Innovative Ideas

By Brad Abare

Planning
Innovation of Ideas

When I think of innovation, my mind immediately jumps to products or services—the telephone, the assembly line, solar panels, airplanes, wireless Internet, etc. Tangible innovations that change the way we live. Yet another kind of innovation—an intangible type—is ideas. Equally as groundbreaking, ideas are often forgotten when we talk about innovation. The theory of relativity, Newton’s laws of motion, loving your neighbor, paying it forward and ending slavery all fall in this category and are definitely a part of changing the way we live.

Brand names continuously introduce innovative ideas. Consider Citibank’s “Live Richly,” Nike’s “Just Do It” and Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaigns—all ideas and concepts that have changed or are changing the way we live.

I believe that in this realm of innovation—of ideas and not products—the church is best positioned to be a catalyst for culture. Our track record has been full of ups and downs. Martin Luther and no more indulgences was a good thing. The Crusades ... not so much.

What are you a part of innovating? How can the ideas within your community help change the way people are living and interacting with one another?

Promotion
People Gotta Know

Several churches in Los Angeles met recently to discuss how we could better unite and address issues of poverty, homelessness, education and other hot topics. While talking about how we could broaden our conversation to include others in our church communities, an elder in the room stood up and addressed the group. Tony was from one of the nearby Catholic parishes responsible for the only seven-days-a-week feeding program in the area. They’ve gone from feeding a handful of people to nearly 150 every day for lunch, and dinner on Friday nights.

Yet Tony said most people in their parish didn’t know the ministry existed: “Despite printing something in the bulletin every week, our own people have no idea what’s going on.” Others in the room nodded in sympathetic frustration. The collective sigh sounded like this: “How can we get others in our church on board with social justice topics when it seems few even care?”

Stop assuming people get it. This is one of the most common communication mistakes among churches today. It’s not that people don’t care; it’s that you and I don’t care enough to make sure they know what to care about. Pick the top four to six things your church is really passionate about and invested in. If you can’t pull at random people from your congregation and have them say the same things, you’ve got a problem.

Now what are you going to do about it? People gotta know.

Church Planting
6 (Cheap) Marketing Ideas for Church Planters

1. Don’t do it. It still amazes me how many people think money is the answer to church growth, especially in the context of church planting. By deciding not to follow through with your idea, not only will you save money, you’ll save time and avoid headaches too. Still convinced you want to do it? Read on ...

2. Hand-write invitations. You’d be surprised at the remarkable results this often brings. New businesses have used this inexpensive and highly targeted approach; it may work for you too.

3. Go to where the people are (online and off-line). Don’t rely on direct mail and other mass-marketing to get the job done for you. The most effective way to reach people is to go to them. If you’re targeting business folk, get in touch with friends who work in larger companies and do lunch together in the big lunchroom or cafeteria. Then “work” the crowds (elevators, lunch room, etc.). If you’re looking for the college crowd, do the same thing there. Don’t be all about getting people to church on the weekend; be all about being with people.

4. Create remarkable experiences. Instead of trying to get people talking, focus more on what you’re getting people talking about. People don’t talk about something because you ask them to; they talk about something because they want to. Do they want to talk about you and what you’re doing?

5. Set up a projector on the side of a huge building. Get permission from the owners of a large building close to a road with a lot of traffic. Rent a projector with powerful lumens. Set it up at night and project it on to the wall of the building.

6. Use existing messaging pieces from others and apply them to your context. If something is working for someone else, see if it can work for you. Start small. Test it. Don’t copy. Don’t tweak million-dollar ad campaigns and make them sound churchy.

Brad Abare is the director of communications for the Foursquare denomination, founder of the Center for Church Communication, and president of Personality, a communication and marketing consultancy.

MinistryResource
Need more ideas for communicating your church’s vision? Check out the Center for Church Communication’s Church Marketing Lab, a free open-source resource.