Customer Centered Questions

Tom Ehrlich writes a number of blogs. I found the one he wrote today on "Customer Centered Questions" to be dead on for congregations that truly seek to be missionary focused. Take a few minutes to read it, then start asking your leaders the questions.
Mary

February 24, 2011
Ask "Customer-Centered" Questions
By Tom Ehrich
At dying churches, leaders are asking questions like these:
• What do WE want?
• What will please our loyal members?
• How little can we change and stay alive?
• How can we stay true to our identity?
• What can we cut next?
The attitude behind those questions is, in all likelihood, the primary reason for their dying. They will blame location, denominational politics, cultural shifts "against religion," recent clergy, and the recession.
But it's their attitude – call it "provider-centered" or "us-centered" – that is killing their church.

Thriving churches, on the other hand, are asking exactly the opposite questions:
• What do other people need from us?
• How can we deploy our present constituents to serve people outside our ranks?
• What changes must we make in order to connect with a changing world?
• How is God trying to change our identity to be more like that of Jesus?
• How can we improve our giving so that we can do more serving?
Call this attitude "customer-centered" or "other-centered."
You can see the difference in church web sites. A "provider-driven" site features photos of the building and information about what WE want to do. A "customer-driven" site features people, in all of their diversity, and tries to anticipate what site visitors need.
You can see the attitude on Sunday morning, when "us-centered" congregations talk with each other and ignore visitors, whereas "other-centered" congregations turn outward toward visitors, the unattached, strangers, and the different.

A provider-driven church will grudgingly rent its facilities to outside groups, with lengthy rules about usage; a customer-driven church will give its facilities away gladly, as well as its coffee and clean floors.
A provider-driven church will sing hymns that members enjoy singing; a customer-driven church will expand its music to embrace new constituencies, such as Hispanic and African-American, as well as contemporary Christian music.
The list goes on and on. The difference is profound, and prospective members can sense it immediately. Many never get beyond the web site that takes pride in a building but says nothing about mission. Or they attend a Sunday service, face tired old words and music, get frozen out, and never return.

If you wonder why the average age of mainline congregations is pushing 65 and young adults are missing, this is why. You can't build an enterprise without doing everything possible to connect with the marketplace.
Leaders make the difference. On their own, most folks won't venture into the uncomfortable, beyond the known, or outside their walls. It takes bold, risk-embracing and confident leaders to do that work.
While old dialogs are still going on, entrepreneurial leaders need to be asking better questions, imagining vigorous responses to a changing world, and shaping a future that is radically other-oriented.

Leaders need to fight against the inertia that constituents inevitably try to impose on them. Leaders need to risk being unpopular. The most change-resistant will threaten reprisals. But leaders need to push through such self-defeating behavior and take the congregation's future, not its momentary satisfaction, as their charge.
That is a tall order, and it's the reason leadership groups need to form strong bonds of trust and mutual support. It's why Benjamin Franklin said to his fellow signers of the Declaration of Independence, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

The Spirit is Moving

Last weekend I had the opportunity to make a brief address to our diocesan convention about congregational development news in our diocese. In my mind it was perfunctory, a report of activity of the number of churches worked with, updates on our diocesan sponsored church plants, conversations we are having with congregations who want to do some creative 'planting initiatives'. This is my world. I really didn't think this was an extraordinary report. Little did I know the absolute BUZZ it would create. People stopped me in the convention hall to slather praise about it. I met a priest in a church three days later who said, 'best report in 21 years'. What was that about??? It really took me by surprise to see the reaction it stirred. Apparently my report's impact was all about the 6 congregations who have in the last year stepped out, tried to gather folks creatively to start satellite, daughter, spin off congregations, all with the pure motive of evangelism. Imagine that!! Congregations that love the Good News of Jesus so much that it motivates them to do this challenging work.

Something is afoot here. These are congregations who, with joy and anticipation, want to multiply for all the right reasons. This isn't about being mad, leaving, taking people out. No, it is about evangelism, pure and simple.

I think the news that congregations are doing this was met with great surprise and a reaction of hope. We all know these are tough times in our culture to start churches. We all know God calls us to do this very thing, no matter how big the challenge. Obviously, the Spirit is moving in ways that we can't fathom. Thanks be to God that we are seeing this work in our corner of the Episcopal Church. I hope this movement is contagious for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Countless lives are waiting to be touched, even transformed by our faithfulness to the mission of the Church. Let's allow the Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the possibilities right in front of us! How have you been inspired to act? What are you going to do about it?

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. The ONE day we set aside to say, "I love you". Funny that we have to have a national day to remind us to tell each other how much we care. I guess that is a good thing. It's too bad that we have to be reminded by florists and greeting card manufacturers and advertisers.

We hear alot about God's incredible, immeasurable, unbelievable love for us. But do we work to make sure that our congregations reflect that love, not only inside, but especially outside our walls? What power does that love have to change the world if we don't share it with those who need it the most?

I have the privilege of working with lots of congregations. Each one is distinctive. Each one has an intangible but palpable spirit. It usually doesn't take very long for me to sense that spirit. I often wonder about the courageous people who walk into our churches at a time in our culture when the act of entering a church on a Sunday is counter cultural. It would be a whole lot safer going to Starbucks and sitting on an outside patio or by a fireplace on a cold morning drinking a cup of jo then entering a strange place with an even stranger liturgy with people saying rote prayers who seem to know exactly what to say and do next. And to experience that odd time in the service when everyone turns around and says hello and in many places people get out of their pews and greet each other, but as a first timer it feels so lonely. These are the congregations that describe themselves as 'friendly communities' when actually they are just 'communities of friends'. People are often so in tune with saying hello to their friends and acquaintances that newcomers become invisible. Imagine how these visitors feel. The love of God is often not felt at those very awkward moments for these courageous souls who braved the visit. And the church can become a place that feels void of spirit because of people's insensitivity. Simple overtures, a sincere smile, an introduction, asking a few inquiring and caring questions, can translate into God's touch one for the other.

Valentine's Day is an okay reminder. Those of us who have experienced the profound love of Jesus MUST share it with a world that is yet to experience what we know is the most important and life changing love of them all.

Not being sensitive to the simple acts of kindness we can easily do for others is denying the power that we have to let God show His love through us.Every day for the people of God should be Valentine's Day!

Strength in Community

The last few weeks have been difficult. They have been filled with illness and tragedy in my extended family and the lives of persons close to me. Times like these are predictable. They are a part of life. They are so hard. They are such incredible opportunities.

Our church communities can truly show their strength by demonstrating Christ-like caring at times like these. There is truly strength to be found in our faith, with each other in community. Simple acts of kindness become big overtures. The human touch can become God made manifest. Offers of prayer become intimate links to heaven. These are all things the church can offer like no other place. Times like these can be what make congregations relative, responsive and authentic. All talk about the 'institutional church' fades as it reaches out in ways that touch the soul and calm the spirit.

Our role as missionary leaders is to foster a spirit of caring in our congregations. Often we need to make sure that there are organized ways to respond to congregants in spiritual, emotional or physical need. There are so many people with gifts for pastoring and mercy. They need to be put to work. Their lives and those whom they minister to will be so enriched. No matter the size congregation, there are individuals with these gifts, waiting to be tapped, perhaps waiting for some training, anxious to utilize the abilities and desires of their hearts. They are no less than the touch of Jesus in times of need.

Caring can be so powerful that it can change a person's heart. Indeed, acts of kindness can demonstrate God's love so strongly that they become transformative spiritual experiences. Caring can often convey to individuals the 'peace that passes all understanding'.

Let's make sure our churches are places where the love of God is made manifest one to another. There is nothing more powerful than witnessing this type of strength in community.

No More Parking Lot Conversations

I have the privilege of working with congregations and their leaders as a bishop's staff member involved in congregational development. One of the persistent behaviors I witness among vestry members is their reluctance to speak up about lingering concerns in the course of their meetings.

I am sure there are many reasons for this reluctance including not wanting to rock the boat or appear disrespectful. Whatever the reservation, this silence forces issues to go underground only to surface in parking lot conversations. Yes, people literally lingering after meetings beside their cars to air feelings about what did or didn't happen in the vestry meeting. A modern day alternative might be to send a quick text message or email to a like-minded person who was also present to air concerns or judgments about what was or wasn't done. This might be automatic behavior that is not conscious of the impact it has on group process.

Any way you slice it, 'parking lot conversations' are unhealthy for a congregation and its leaders. They amount to informal caucusing outside the bounds of intentional gatherings of leaders who are entrusted with responsibility. They are symptomatic of lack of honest and respectful airing of leaders' observations. This behavior is often exhibited in congregations where there is lingering distrust and less than good relationships between leaders, often leaders and their clergy.

It is incumbent on leaders of faith communities to be very thoughtful about the ways in which they communicate with each other. Clandestine meetings, parking lot conversations, closely guarded incendiary emails are always destructive. Always. So how can leaders minimize these behaviors?

First, vestry members and clergy must face the reality that people will be tempted to act out in these ways, especially when things aren't going the way they would like to see happen. Knowing this, vestry member covenants of behavior and meeting norms should be established in every congregation. These covenants should be communicated on websites, newsletters, and in very visible, high traffic places in churches. These covenants should be agreed to by nominees for vestry elections and reviewed at the beginning of every vestry meeting. Many churches commission their vestries annually during a main worship service. This covenant can be read out loud and in unison by all the members being commissioned. This practice is not only a public promise but sets a tone of mutual trust that all who make this commitment will work to comply with it. A covenant is not only a promise one to the other, but an agreement to demonstrate holy manners in a faith community.

Covenants should be as brief as possible. Episcopalians are notorious for their wordiness! It is important to make them as brief and to the point or their effectiveness is diluted. Covenants should be written by a vestry or an appointed group and approved by a vestry after thoughtful review. A written covenant may remain intact for years or edited as deemed appropriate. The point is to have one, to let the congregation know that it represents a promise by its leaders to be honest, disciplined and respectful of their relationships with each other. The impact of covenants on the culture of a church can be powerful and positive. A community of faith should expect no less of its leaders.

No Longer A Dirty Word

I am sitting on a plane returning from a meeting I facilitated of 30 Episcopal clergy, most under 50 years old, who gathered for three days to talk about the work of evangelism. They came from around the country, from small churches to cathedrals, from church plants to re-starts. The wonderful news is that these clergy from diverse theological perspectives agreed that evangelism is gaining a fresh and powerful emphasis in all of their ministries. They talked about the ‘why we do it’ and the ‘how we do it’. They shared stories of risking new ways to help their congregations gain greater understanding of the Great Commission mandate Jesus gave us all to share the Good News. They talked about the essential spiritual work that is needed to transform their congregations to be places that truly reflect the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives. To be places where people are free to share their faith stories without fear, not only with peers but with others within their faith communities. They claimed we can no longer dismiss evangelism as if it were the work of televangelists and somehow beneath our dignity as Episcopalians to be about this work. They agreed that evangelism can never be a program given lip service again. No, these clergy were expressing the need to make evangelism central to the work of their churches.
There was a lot of sharing, confessing of failures, celebrating others successes, encouraging each other to return to their faith communities and work with the most influential 20% of their congregations to understand the essential nature of this focus for their churches.

It was interesting to observe much more conversation about the need to see transformation from within than taking the church out. However, this was a huge start. By the end of three days it was apparent that there is a new found sense of urgency to be about this work and for that I praise God. There can be no more ‘decades of evangelism’ that are miserable failures. This isn’t about a short term effort that everyone is relieved to see end. This is about saturating everything our churches do with a spirit of sharing the Gospel. It is about infusing the manifest love of God through our lives, our actions, our ministries so that the world can see that we are Christians. It is about inviting others to come and see and be a part of accepting and loving communities that seek the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to change lives and bless others.

This meeting went beyond being a rah-rah session. The depth of commitment from these young and hard work Episcopal clergy of all stripes was incredibly refreshing. I truly felt that evangelism may no longer be a dirty word, at least in the hearts of these 30 clergy. Praise God. It’s a start.

Not An Academic Exercise

Turn of the year, days off, how will I start out on the right footing? I made the decision to jump into my cluttered office and dig to the bottom of the stacks laying around my desk and get a CLEAN and clutter free start. Actually, it was fun going through the voluminous notes, copies of emails, articles, etc. It was hard to finish the clean up because I had to scan each and every piece for its importance. I wouldn't have saved them if they had not been important, right?? What I found were numerous articles and materials on evangelism, leadership and congregational development. Scanning these documents helped me realize the huge effort that has gone into well written, academically researched and thoughtful tomes on these subjects. As I delved deeper into these papers, I wondered, if leaders and those who follow spent as much time actually doing the work of evangelism and development as the time that has been spent writing about these things might the church not be facing the decline in attendance it is experiencing?

Have we justified not doing evangelism by writing about evangelism? Psychology and behavioral sciences have helped us greatly understand leadership and the ways that our congregations work as organizations. This is worthy and important knowledge that informs us. But does it motivate us to act and to change our familiar and comfortable ways of doing things? Maybe. I sure hope it has helped some people. But I am afraid the academic exercise of writing and studying these things assuages too much of our guilt about not getting out there and doing something. Or perhaps these academic exercises have been frustration relief valves for those of us who have the knowledge but haven't found outlets for action or have deluded ourselves into thinking that we don't, when it is really about unwillingness to do something.

I believe God is calling us to act. I believe the Good News of God in Christ doesn't have to be overly intellectualized. Evanglism is not an academic exercise. It is about modeling. It is about living a life that demonstrates what we believe. It is about saying outloud that we have experienced God's transforming love and power in very personal ways and then sharing those stories. It is about leading in ways that we know are mature and faithful, building relationships and sharing Christ's love with those we lead. It is about leading congregations into mission and ministry like never before, radically inviting and welcoming others to join in.

We can continue to write and read about evangelism, leadership and congregational development. However, by the end of 2011 all of us who assume responsibility for leadership in the church need to be able to say, "I shared, I worked, I put into action alot about what I have learned and I trust God will use it for building up the Kingdom."

Put down the articles and books. Vow to put into practice what you know and help others to do the same. Are you ready as a leader to take this challenge in 2011?