Frisco Bible Church

Happy New Year! Like you, I am reflecting on the blessings of 2011 and anticipating what God has in store for 2012 (I don’t do resolutions). This year I have a huge reason to celebrate and am thrilled to announce a big vocational change. On January 3, I will begin a new position as Director of Communications with Frisco Bible Church in Frisco, Texas.

FBC is a growing church in a booming area and I can’t wait to begin building their Communications ministry which will include producing All the Difference, Pastor Wayne Braudrick’s 30-minute radio program. I will be posting more details here in the weeks and months ahead.

In the meantime, I can’t think of a more appropriate time to start something new. I have always loved New Year’s Eve. In some ways, it’s even bigger than Christmas. For me, New Year’s marks the closing of a chapter, represents the dawning of a new day, and poses the promise of greater things to come. That countdown to midnight is the most exciting ten seconds of my whole year.

The God of this universe, through a relationship with Jesus Christ, has incredible things in store for you in 2012. It isn’t a goal to make or a resolution to keep, but a free gift to accept. And I pray that you are as excited as I am to see it coming. Ready? Here it comes!

Slip on your hat and raise your glass! TEN … NINE … EIGHT … SEVEN …

Which Would You Rather See?

When a Communications ministry seems to be working well for your church, pastors and staff view it one of two ways. The typical viewpoint has a lot of desirable qualities, no question. But I think there’s something important missing. I would propose that there is another view that adds infinite, immeasurable value to the ministry. Which would you rather see?

[A] We have a talented graphic designer and a handful of volunteers who can manage to take even a last-minute, half-baked idea and make it look great and keep our website up-to-date. Our recap videos are fun, have great production value, and are always well received. Our programming, events, and activities are promoted well and accurately in the bulletin. Our brochures have a consistent look and feel and are well maintained throughout our campus. These creative, hard-working people are an excellent support team who really understand our congregation, are able to interpret our leadership’s desires, follow instructions well, and deliver projects on time. They are loyal team players.

Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? As I said, there are a lot of desirable qualities about the ministry. No reason to fix what ain’t broke nor throw the baby out with the bath water. But, take the same team of individuals you see represented in [A], and view them a little differently in [B] below:

[B] Our Communications Ministry is staffed with marketing leaders who are strategic partners and a valued resource. They are proactively involved at every critical stage of our church’s ministry development and evolution and work closely with our key leadership to craft our messaging. Our reach and impact in the community and the world is significantly enhanced – even sometimes driven – by great design and marketing communications. We believe compelling stories of heart change and life transformation, told through various mediums, have the power to not only inspire an audience into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, but also mobilize individuals to dedicated service in ministry to realize our vision and fulfill our mission. We intentionally leverage our communications at every opportunity to better serve the Kingdom. They are simply indispensible.

See the difference? Same team. Vastly different operational mindsets that can – given the chance – result in dramatically different, far more effective, results.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and engage the conversation.

Lead With the Why

Back when I was in the radio business, Scott Wilder, a talk show host I worked with, once said, “You can talk, talk, talk until you’re blue in the face, giving me all the details so that I fully understand something … that I care nothing about.”

When the word needs to go out about an event, to promote an upcoming activity, or launch an initiative, most people’s default seems to be to simply gather the details and spit them out. We nail down the who, what, when, where, and sometimes even the how, and we broadcast the details of the event in various mediums of choice.

What a lot of people seem to miss entirely is the WHY. Why are we having this event? What’s the purpose? What’s the goal? What’s the vision? What are they going to get out of it? What impact do we anticipate it having? Why should they care? Ironically, we may even know the answers to all those questions, yet neglect sharing them with our audience – erroneously thinking that they are our behind-the-scenes measurable results that no one but us needs to know.

Answering the why up front, what I call “leading with the why,” makes an immediate connection, appeals to our audience, generates interest, and is much more effective in making for a successful desired outcome. When people care, they move.

Rock Your Business!

The FREE e-book Rock Your Business! is now available for download. Compiled by marketing colleague Brett Duncan, it combines 33 unique marketing insights and practical advice from 33 just-as-unique marketing practitioners from around the country. I mentioned it in my earlier post, Consolidate To Dominate.

I’m excited to have a 500-word entry included is this project designed to give entrepreneurs “33 mind-blowing ideas from today’s top marketers” to help make 2011 the best year yet. I just finished reading it and I have to say I’m humbled to be included among such brilliant people. I wish I were half as smart as these guys.

Download it, read it, highlight portions of it, absorb it, be encouraged and inspired by it, organize a discussion group to talk about it, identify the ideas that you can and should implement right away, track them, measure them, witness your organization gain a new momentum. Lather, rinse, repeat. Did I mention it’s FREE? These ideas won’t cost you a dime, but one of them could mean propelling your organization light years forward. I hope it does and I’d love to hear about it.

Radical Transformation, Part 3

So much has changed. Highland Park Presbyterian Church’s communications pipeline has been undergoing a dramatic transformation. I say, “undergoing” because while the philosophies of good communication don’t change necessarily, the methods of delivery often do. It’s good to pause and reflect on where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished in order to get a clear vision for where God is calling you.

Here’s a snapshot of the major initiatives and sweeping changes that have been rolled out over the last three years:

• Core Four. Designed to give each member a roadmap for measuring how well they are fulfilling the mission of the church to “make disciples of Jesus Christ,” the Core Four are four distinct practices – Worship God, Grow In Christ, Build Community, and Bless the World. This is a long-term initiative that is heavily branded and is the filter through which we perform all of our work.
• ONE Magazine. This content-rich, story-driven, highly produced print magazine has an online companion that includes “Online Extra” videos and more. The quarterly publication was launched to replace an existing weekly newsletter … yes, weekly … newsletter than had run its course. To the best of my knowledge, it had run weekly for about 30 years. No exaggeration.
• Website & Social Media. Enhanced to include some previously unused features of our website’s existing Content Management System (CMS), as well as given a much needed facelift. Our weekly email was also given an overhaul for simplicity and effectiveness. This project is still moving toward a continuing redesign mode for ease-of-use and functionality.
• Video Testimonies. Testimonies had rarely, if ever, been recorded on video and shown in any service. Once a month or so, we interview members’ testimonies and share a less-than-three-minute video in services and online. Here, we call them Lay Witnesses.
• Weekend Update. A printed bulletin that accompanies HPPC’s Order of Worship and gives each ministry area equal announcement space and ads for highest profile events and activities.
• Forward By Faith. A two-year multi-million dollar capital fund raising campaign to strengthen the health of HPPC’s infrastructure locally, immediately benefit both local benevolences and global missions projects, and position the church for generations of future ministry.
• Welcome Center & ONE Gallery. A portion of the Forward By Faith funds went toward the creation of an all-new Welcome Center addition to the first floor of the Hunt Building. The Communications Ministry was given the charge to assist in designing a bright and welcoming space that includes reception, information, meeting and gathering space, as well as an art gallery.
• The Loop. We affectionately call our 16 recently installed flatscreen TVs around campus “The Loop.” Supplementing all of our printed pieces and website, the Loop has the capacity to display slides, scrolling text, and video.
• Wayfinding Signage. HPPC is a large sprawling campus with over two dozen different entry points. Finding your way around was understandably challenging until we installed this helpful system of 26 unique directional signs.

I’m not bragging. I’m simply documenting the many ways that God has entrusted us to clearly communicate the Gospel message to a broken world that desperately needs to hear it. I’m simply acknowledging that everything we do directly and indirectly affects someone’s faith journey. It is a charge that we do not take lightly and it is a calling that we are privileged to answer.

Consolidate To Dominate

A marketing colleague of mine, Brett Duncan, recently sent out a call for entries in a (soon to be released) FREE e-book he’s compiling. I loved the idea and here’s my 500-words-or-less entry:

It can be overwhelming to think of the myriad of ways to advertise a product or market your ideas today. Dozens, if not hundreds, of traditional and non-traditional mediums are at our disposal. Broadcast radio and television, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, e-blasts, websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter … just to name a few. Some are extremely expensive, and some are pretty cost-effective. But winning big doesn’t mean that you need to conquer them all to stay connected to your audience and have a meaningful conversation and mutually profitable relationship with them.

In fact, and it may seem counterintuitive, I believe that if you were to focus your efforts and actually reduce the number of different channels of influence you’re using this year, rather than increase them, I think you’ll see tremendous results. This is an approach that requires neither reducing your budget (when would you ever get it back if you didn’t spend it all, right?) nor needing to ask for more money (how likely is that request to be granted in this economy, right?).

For example, I once heard a concert promoter lament that he’d “wasted” a lot of advertising money using three different radio stations trying to get butts-in-seats at the show. I thought he’d have done much better focusing the same amount of money into just one station. He’d have achieved a much better frequency (the number of times a person hears an ad) and probably gotten a better response from just one audience hit hard than attempting to reach three hit lightly. I would have advised him to dominate one station.

Consider your current communications strategy and ask yourself some questions. How many different means am I attempting to use right now? Do I feel like I am mastering them all or is it overwhelming and frustrating? Is my audience seated around all of these tables or just a few of them? Which tables do I really need to pull my chair up to? If it seems like you’re always a few steps behind in successfully using all of these means, you may need to make some hard decisions and cut some things loose.

You may be a candidate for consolidating your mediums and focusing your efforts – using the exact same budget you already have – to increase your rate of return. I know how hard this is in light of all the newest and greatest high-tech gadgets and social mediums popping up on the horizon every few months. I am continuously fighting the urge and temptation to stay on top of it all. But saying “no” to some good things will allow you to say “yes” to some better things. You will also need to be able to discipline yourself to remain a “committed marketer” and place more of your eggs into fewer baskets – and watch those baskets!

Some say, “Less is more.” I’ve also heard it suggested that, “Less is better.” I believe that if you can bring yourself to consolidate your communications channels, and dominate fewer mediums, you will reap huge rewards.

Jesus Wears a Fu Manchu

I know what Jesus looks like. Artists, for centuries, have portrayed likenesses of him on canvas. But I have seen him in person. He rides a Harley and wears jeans, boots, bandannas, leather jackets, tattoos, and sports a fu Manchu.

I know what Jesus looks like because I’ve seen Jesus in Richard – a Christian, devoted husband, loving father, and faithful friend. He was a biker. But Richard is no longer with us. In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 6, 2010, Richard went home to be with the Lord following a biking accident.

By the way, yes. That is Richard pictured here. Send me an email and I’ll explain the Jack Daniels bandanna. It’s actually one of the remarkable things about Richard’s and Teresa’s story.

Richard’s memorial service is just one of four that Beth and I have attended in the past year. All were unexpected. All were too young. And each loss is tragic in it’s own way. The Bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn. We have mourned and we still do. There are also lessons to be learned. I sincerely wish this were not the way that I’ve come to learn them.

Your life makes an impact – for good or for bad, intentionally or not – on those around you. How you live has profound implications of which you may never hear. Combined, these recent experiences have really caused me to stop and reflect, examine my own life, ask some questions – maybe even shed some prejudices – and prioritize what’s really important. Not that I was too far off base, but I will readily admit I have tended to coast casually, rather than charge militantly, through this Christian faith.

The order in which I place my priorities is as important as simply identifying them. What comes first is:

GOD. My relationship with Jesus Christ. My obedience to the Holy Spirit. The time I spend in earnest prayer. My devotion to His Word. My worship of Him in every moment of every day. Fellowship with other believers. The love I give. The sacrifices I make. My heart of compassion. Being still and knowing that He alone is God, and at the same time demonstrating this faith through good works in His name.

Next comes: FAMILY. The relationship I have with my wife. My children. My parents. My sisters and their families. My wife’s side of the family.

Then comes: WORK. I’m fortunate to have a purposeful and rewarding career in church communications. It is a calling that I have answered. It is not just a job, it is a mission and a mandate.

I haven’t always needed to be leading out in front blowing a trumpet, so to speak. But when people do observe my life, I want to be considered as a man after God’s own heart. A man who places God first, family second, and everything else next.

When people look at you, what do they see? Do they see a business suit and leather shoes? A dress and heels? Blue jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops? Short hair or long hair? Clean shaven or a fu Manchu?

I pray they see Jesus.

I Hate Long Stories

Whenever I hear, “It’s a long story … “, and it’s followed by a segue into another topic, I usually breathe a sigh of relief. I’m normally not in the mood to hear long stories. I like short stories. Not that I don’t care, I just think it’s simply a symptom of the world we live in now. And I don’t think I’m alone.

40 years ago … when there was no internet, no computers in the home, no cell phones, no iPods, less than 13 broadcast television channels (remember VHF and UHF?), no VCRs, no video games, only local radio … there was margin in people’s lives to hear long stories. People actually read books, read long magazine articles, watched four-hour movies that had intermissions, and told each other long stories. They had time for it.

Not so today. That margin is long gone. The world is spinning much faster now. Faster and faster by the day. This blog post is already too long for a lot of people to care to finish (even if it were interesting). Twitter now keeps my thoughts down to less than 140 characters. Sadly, it’s affected our inclination to develop deep, long-lasting relationships. But that’s an entirely different blog post.

On the upside, though, masterpieces are known not for what was added to the piece to give it value, but what was ruthlessly subtracted. All of this should motivate us as communicators to ruthlessly subtract. I often say that people are not suffering from a lack of information. What they need is a reason to care. There, I just said it again.

How? Identify a message’s singular theme and craft that story. Only that story. One short, interesting, compelling, digestible, impacting, heart changing, life transforming story.

Playing by Heart | Jon Abel’s Story

HPPC Music Minister Jon Abel details his family’s journey of faith through a tragic incident and the steps to recovery that they are taking.

more about "Playing by Heart | Jon Abel Story", posted with vodpod

Give Me Vision Or Give Me Death

In 1775, Patrick Henry inspired and mobilized a group of revolutionaries when he cried the famous words, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Liberty itself – an intangible idea bigger than Henry himself – became a catalyst for unity. The birth of a free nation soon followed and the world was never the same.

The most inspired and mobilized churches rally around a similar intangible idea: Vision. The ability to map out an effective communications plan is directly dependent upon the clarity of the church leadership’s vision. But in order for a church to move in a singular direction, a vision bigger than the leadership itself is needed. Communications aligned with, supporting, and pushing and pulling on a big God-sized vision has the power to transform lives. Communications without vision is nothing more than pretty paper.

Liberty unified and birthed a nation. Vision unifies and guides a church. The powerful, unstoppable force of Christ’s Church will soon follow and the world will never be the same.

Give me vision or give me death!