Yearly Archives: 2007

MinistryCOM Notes, Day 1: Dawn Nicole Baldwin

Dawn Nicole Baldwin is CEO of AspireOne, which helps churches (mostly very large ones) with branding and web strategy. She’s a real authority on branding, particularly as it relates to the church world. She’s tightly associated with Willow Creek. Here are some tidbits from her afternoon session on branding.

  • Ask, “What do we, as a church, want to be known for?” If we’re not intentional about defining who we are, others will do it for us.
  • “Brand experience” includes many ways people interact with you: word of mouth, your website, mailers, publications, your logo, and much more. The brand is not just the logo.
  • Brand strategy: ask these three questions: Who are you serving? What are your unique strengths? How do you reach people with impact.
  • When ministry leaders say, “We need a brochure,”…do they really? I face that at the denominational level. Everyone wants a brochure, and I don’t think they’re all that valuable.
  • Blanding: trying to be all things to all people. You water all your uniquenesses down.
  • She doesn’t like churches giving different brands to a bunch of church ministries. She doesn’t like having different URLs for the various ministries. Prefers having everything under the single brand of the church and the church website.
  • Identify your biggest fans (brand advocates). In churches, your church’s biggest fans are often new Christians.
  • Sometimes the senior pastor is such a presence that he is the brand. Go to the website for Houston’s Lakewood Church. You’ll see Joel Osteen plastered everywhere. You wonder whether the website is for the church or a commercial for his books.
  • Seacoast Church is a multi-site church with 11 campuses, one of which is five hours from water. Did the name “Seacoast” fit them? They decided that their brand transcended geography.
  • She gave away some gifts. One was to the person who had been in his/her communications role the longest. A gal sitting in front of me said “16 years,” and nobody could top that. So she got a free book. After the workshop, I told her, “I’ve been doing my job for 26 years.” But since the focus here is local church communications, I didn’t inject myself.
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Notes from MinistryCOM Day 1: Terry Storch

  • We’re meeting at The People’s Church, a megachurch in a community on the outskirts of Nashville, on the south side. You could call it a suburban church, I suppose.
  • The MC is Evan McBroom, who heads his own communications consulting firm in Indianapolis called Fishhook. He said we communications people are like sled dogs–someone’s always whipping us from behind, and the view ahead isn’t so great, either.
  • The church’s worship team led us in both the morning and afternoon keynote sessions. Very good group, superb sound. I need to look up the song “Mighty to Save,” so we can do it at Anchor. “My Savior, he can move the mountains….”
  • The keyboard player nodded his head throughout most of the singing. He tried to find things to do with his left hand (which, in a band, isn’t really needed)–grab the side of the keyboard, adjust the microphone…anything to keep it away from the keyboard. That’s tough for a keyboard guy.
  • Terry Storch, the Digerati Pastor at Lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma, gave the morning keynote. LifeChurch is a highly innovative, multi-site church which has the coolest church homepage. They have their own church in Second Life, a virtual reality world. At least one person became a Christian through it. Storch is very highly regarded by Christian communications people.
  • Storch talked about how the communication revolution has affected the church. The Guttenberg press brought the printed word, radio brought the spoke word, TV brought the visual word. The internet, at least what’s called Web 2.0, is all about participation. Churches focus on one-way communications, while the web is about multi-faceted communication.
  • He said “Church 1.0” is all about service times. “If you want to know what we do, come to the church at our times.” But with “Church 2.0,” people want your content anything they want it, not just when your church doors are open.
  • “Churches are al about a building.” If it doesn’t happen in the church building, it’s not “church.” He said he led more people to Christ at Starbucks than inside the walls of his church. He mentioned the idea of the “Omnipresent Church.” The church is about people, and it happens constantly, not just at designated times.
  • Rather than go “out” to do outreach, we should be “in” communities like MySpace and Facebook. We can make relationships online, and then turn them into physical outreach by meeting those people in person. He said his wife met two such persons already.
  • We used the phrase “Each one reach one.” But that’s addition. We now need to think, “Each one invites everyone.”
  • 1.2 billion people in the world (out of 6.6 billion) are connected to the internet today.
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At MinistryCOM 2007

I’m in Nashville, Tenn., attending the MinistryCOM convention, which is for Christian communications professionals. About 300 people are here, and most work for megachurches. Good people, passionate about what they do, and highly competent. Seriously, these are some way-competent folks.

In one workshop, the leader asked how many of us were the entire communications staff. About one-third of the hands went up. He said, “Your job is difficult, because nobody else understands what you do.” That describes most of my career. Except for a couple years in the early 1980s, and six months in 2006, I’ve had no one with whom to “talk shop.” My coworkers and superiors appreciate what I do, but they aren’t conversant in my skills (writing, graphic design, web design). That’s the way it goes. I’m the only United Brethren person here, period. I’m not sure we have any communications fulltimers on staff at any of our churches.

But many of the MinistryCOM attendees come from churches with an entire communications staff. I ate lunch with a trio from a Wisconsin church–the woman communications director, the web guy, and a graphics guy. I enjoyed being able to converse knowledgeably with each one, since those areas are all strengths for me. That’s what happens after years and years of having to do everything yourself. You’re forced to accumulate additional expertise.

This is only the third MinistryCOM convention. There are quite a few first-timers this year, which is nice. I attended last year’s convention in Phoenix and profited tremendously from it. It took little time for me to realize, “This is a conference I must attend every year.”

As is the case at any Christian (or secular) conference, plenty of individuals stand around by themselves. They came alone, like me. We stand against the walls or in corners. Or, this being a group of communications people, open up a laptop and check email. It’s too easy to disappear into your computer, which is like erecting a big “Do Not Disturb” sign to fend off social advances. I tried to connect, but couldn’t. During the morning, I sat beside another Mac guy; he snagged a connection, but I couldn’t. Go figure. Probably too many people logging on. A number of people mentioned their inability to connect, though not in a complaining way. Church people are adept at complaining, but I haven’t noticed that here. Of course, I’m not exactly plugged in.

The break times are great. They have Nature’s Valley Sweet and Salty Nut granola bars. I tried one. Yum. I took another. In the afternoon, I took two more and ate them before the concluding session.

Now I’m back in my Ramada Limited hotel room, with my full-barred wireless signal. I called Pam at music practice, and now I’m ready to head out to the Nashville Table Tennis club, which meets on Thursday nights. Some southern rednecks are gonna get the chance to whomp on a Yankee.

Postscript three hours later: The table tennis club wasn’t what I expected. Of the 12 guys there, 9 were Asian, most of them very good. One guy had a 2500 rating, another was over 2000, and their US Top Ten player was absent (his wife was having a baby). Nevertheless, I played extremely well, and ended up with a 3-2 record. Very fun. Sure beat any alternatives I had for the evening.

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A Sad Lifetime of Grief

Some years ago, I watched a TV documentary about the Manson murders which focused some attention on a sister of Sharon Tate, whose mission in life seemed to be showing up at the parole hearings of the Manson girls and making sure they aren’t released. Twenty-five years after the murders, she remained angry, embittered, and unforgiving. It struck me as intensely sad. Her life is defined by something that happened in 1969.

I don’t know how I would behave under those circumstances, but I hope I would be able to get on with my life.

A few weeks ago, I watched something similar on MSNBC, this time about a woman whose brother was senselessly killed by two teenagers about 20 years ago. The woman was stuck in time. She had never allowed her family to take another family picture, because it wouldn’t include her brother. The others had moved on, dealt with their grief, but she hadn’t. She remained angry, embittered, and unforgiving.

Through a special program (whose name I can’t recall), this woman was able to go into the prison, meet with one of the killers, and ask him anything she wanted. It was interesting to watch. The man was as contrite as anyone could expect, with no excuses, and through the prism of TV, I felt he was fully sincere. He, in fact, had developed what seemed to be tremendous maturity and character within the confines of prison; his life was defined by his crime, but he was able to move on. But the woman left that meeting even more determined to keep the guy in prison; determined to show up at any parole hearings to state her case. This, too, struck me as terribly sad.

A few days ago, a news show mentioned a woman who lost someone in the World Trade Center. She was among the relative few who refused to accept any survivor compensation. She, too, remains angry, embittered, unforgiving. Stuck in 2001. She says, “I want answers.” To…what? She, too, struck me as a tragically sad figure. Someone you probably don’t enjoy being around. Someone who has crafted her identity around the tragedy of 9/11.

I can’t claim any knowledge of what it feels like to lose a loved one to senseless violence. But I would hope I could move on with my life. I would expect better of a Christian.

Today is 9/11. There are World Trade Center survivors still fighting over what will replace the towers. Some want to make it a perpetual memorial to their loved ones. On MSNBC this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg talked, in a diplomatic way, about the need to move on with your life. He mentioned the death of his father when he was 21, but that he and his sister, despite their grief, completed college and began successful careers, and now, looking back, the grief is gone and they only have good memories of their father. Their example is not sad.

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Fear and Loathing on the John

I sat down on a toilet in a public restroom, and somebody moved into the stall right next to me. It felt very eery. It’s never exactly comfortable to use a public restroom. But now, the experience inflicts all kinds of anxieties. I even found myself, for the first time in my life, reflecting on my stance.

Thank you, Senator Craig.

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What Goes Around

Came across this Mark Twain quote today. I’d never heard it before:

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

Not an exact copy, but certainly reminiscent.

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Memories of Glory Days Past

We had a cookout in Convoy, Ohio, at my brother Stu’s place. They bought a fixer-upper from the bank a couple months ago, with several acres and a barn and several small buildings, and already they’ve got the place looking nice.

In the afternoon we played volleyball. Stu’s four kids, in their 20s, were leaping and diving and covering the whole court, effortlessly and tirelessly.

I used to be able to do that.

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I’m Glad I’m Not a Connecticuterite

In his resignation speech today, Senator Larry Craig mentioned the support he had received form his fellow Idahoans. Idahoans? How awkward is that? Not as awkward as trying to make a name out of Indiana. Indians? Nope, can’t do that. Indianan? Nope. That’s why, if Craig hailed from Indiana, he would have cited his fellow Hoosiers. Wisconsin is another ungainly name. Wisconsinian? Wisconsinite? I suppose most Wisconsin people follow Indiana’s example, calling themselves Badgers.

The best state name is Texas, which is inhabited by Texans. Not Texasians, just Texans (though I do refer John Wayne, in some movie, referring to Texicans, which is akin to Mexicans). Kansas does the same thing, making its people Kansans (Kansicans?). But Texan is much cooler sounding.

Many states conveniently end with an “a” or “ia,” so you can just add an “n” and be done with it. Georgian. Pennsylvanian. Arizonan. Minnesotan. Of course, some states do some contortions, such as Florida, which makes it’s people Floridians, stressing a whole different syllable.

States ending in “on” just add “ian.” Washingtonian. Oregonian.

What do you call people from Mississippi? Mississipians? Probably. Michigan people are strangely named Michiganders. I don’t know what they call themselves in Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Hawaii, or Connecticut. Mainelander? Seems like I might have heard that before, but I’m not sure.

America was named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. I’m not sure how “Amerigo” became “America,” but I’m very glad that I’m not an Amerigoan.

And that, children and Miss Teen USA contestants and our friends in South Africa, is today’s geography lesson.

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Keeping Telling Myself: It’s a Tool

A big Christian hard-core concert was held at Anchor last Sunday night. They usually hold concerts downstairs in our fellowship hall, but this was a Biggy Concert which required the sanctuary. After church, the worship team cleared our equipment off the platform and stuffed it all in a side room, where it remains (there’s a wedding tomorrow). We’ll go early Sunday morning to set everything back up (drums, drum shield, amps, keyboard, mics, stands, cables….).

I stopped by the church Sunday night for about 45 minutes. Hadn’t been to one of the concerts in a while, and wanted to see what was happening. Leadership had been turned over to another person.

There were maybe 300 kids, most wearing black attire. Lots of tattoos, lots of colored hair, but plenty of fairly normal-looking teens and young adults. Cars were jammed everywhere. I walked around the back of the church. Scores of kids were just hanging out, sitting on the grass or leaning against cars. All behaving nicely.

The sanctuary was packed with kids. All of our sanctuary chairs had been stacked along the side. A little moshing was going on. Kids were standing on our nice chairs to get a better look, their shoes no doubt wearing on the cloth.. Loud, loud music with totally unidentifiable lyrics. I think five bands played that night. Booths with merchandise (especially T-shirts) were set up in the back of the sanctuary (“…but you have made my house a den of thieves…”). Two off-duty cops patrolled the grounds, one staying inside, one outside. Neighbors called on-duty cops once, because a band was making too much noise outside in the street, but that had stopped before the officers actually arrived.

These concerts are such an interesting environment, particularly for an old fuddy-duddy like me.

Sanctuary windows have been broken in the past. This time, two windows were broken. A fellow standing on a chair accidentally fell into one window and broke it. Then some other kid, a jerk by all accounts, punched his fist clear through another window–actually, through a double window.

Yeah, this bothers me. But it also bothers me that most churches would never allow concerts like this, merely because of the threat that their pretty-pretty sanctuary might suffer unsightly wear and tear. And because they don’t approve of the music style.

I have to keep reminding myself: our building is a tool. It’s not a sacred shrine where God lives 24/7 while the rest of us are at work. We can have these wild concerts one night, then set it up for a worshipful service the next Sunday.

But I still wish they wouldn’t break windows.

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Elizabeth Edwards Fights the Mommy Wars

Just read a fascinating piece called Elizabeth¬†Edwards and the Mommy Wars, on Time’s “Swampland” blog. A woman, writing on a blog, really attacked Elizabeth Edwards for spending her final days on the campaign trail instead of with her kids. I found myself thinking, “Good point, good point.”

And then came Elizabeth Edwards’ response. Phew! That lady’s articulate and thoughtful. Everything I’ve read about John and Elizabeth Edwards indicates they are really good parents with a good family. Elizabeth’s defense of herself gave some great insights into good parenting.

I like that lady.

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