Online Community at 2:57 PM

Is it true that you can only experience community in person, or can "community" be accomplished online? Many people have great thoughts and arguments for both sides. I think that the best way to get to know someone is in person, but we shouldn't discount real discussions that can happen online where people feel free to open up and share things that wouldn't be discussed while sitting in a room.

About a week ago, there was a gathering at The Des Moines Courthouse in opposition to same-sex marriage. The Iowa Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage last year without a vote from the people of Iowa who overwhelmingly oppose it. I was really surprised when Governor Culver exited the Gallery after his speech to close to 450-600 people chanting, "Let us Vote!" So, documenting the situation, I sent out a tweet (which also updates my Facebook status) about it. That one update spawned a Facebook-comment-conversation/argument that was over 70 comments long.

The conversation was between some Christian friends who oppose same-sex marriage, an atheist friend, and a homosexual friend of mine who's hoping the law will stay. For the most part, my Christian friends behaved themselves. However, with the obvious difference in opinions– things got a little heated at times.

The reality is that conversation probably wouldn't have happened if we were all sitting in a room together. If it had started, it probably wouldn't have gone as long, and some of the parties involved would have left before it was over. The great thing is that people who didn't actually enter the conversation, read along with it. One such friend said this:























Not only can online community be great for conversation, it can be great for netoworking. I've been able to get to know some really great people in the Des Moines area because of Twitter. Other church tech guys, and even authors that I admire.

So as much as you might not think online community is a valued form of making community, or establishing relationships– but it's a part of our world now, so you can ignore it, or you can leverage it.

Technology for Haiti at 6:02 PM

All day, I've seen other ministries, churches, and organizations doing the same thing I've been doing today. Setting up a way for people to financially help Haiti by giving to a reputable organization. My heart hurts for the Haitians, and my heart is warmed by the fact that the Church is doing what we're called to do... help. I wish we could do this to reach the people in our own neighborhood this fast, but we'll continue to work on "being the change."

Today, I've seen probably ten different ways to give to Haiti. The Church is leveraging technology to reach people in need, and I couldn't be more proud of us...



(Video of Pastor Dan)

What are your thoughts about all this?

Creative Team Blitz (Part 2) at 10:25 PM

(Read Part 1 HERE)
Why would we drive 3.5 hours to a mall? Well, it's not just any mall- It's the Mall of America! So not only were we seeking creative inspiration, we were being patriotic–right? If you're not anywhere near the MOA, you can go to any big attraction site, they all spend millions on marketing– be creative. Anyway, so what's the point!?



The Objective:
To gain creative inspiration through immersing ourselves in the "Marketing Jungle" that is The Mall of American. We will NOTICE EVERYTHING. Gathering photos displaying the marketing techniques of corporate giants in order to inspire, and eventually enhance our message of Christ (presented by *insert your church name*) by leveraging pop culture.

The Rules:

• Break the group into teams of 2-4.
• Give each team a digital camera.
• Take photos of ANYTHING that catches your eye. (product tags, logos, store fronts, posters, branding, product tables or displays, even where things are located in stores to encourage spending, etc...) This is a RECON Mission!
• Meet 2 hours later for food. While the eating, have the photos developed and put in digital form on a CD.
• Find a table large enough for the group, and throw the photos on the table.
• Discuss how some of the techniques you've captured can be leveraged in/outside your church to grab people's attention.

The Outcome:
This trip is designed to get people out of their box. It's designed to tear down what people think they know when it comes to marketing, and its place in the church. To broaden their concept of how we tell people about our message.

Do not get me wrong; Our mission is to go out into all the world, where people are, to BE Jesus to people. I, in no way, am saying that our missional goal is to have people come to us. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with creating an atmosphere where people feel comfortable in your church environment. There is also nothing wrong with leveraging these techniques in your external public relations.

These techniques, in the church setting, are not used to maximize dollars– they're used to maximize the experience and message.

Enjoy the Blitz!

Creative Team Blitz (Part 1) at 9:13 PM

"Just make me a logo, you don't have to spend a whole lot of time on it. Just something that jumps at you, makes you look twice... Can you have it by tomorrow?" As I looked at my client with a blank look on my face, I said, "I'll do the best I can, hopefully we'll get something." He seemed a bit taken back, but then again, so was I.

What some people don't understand, is that the doing process is different than the creating process. You see, if while he's talking to me, I start to see a concept in my head of something I want to try, or have a style I think would work for the project– it probably wont take too long. However, if I'm drawing a blank when it comes to the potential look of this thing... it may take days! Color, style, size, shape are all elements that have to be taken into account.

Once you have a concept in your head, you can move forward, but you can't just pull a creative concept out of wang chung. It's not like a budget or spreadsheet where you just start adding the numbers in front of you, or even drawing a subject in your studio. You have the elements you need right in front of you with those.

When you create, you have to have inspiration.

A couple of years ago, I was meeting with my boss about the upcoming year's marketing plan. For years, they've been working on getting the word out about Cornerstone. He joked that it was the best kept secret in Des Moines. The joke, of course, being that in marketing... you don't want "best kept secrets." We needed something different, something out-of-the-box. I mentioned that we needed to stop marketing like a church, because after all, Church Marketing Sucks. We needed a "Blitz."

Where else can you experience the most marketing in the country... all in one place? You got it, The Mall of America. So we took 7 other members of our Creative Team on the 3.5 hour drive to MinnesOOOta for a Creative Team Blitz...

to be continued...

The Eye On The Tiger at 12:20 PM

Eric Metaxas recently wrote an article about what Brit Hume said to Tiger Woods on live TV. Usually, I read an article, post it on Twitter (which then connects to my Facebook page), let people read and decide for themselves, and move on. This article has grabbed me a little, though.

We live in a world of celebrity suicides, school shootings, and crumbling marriages. We sometimes wonder why a young star would overdose, or even need the pills in the first place. I remember when Britney Spears had her breakdown a couple years ago, shaving her head and smashing car windows with an umbrella. Dennis Miller was asked on The O'Reilly Factor what his thoughts were. Now, generally Miller brings some comic relief to the show, but he said something that I really respected. As O'Reilly asked Miller for his thoughts, assuming his sarcasm would bring up some irrelevant, but funny, jokes about Britney.

Miller said,

"I don't want to be the last person that tells a joke about Britney Spears before she kills herself. I'll be honest with you, that girl looks like she's right on the brink [of suicide].... It looks so dangerous right now, that I just hope someone steps in."

So back to Brit. Why was what he said so wrong? Granted, you don't expect to hear something like that on a news broadcast, but I think Brit used his platform (averaged 2.037 million total viewers (up 26%) and 454,000 A25-54 viewers (up 34%) in 2009) to reach out to Tiger. He knew that with his world seemingly coming apart, that he may need some help. This is a different way to leverage media for Christ than what we usually talk about, but Brit's doing it anyway.

Some of us can't do anything to reach out to celebrities... but for those of you who can, I hope you follow Brit's example. We could all go outside our box a little more.

What are your thoughts on this whole thing?

Evolution of Church at 11:00 AM

I don't think it's much of a surprise to anyone that I really look up to Tim Stevens. His blog, Leading Smart is on the Links I Creep On section of The Remix, and is a must read for me. He has a great way of communicating about the Church and any relevant information regarding it's growth. If you haven't read his Book on Pop Culture in the Church, you really should! You can read my review of it Here.


A few days ago he wrote two posts on how the Church has changed from the year 2000. He had some great insights on the evolution of church buildings, conferences, expectation, staffing, senior leaders, community leaders, missions, and the Church team.

Dude's got some great points, so do the clicky thing and read them right now...
(PART 1 and PART 2)

The Perspective of Wisdom at 5:25 PM

The Book of Proverbs speaks a lot about wisdom. One of those Proverbs has guided me since I was about 19 years old. I spent the first 18-or-so years of my life acting like I knew everything I needed to know. If anyone knew I had listened to my parents, my reputation would be shot– you understand.

After a few weeks away from home at college, it clicked. As I started realizing my call into ministry, my dad helped me focus it. Conversations of how I could and should be involved in ministry took place, as well as conversations about how my generation and his generation could combine our efforts. Since those conversations, I've never missed an opportunity to soak up some wisdom from him.

For over 30 years he's been involved in ministry; church planter, associate pastor, senior pastor, district leader, and now regional leader. In addition to leading the Southeast Region of Open Bible Churches, he's getting his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, he advises pastors across several denominations for church revitalization, and is almost finished writing a book.

In case that isn't enough, he's very recently started a blog. This is continuing in our dynamic scheme to be Kingdom–Minded. To disciple people via the web. To leverage technology for Christ, and let my dad's years of experience become viral. It's killing two proverbial ministry birds with one stone. I once wrote about continuing the legacy of writing, and his blog is an example of how it's done well.

We've both made this promise– we will not use our blogs to write about the Church's mistakes. Honestly, I wish more Christian writers would take this vow. The Church has done more good than bad, and it doesn't make you a rebel to trash-talk it's mistakes. Let's remember, after all, that The Church is Christ's true love. We can learn from our mistakes without dwelling on them.

Instead, we'll promote good ideas, share inspiration, and hopefully share some resources that help you and/or your church advance The Great Commission.

After all these years, Dad's helped me put a lot of things in my life in perspective. If I reach half of the lives my father has reached for Christ thus far, I'll live a great life story! I hope you can see what I have seen, and enjoy the new perspective!