In Need of an Eye Opener in 2014

And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized- Acts 9:18 (ASV)

Paul got an "eye opener" after he had his run-in with Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Many of us do not even see it that way, though.  

We see Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road as the eye opener.

Nope.

That was just the shocker that got homeboy's attention.  The eye opener did not happen until he had been humbled due to to being rendered dependent on the care of others, particularly the folks around the way on a street called Straight.  That's when things started to come together and make sense for him.

I find that the local church may need more of an eye opener than it would care to admit in such an age of enlightenment and information sharing.  We have websites with plenty of popups and other bells and whistles.  We have lots of folks giving us a thumbs up and liking the pastor's latest status updates and photo mashup uploads.  Yet, we leave a whole lot to be desired right in our own midst.


When was the last time that the church just invited the visitors from the past quarter or the past year just to come and have fellowship with the pastor? I mean like cookies or cake and punch like a party without the dog and pony show.  I am thinking that we could invite some of the folks who just recovered from years of battling alcoholism or imprisonment, even widowers and former battered wives, to share their testimonies of survival and victory through faith and trust.  let those folks and their testimonies serve as the keynote addresses and let the pastor simply invite the attendees to join in prayer, then let them meet with a prayer counselor or elder of the church- however you do it in your church or congregation- to share their decision to join or to seek more answers about salvation, church and being a Christian.

Something like that may be the breakthrough that we have been awaiting.  The sound system and the projected song lyrics on the big screen are indeed impressive.  In fact, I love seeing that.  But the "true riches" that Christ spoke of will not  be reached and placed in our possession (under our stewardship, rather) if we do not stop for a moment and address our own blind spots to get those around us to come to know us as more than holy hypocrites.  They need to see that we are flesh and blood just like them but the we have the favor of faith that is also readily available to them, too.

Imagine if our local churches took on the role of community center and resource center more than simply just worship center.  What would alter and change in your community? Would your pastor still be seen as the guy who talks about Jesus and God? Or, would people in your community come to know Him as a servant of the Lord and a true man of God in their opinion? It is all in how outsiders view us that is considered public opinion.  How we view ourselves is called "self image." We do not get an eye opener from looking in the mirror or leaning over and telling our neighbor on the pew that we are doing great and doing God's work.

Open up your hearts and mind, then begin to open your doors, so that you have a new image in the community where your church is located.  Maybe you won't change the community in one day, but you surely can change the community's perception of you and your congregation.

For more insights on this please read my article on local visitors and the local church.

Growth Demonstrated

"You have to hold yourself accountable for everything – the good and the bad...There is no such thing as luck...Everything that happens (or doesn't happen) in your business is the result of your work or lack thereof."- Rob Cuesta, Extreme Business Coach

If you are running a start-up, you want growth.  If you are leading a project, you want to be able to say that the project demonstrated some form of accomplishment.  Pastors and ministry leaders are constantly trying to figure out if what they are doing on a regular basis is leading to growth within the church or the ministry.  When you go out into the field, you measure your calls versus your sells.  For evangelism, you measure your return on effort by the number of people you attract to a community event or the number of people who accept Christ at the event.  In business and ministry, we are constantly tracking activity.

Growth is not something that is easily accomplished. There are some things that you can do to grow your business, and there are some things that you have to do in order to grow your business, too.  It depends on what you seek to grow and what it takes to grow.  Part of what helps one point towards growth is the ability to analyze historical data. Such an ability allows one to identify benchmarks and road blocks based upon historical performance.  No matter what direction things may go, whether up or down, such new data gets compared to previous data.  With your data in tow, you can make an honest and earnest appeal to your corporate stakeholders or your congregation members, even your core group of supporters and volunteers.

You demonstrate your growth with numbers.  Use percentages and ratios.  Compare recent years to past years.  Track and measure gradual changes.  We don't always get that drastic change at the turn of a dime.  Keep track of trends as you go along the way.   Build your own business reporting system or work from n established model. Speak to other professionals in your field who have more experience than you or who may have a vastly different experience from you.  Identify how to work on reaching your numbers and have a means or method for reporting your numbers.

Exposure via Events

“If the people have no bread, let them eat cake.”- (Attributed to) Marie Antoinette

Despite the quote attributed to this famed aristocrat of royalty during the French Revolution, simply giving your guests something to chew on doesn't make your special event any more special than a meeting of the local rotary club or Toastmasters.  You need more than veggie trays, finger food and other treats to make your event stand from the norm.

Spice Things Up: Go exotic with dishes.  Partner with Indian, Brazilian and Jamaican caterers for spicy dishes or sample trays.  This may appeal to broaden your appeal to other cultures and ethnic groups.  Spicy dishes such as curry or jerk chicken with some rice can carry enough kick to have your audience raving about the meal and the event for days to come.

Add Some Red Carpet:   People feel like stars when you treat them like stars.  Include a VIP element to your events.  The thrill of the paparazzi snapping photos along the red carpet, even if they are Kodak disposables or HTC camera phones, can cause a stir among attendees and passersby.

Share before You Get There: Use social media to share with others about the event.  Facebook, Twitter and other sites provide great platforms for sharing about upcoming events.  Foursquare and Loopt allow you to "check in" at the location when you arrive and alert others that you are at the place to be.  Make your events the type of experience that people tweet about throughout the event and afterwards. Be sure to include a Like This button or Share button on your event website or registration page.

Make your events newsworthy.  If your event draws press and publicity, then consider it a plus.  If you get a pre-event interview on TV or on a weekend radio show, that's an added bonus. See what type of exposure you get from your efforts.