New Englanders, the people who didn't go west many decades ago when Horace Greeley suggested it. Those who did embrace change left us and moved to California. We who stayed behind continued to love our stained-glass windows, our pipe organs, and our hard wooden pews. Why should it surprise you, then, that name changes come hard?

It was a big day when our leaders unanimously affirmed their desire to go for a change. It was an even bigger day when we identified a name that every one liked. It just popped up in conversation. I'm not sure that any of us remember who had the idea. Jesus, perhaps! When we first heard it, we raised holy hands and said in concert, "That's it!" And we stopped looking. The name we picked was CenterPoint Church. It grabbed us, and it offered a meaning that we quickly embraced.

We could become CenterPoint Church with joy and confidence. Forty-eight hours later a new sign was on the front of the church. CenterPoint Church. And in small letters below: established 1818. We had our new name and a reminder that we've been around for a long time.

CenterPoint: what does it mean to us? It says that Jesus is at the center point of our lives together. And it says that we like being a church at the center point of our city where we want to make a difference in community life in the name of Jesus. And, finally, center point reminds us that each of us are "center points" of loving and serving influence wherever we work, live and pursue community involvement.

You can build an entire church mission around that name and those three meanings. And that is exactly what we're trying to do.

Better this wonderful name - CenterPoint - than the one an Old Testament mother gave her son: Ichabod, meaning, "The glory has departed from Israel."

So now you know the rest of the story. And you know that even in New England, an old church can find a new name, a fresh vision, and a confidence that there is a wonderful future.

Selecting a Name

Many churches are named to signify a place, like Main Street Church. Others are named to designate a denominational affiliation, like Faith Baptist Church. Other names, such as Community Bible Church, open broad doors while some names hold out spiritual ideals, like Church of the Open Door.

Many church names present biblical pictures, like The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Some contain nearly an entire system of theology, like Pillar of Fire Mount Zion Holiness Church of the Straight Gate.

Whatever name a church has, a good name is better than a bad one. And a great name can be one less barrier that a church must overcome to reach out to its unreached community.

Today many churches are changing their names. To some this is a new concept. But changing a church name is not as new as many people might think.

For instance . . .

The vast majority of early Americans were Anglicans. In fact, two-thirds of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Anglicans, as were George Washington, John Madison, Patrick Henry, Alexander Hamilton and John Marshall.

After the American Revolution, the Anglicans lost their dominate position. Since the Anglican Church was identified with England, thousands of Americans left to become part of the free churches with reflected America's zeal for freedom. Not until the Anglicans renamed themselves the Protestant Episcopal Church were they able to enjoy growth again.

Why Change Your Name?

Why would anyone want to change their church's name? Here are four reasons some are choosing to do so.

1. A New Location

When Park Street Church moves to Fifth Avenue it will need to change its name or suffer a loss of identity. If the name is not changed, there will be increased confusion as new people move into the community and are unaware that Park Street Church is now located on Fifth Avenue.

2. A New Target.

The First German Baptist Church initially ministered to a primarily German audience. However, over the years the community has changed and a new target audience must be reached. Without a name change, it is unlikely that people of other ethnic descents will even attempt a visit.

3. A New Identity.

Twenty years ago Broadway Presbyterian Church struggled through difficult times. Many people left and joined other churches in the local area. Broadway is now experiencing love and peace within her membership. Yet, her previous reputation lives on. A name change is one way she may clear away the old memories and create a new

identity.

4. A New Direction.

Faith Community Church organized a VISION 2000 team to redefine its mission and has decided to set a new direction for the 90s. Noting that their community has many hurting people, they elected to communicate their new desire to help with a new name - New Hope Community Church.

Seven Guidelines

If you have given some thought to a new church name, here a seven guidelines to think about as you work through the choice.

1. Choose a name that attracts the unchurched.

One key to reaching the unchurched is to use a church name that is understandable and attractive to them.

•Consider what unchurched people think about names like "Faith," "Grace," and other names with religious sounding connotations.

•Narrow your choice down to five names and then survey people in movie lines, ball parks, shopping malls and by phone to see what they think of your choices.

2. Choose a name that sets you apart.

Churches tend to choose similar names. One church realized that it's name was like nine others in the same area.

•Ask yourself what causes your name to stand out.

•What makes your church unique?

•How is your church different from other churches with similar names?

3. Choose a name that is simple to remember.

An unwieldy name must be classified along with a poor location or a run-down facility -- each can be eclipsed but it often takes extraordinary effort to do so.

•Keep your name short.

•Don't try to say too much in your name.

•One word is best but two or three words is okay.

4. Chose a name that will helps people find your church.

One pastor jokingly said, "It takes Daniel Boone to find our church." His church, like many, was established in a small, quiet neighborhood which today are off the beaten path.

•Help people locate your church by naming it after a street, a local attraction, a physical landmark or other unique feature.

5. Choose a name that removes barriers.

Some people remember churches as places with long lists of "don'ts." People shouldn't trip over your theology because of what your name suggests.

•Look at a potential name through unchurched eyes.

•Ask unchurched people to give you their first response upon hearing your new name.

•Hire a consulting firm to investigate possible new names for you and make a recommendation on which one to select.

6. Choose a name that expands your potential.

Don't limit your drawing power to one city or geographical area unless there is tremendous potential for growth in that area.

•Select a name broad enough to include an entire city rather than simply a neighborhood.

•A name with regional identity rather than a city.

•A name with wide appeal rather than a limited appeal.

•A name that communicates to a larger audience rather than a smaller one.

7. Choose a name that communicates vibrancy.

Church names that communicate excitement and celebration are attractive to people who are hurting and in need of support.

•Use a name that includes words like"hope" or "life."

•Try using the word "new" since people like to be part of a pioneering venture.

•Ask if your name communicates excitement.

Some Considerations

You may be very happy with your church's name and have no desire to change it. However, if you do decide to change your name, consider the following.

•List your church in the Yellow Pages or the local newspaper under your denomination. Research has found that most new residents who are church attenders look for a church either through one of these means.

•Check with your denominational leaders to see what, if any, regulations they have concerning your name.

•Take the proper legal steps to file a name change with your state government. In some cases you will simply need to file a DBA

•Change all the items containing your old name, such as church stationery, bulletins, programs, business cards, brochures and church signs. Don't wait until you use up all the old stationery, etc. If a name change is important to make, it is important to change it throughout.