I’m thankful for all the ministries that allow us the privileged of taking part in carrying out their vision in reaching their communities and spreading the truth of Christ.

I’m thankful for my friends and family who have encouraged and believed in me when I’ve had so many doubts.

I’m thankful that the task of changing the way the church does church is bigger than me and that I can rest in knowing that God is paving the way!

Without God all of this would be impossible, and I’m thankful for that.

If you have an extra moment today, I would highly encourage you to read my friends Sarah’s blog post today. A little over a year ago she lost her husband very unexpectedly, and today is his birthday. No matter where you find yourself today whether basking in the light, or surrounded by darkness this post will have an impact on you.

Be blessed this Thanksgiving.

ShareThis

Of course it’s a branding tool. Your brand doesn’t have borders, it should touch everything, including your email address. Your brand is all about who you are.

For example, if you want more information about how we can help change the way your church communicates don’t email info@holycowcreative.org email moo@holycowcreative.org do you see how that one minor difference creates some personality? I thought about making it change@ which would have also fit, but I wanted to have some fun with it…so I went with moo.

How about you? If I want to get in touch with your church who do I email? info@yourchurch.com or is it something that introduces me to who you are? If your email address hasn’t met your brand, it’s time to introduce them.

ShareThis

How about a write in for the category of Faith/Arts/Media/Design Blog?

While you’re at it be sure to vote in the other categories too. I’d suggest Church Marketing sucks for Best Ministry Blog, Stuff Christians Like for Best Pop Culture Blog and Phil Cooke’s Branding Faith for Best Media Book. Not that you asked.

ShareThis

…Which is why local worship leader and self-described singer/songwriter, Smitty Q. Motlin, has worked tirelessy to get legislation passed for what he calls a necessary Worship Team Bail Out. After attending a huge leadership conference he noticed a huge difference between the “look” of the conference band and the band at his home church.

When asked what he would like to see if this bail out were passed Motlin responded, “I believe God’s heart would be blessed if worship teams all across America were able to buy cool clothes.”

Thanks Russ…I know I needed that laugh.

ShareThis

I’d suggest that you send them a thank you card.

They’ve opened up a door for conversation. Don’t just slam that door shut because you don’t like their motive…use it to talk about God and how He’s made you good, how He makes things good, how he gives more than just a moral compass, etc. etc.

It’s the same as what I said about the DaVinci Code…this isn’t just an attack, it is an opportunity to have a conversation. Don’t be afraid, don’t let fear exaggerate the enemy…allow people to question your faith and their own faith, that’s how it becomes stronger.

What do you think? Should we picket? Stop taking the bus?

Oh…and something else to think about (especially those of you who “have no budget” for marketing)…they spent $40,000 to communicate the message.

ShareThis

Doing 4% less does not get you 4% less.

Doing 4% less may very well get you 95% less.

That’s because almost good enough gets you nowhere. No sales, no votes, no customers. The sad lie of mediocrity is the mistaken belief that partial effort yields partial results. In fact, the results are usually totally out of proportion to the incremental effort.

Church, please stop getting by. If you can’t do great, remarkable work…don’t do it. Do what you can be remarkable at. When you settle for mediocrity it’s not just ineffective it will often set people back 10x the amount. Let me give some examples:

If you can’t afford great creative for a mailing campaign…don’t do it.
If you can’t afford a powerful logo…don’t do it, just find a nice font.
If you aren’t ready for a remarkable website…don’t do it, use facebook.

Think about this, remarkable means being worthy of being noticed…especially being noticed as extraordinary. If you are doing anything less then that can you really say you’re effective as a church? If the message you bring isn’t worthy of being noticed what are you doing?

What do you need to stop doing…or start doing to be remarkable?

ShareThis

McCain
Know who you are you…and be that person.

While it seems that people are trying to cover their butts by pointing fingers there is one main reason McCain lost this election: identity. He didn’t know who he was. He started with “experience” but then moved to “change”. Bad move. You have to know who you are and what your story is before you can ever expect anyone else to. He tried out “maverick” in the end and while that might have worked awhile ago…it just wasn’t believable.

When a hip new church rolls into town down the street, resist the urge to adjust. That is not the time to try and cater to the hip crowd. Steady as she goes. If you’re hip, be hip. If you’re more yourself in jeans wear jeans…if you feel better in a suit, wear a suit. Not only do you need to be who you are because that’s who you are…it also produces stability within the church atmosphere.

Obama
Set an expectation that you know you can meet, or exceed.

Obama’s biggest challenge is filling the shoes he made for himself. The nation, and even world, is excited to see the change that he held onto so tightly…if he comes to the table with same old politics it’s going to be a big fail. If on the other hand he reaches across the aisle, looks out for the people and meets those expectations big win.

You can do the same by creating consistency in your communications. Don’t call us up and want to a great mailing campaign and then meet those people who respond with a mediocre guest packet, bulletin, etc. You only get one chance for that first impression. Be consistent and start from the ground up. Prepare for greatness and then tell people how great the experience is. Here’s another one that to me seems obvious but I see it to often. Don’t put pictures showing diversity if your church isn’t diverse. Putting a picture of a black man on your brochure does not make you diverse. What it does do is disappoint that family that shows up thinking you’re the church they’ve been looking for.

Okay…you’re turn what other lessons can we apply to the church from this campaign?

ShareThis

A house divided will not stand.
- Abraham Lincoln

I’m already hearing the rumbling. Many within the church are not happy with the results of the election. I’ve heard things like:

“God has taken his hand off of the US”
“McCain was God’s choice and we didn’t listen”
“Evil will reign”

What’s your response going to be? Before you answer…a few reminders:

1. Obama won in a big way. Both in electoral and popular vote. That means that many within your church body voted for Obama.
2. Those outside the church are still watching. When we curse the election results, what does that say?
3. When you called McCain “God’s choice” and then he loses…you make God much smaller than he really is.

and most importantly…

4. God is still in control. HE is our king.

I am going to suggest that we follow Michael Hyatt’s example and make the right response.

1. I will pray for him and our country.

2. I will assume his motives are good, giving him the benefit of the doubt.

3. I will not speak ill of him, even if I don’t always agree with him.

4. I will cast off the spirit of cynicism, and be a positive force for good.

and you might add a fifth:

5. I will remember that not everyone sees things the way I do. I will remember that many voted for Obama and are happy about the results.

I also encourage many of you to address this on Sunday morning. I’m not a fan of supporting candidates from the pulpit, though I’m certain many pastors did in the last few months (even if you pretended not to.) Great communicators will continue that conversation, don’t leave it hanging.

You encouraged those in the church, your friends, your family to pray and then vote…now you need to trust that God hears ALL your prayers and answers every single one…even if it’s not the answer you’re looking for.

Don’t allow for bitterness or despair to creep into your church body…it will destroy it. Instead proclaim God’s victory in all things. Set the tone.

And folks, let’s face it…something did need to be done. And none of our options were so great…and to put our faith in a politician…well come on, we know better than that.

Oh, and more thing…he really did have a killer logo, especially for politics.

ShareThis

	Out of candy. Giving out Taco Bell Sauce Packets.
	Oh, oh. Dentist’s home. (aka. sugar free gum)
	Reeses…get it?
	Garbage…skip it!
	Jackpot! Full-size candy bars.

Use it well! And for those of you who hate halloween…feel free to call this the Code of Fall Harvest (ps. it’s still the same even though you’ve renamed it).

See more here.

ShareThis

Nothing spectacular by any means…but free nonetheless and hopefully one or two of you can find it useful.

Enjoy!

Oh, and no that was not the door being opened for political banter on the blog.

ShareThis