thinking.church podcast

According to Carey Nieuwhof's latest survey, 70% of churches don't have a strategy for assimilating first time guests. So what can we do about it? In this episode, Chris & Lee give three keys each for assimilating first time guests:

KEY POINTS
1) I know we’ve just met, but I think I love you (Up). Coming on too strong. Slow. Down.
2) You know you’ve succeeded when people want to come back
3) it’s an invite not an obligation. Show clearly what you offer, not just what you demand.
4) Reduce / eliminate options
5) concern yourself with health of the relationship, not transaction and growth. Be Genuine.
6) Get a fly on the wall

Chris & Lee go head to head once more to talk about church services. Should they be planned or impromptu? Do we want to let the 'Spirit Flow' or can the Holy Spirit work through our planning also? Chris & Lee dive straight into the topic this week. 

In this episode, Chris & Lee go head to head around the question of originality. Is it ok to take material from other churches to use within your own church service? In the "For" corner is Lee, with Chris in the "against" corner.

KEY POINTS

FOR: It saves time, and good content is good content.
AGAINST: It's disingenuous 
FOR: It allows us to be highly responsive to specific needs on topics we have little knowledge of
AGAINST: It creates homogeneity across the church
FOR:  Teams don’t have the design skills so you can get it done the way you want
AGAINST: "Cover bands don't change the world." 

Are you wanting to take your church to the next level, but don't know how to get there? Lots of churches struggle with this, so in this episode, Chris & Lee give 6 things you can do to move your church forward.

KEY POINTS

1. Reduce the number of things you do
2. Define your target market
3. Look at your systems
4. Create engaging content
5. Think generationally 
6. Create environments that foster friendships

We all encounter obstacles to change, and over the years, Chris & Lee have seen churches encounter some more than others. In this episode Chris & Lee share their top 3 each as well as helping you to overcome them.

KEY POINTS
1. The accountability trap
2. The idea wall
3. The perfectionism trap
4. The philosophical wall
5. The being unique trap
6. The ‘rules don’t apply’ wall

Spring has (sort of) sprung in the U.K. in 2021, and with lockdown restrictions due to be easing at the end of June 2021, now is the time to start planning your Summer Season. Is it better to keep all of your programmes running throughout summer or is it better to give people the summer off? 

The European Super League became headline news in the U.K. recently, and then was dropped within 48 hours. What lessons can we learn from this when setting vision in our own churches so that we take people with us, rather than causing a furore?

KEY POINTS
1. What went wrong with the ESL

2. Setting Clear Objectives

3. Stakeholder Communication

• Co-create
• Consult
• Test
• Sell
• Tell

4. Visionary Communication

Most churches run community activities, but how do you know that they are actually making an impact in the community? We often run community initiatives without first discovering the need. In this episode, Chris & Lee talk about how to discover the needs in your community and then measure the impact of your programmes.

KEY POINTS
1. Impact Frameworks

2. Indices of Multiple Deprevation

3. Outcome Star

We often forget that to run a church is to run a charity. Whilst we all got involved because of ministry, we all need to know the basics about running a charity to be effective in our churches. In this episode, Lee helps Chris through some of the basics of running a charity. 

KEY POINTS
1. Governance

• What is Governance?
• The Governing Document

2. Trustees

3. Banking

4. Processes
5. Documentation
6. Minutes
7. Legal structure
8. Back office appropriate for what you need

RESOURCES

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This week, Chris & Lee get the BBQ out to cook some sacred cows in the church world with some disruptive church ideas. If you have any questions or responses to any of these, email us on [email protected]. 

KEY POINTS
Lee 1 - Create space not programme
Chris 1 - Change Preaching for Conversations
Lee 2 - Do everything at the same time, not one thing
Chris 2 - Make Services longer, not shorter
Lee 3 - Membership not giving for Sunday school/lessons/clubs
Chris 3 - Make services about one thing.