Will Mancini

Over the years the Auxano Design team has helped churches think more strategically about guest engagement. (Read 10 Mind Blowing Facts to Fuel your Hospitality Ministry). One great idea is to create a separate website for guests. At Auxano, we call this a “buzzsite.”

To catch an example, check out Gateway’s WelcomeToYourJourney.com or First Baptist’s ExploreFirst.org

Why have a dedicated site just for guests at your church?

1) Make a Bigger Front Porch: Eighty-seven percent of your guests will click-thru before they walk-thru. Having a site dedicated to guests enables you to communicate more guest information in a more useful way.

2) Smooth the Path: Guest have mini-hurdles coming to your church for the first time. They don’t know where to go, or what to do.  A guest site will enabling them to “get a feel” ahead of time, as a simple way to make them feel more welcome.  Notice how Gateway walks your through these key guest decisions from parking lot to checking in children.

3) Show you Care: When a guest enters the dedicated site, it will show that you are expecting guests and that you care about their experience.

4) Resolve Conflict: Having a dedicated guest site alleviates the burden on your main church site to speak to both members and guests.

5) Show Some Personality: A guest site can introduce your church with with a story, promise or creative element. Gateway Community Church used the tagline “Welcome to your Journey” as their URL. It enabled the moment of introduction to include something to spark the imagination and draw people in rather than just saying “visit our church.”At First Baptist Dallas, they creatively use a “Plan Your Visit” form on their ExploreFirst.org to make the welcome experience personalized.

6) Evaluate Your Investment: A guest site can measure the effectiveness of external communication initiatives or campaigns that point to the guest site and not the church’s main site. For example, when Gateway Community Church opened its building, they could know exactly how their six-piece direct mail invitations worked by monitoring web stats when the mail dropped.

Have used a similar site? Let us know about it.

A few days ago I posted some church leaders take-aways from the Kony 2012, Invisible Children video, 70 Million Views in 7 Days: A Vision Analysis. I also mentioned  the opportunity to see this video through The Six Elements. (Grab the free tool on the previous post.)  Here are just a few observations of how the video weaves through The Six.

And remember… Scheudule 45 minutes in your staff meeting in the next 2 weeks to watch the video and discuss this as a team (30 to watch it and 15 to discuss). Have each team member right down a few phrases for each of The Six Elements.

Common Denominator

• The video opens with a child being born and a statement about how we all come into the world. The framework of a Father son relationship is leveraged for all the viewers.
• Use of his own child’s ability to understand the story’s gravity brings stunning clarity and universality to the cause
• Justice as a universal concept and basic human drive is established
• The use of social media, great design and simple things like bracelets create a community identity and emotional bond to the cause
• The inclusion of Jacob and his story, makes the cause personal and relatable and sets up the “Jacob thread”

Burning Platform

• The repetition of child abduction and reality of being transformed into murders.  The emotional connection made by referencing his own son, “If my son was abducted and forced to murder, it would immediately make the news.”
• The emphasis on “invisibility” of the children as the dominant idea to drive the movement. The emotional connection is deepened by the political irony that initially the US turned a blind eye, because there was no self interest on the basis of self-defense or financial gain.
• The use of the international criminal list to strengthen the credibility of the problem and Invisible Children’s cause. The emotional connection is heightened by the use of Hitler as a comparable figure to Kony.
• Jacob Thread: Hearing Jacob talk about wanting to die. Watching Jacob cry and long to be with his dead brother paints a picture of pure hopelessness.

Golden tomorrow

• The video clip of an abducted child returning to their parents.
• The idea that common people can make a difference in a world that is connected.  A better world is one in which the worst bad guy is really captured. This is heightened by the simplicity of the action kit. It’s easy and fun to be a part of the solution.
• The better world that we currently live in as Americans is continually seen throughout the clip. The better world is one where this basic freedom is extended naturally by those who enjoy it. The better world is one where we are “responsibly free” not “selfishly free.”
• The dominant story of Jacob helps us feel the better world. What will happen to all of the other like Jacob?

Wake-up Call

• The reference to the fact that during other times in human history we could not have acted like we can now. The reference to how easy it is to forget the ongoing problem by politicians after the first 100 soldiers were sent.
• The use of 2012 and gutsy claim that it must be over by December 31^st. Strengthening this punch of this end date is the reference to the years of battle undertaken.
• The immediate action step of “Covering the Night”  on April 20^th The amazingly simple action steps: wearing a bracelet, sharing a poster, etc.
• The promise to Joseph that something will be done about the problem.

Mind Stretch

• The multiple layers of evil – child abduction, sex slavery, arming children for war, forcing children to kill their parents, the pure selfishness of Kony. The ironic idea that by making him famous we will stop him.
• The idea that everyday people can make a such a dramatic difference. The use of the pyramid logo to demonstrate the big idea that the people can set the agenda for justice to reign rather than pure political influence and financial motivation alone.
• The idea that 20 culture makers and 12 policy makers all feel passionate and have been recruited in advance
• The use of Joseph to show how everyone is the same. We all want to have a home and be with our family. But based on where we are born, with no choice of our own, can lead to dramatically different outcomes.

God Smile

• The video does not reference God.  Christian leaders should note how humanistic some of our most God-like causes can be. Is the Gospel being integrated into the Invisible Children work and chase for Kony? I hope so. If not, the movement will have remedied a short-term hell unaware of the eternal one. Thanks be to God for the Great Remedy, Jesus.

On a side note: I am aware of the both the controversy and unfortunate incident surrounding the leader of this movement in the last few days. (Please pray for Jason Russell.) Yet, the amazing response to this video alone warrants our attention as ministry leaders, vision-castors and story tellers. This video has reached 100 million viewers faster than any other in internet history.

If you have not seen the 30-minute Kony 2012 video yet from Invisible Children, I encourage you to do so. It’s one of the best vision videos you will ever see.

My teenage kids saw it first, as the viral video reached their high school friends in a hurricane-force social media blitz. While in the airport for spring break, Romina and I viewed the story on my iPhone, while my kids watched a second time. Although I know of Invisible Children, I have now been infected with an amazingly clear and compelling one-year milestone. And I am only one of  seventy million others who watched this media in its debut week on Youtube alone.

My analysis will come in two parts. First I want to make some general observations for church leaders. Second, in a post tomorrow, I will share my observations on the Six Elements of Vision I use with ministry leaders everywhere I go. I strongly encourage you to use the Vision Casting Spider Diagram as a team and watch the video. Take careful note on how each of the Six Elements are utilized in Kony 2012. Again, I will share my observations on this tomorrow. If you have not seen this stuff from my book Church Unique, you can download it here: Articulating Vision Proper – 6 Elements of Compelling Vision

WHAT CAN CHURCH LEADERS LEARN?

1) There are no overnight success stories. The amazing response to this story is connected to a consistent ten year journey of compassion and action.

2) Your influence is directly related to your ability to tell your story.

3) Social media removes walls blocking the communication of and emotional connection to your vision like never before.

4) The ability to clarify a simple, easy and obvious action step is a hallmark of a great vision casting experience.

5) Vision was meant to be communicated visually. Not only the use of video, but the integration of great design and the creative use of symbol keeps the vision alive in the minds eye and makes the big idea more sharable.

As you digest this vision casting experience, ponder the question:

What are you committed to doing in the next year and what would your 30 minute video look like?

Okay, I couldn’t resist calling these “secrets.” Why? Well, they are such as missing practice in ministry today, they functionally behave like secrets. You be the judge:

Secret #1: Ask God for supernatural insight into your “ministry best.”

He already knows what you can do best because he created you to do it. Every other step in this process fails without a spirit of great dependence on God and the full realization that ministry is a stewardship, not derived from you. Peer into your history. Reflect on your identity. Gaze at your strengths. Pray for vision.

Secret #2: Define your “ministry best” with great clarity.

Have you found that amazing place where the right words symbolically yet powerfully capture your “ministry best?” Great leaders usually do and they know it’s worth sacrificing the time for internal wrestling and outside coaching. Clarity isn’t everything but it changes everything. Name your “ministry best.”

Secret #3 Refine your leaders’ understanding of your “ministry best” with great patience.

Be confident in this: Leaders always overestimate how much their team “get’s it.” Check out Jesus’ ministry to strengthen this point. Your tools to create understanding are time and dialogue. Make the time. Tee up the dialogue. Start with your inner circle. When they are clear get every leader in your ministry together and do it again. You are not done this process until everyone responsible for money or people in your ministry is clear.

Secret #4: Communicate your “ministry best” to everyone with  great passion.

Now it’s time to open the flood gates. Weave it into every sermon. Bring it up at each meal. Tell the story at today’s meeting. But remember to increase your passion. How do you do that? Consider what problem your “ministry best” solves. Stir your heart with that problem. Communicate the answer in a way that other’s will really feel it, not just hear it.

Secret #5: Consistently change, modify, or tweak the least effective one-third of what you are doing in light of your “ministry best.”

Does this sound hard? It’s really not when you do the first four practices well. In fact this can be a lot fun, once the leadership team is aligned. To help you identify the “bottom” one-third of your ministry activity, work as a team to place all of your ministries in three buckets, ranked A, B and C. Be courageous.

Secret #6: Reinforce the awareness and appreciation of your “ministry best.”

Pray about it daily. Remind people about it weekly, Celebrate it monthly. If you start doubting it, go back to secret #1. Don’t let the idea of “being best” put pressure on yourself. Remember that the foundation of a “ministry best” is God’s work. He is the power source. He brings the fruit. Stay completely connected to and dependent on Him. If you take these secrets seriously, it will be very important to stay connected to Jesus to keep your success from going to your head.

You’ve heard of annual reports, but have you thought of creating one for your church? The point of course is not to imitate a common corporate practice, but to leverage every opportunity to cast vision. As we scan a few reasons why you should do this, let’s start with a definition.

Wiki: An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company’s activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company’s activities and financial performance. The details provided in the report are of use to investors to understand the company’s financial position and future direction.

Why you should leverage this communication tool:

#1 An annual report creates a great “excuse” to cast vision. Most people know what an annual report is, but don’t expect their church to provide one. Why not leverage the “placeholder in their mind” to make  a positive impact?

#2 An annual report utilizes a natural rhythm for reflection and refocus. Remember, God created the cycle of a year. Since you use the year to define everything else in your life, why not use it to nourish the vision for people in the church?

#3 An annual report is a great tool to retell your best stories. Hopefully you’ve been sharing stories of life change throughout the year. Now tell them again. As a leader, it’s important to know your “folklore-” the stories of God that are worth sharing over and over and over.

#4 An annual report is an act of gratitude toward God. What if you saw the process like writing a thank you note to God. Even if your church didn’t have the best year, you have something for which you can express gratitude to God. Use the report to honor God and point people to Jesus.

#5 An annual report is a helpful accountability mechanism. I get that fact that accountability is not always fun. Sometimes you don’t like prepping sermons. But this Sunday keeps you accountable. Chances are, no one is going to wake up and bug you for that 2011 annual report. That’s what makes this point a big deal. You can initiate the commitment and hold yourself and your team accountable to this kind of vision casting.

#6 An annual report builds credibility with people. While an annual report is not everyone’s “love language,” some people will take a giant step forward because you took the time to provide this tool. It shows the leadership’s  willingness to be honest with financial information and communicates the deeper “whys” behind ministry decisions and direction.

#7 An annual report is a perfect project to experiment with some new talent and creativity. Since this communication tool is not weekly or urgent, you can recruit some people who are new or uninvolved and see what they produce. If you haven’t done a report, you have nothing to loose by trying. Ask them for something fresh and different. Here are a few examples of reports to get the creative minds sparked.

• LifeChurch.tv
• NewSpring Church
• Elevation Church

If you plan on doing an annual report for the first time, I would love to hear about it. If I can help you in anyway through Auxano Design, let me know.