If you lead a church, you need to know the broader community around you no longer trusts you.
It’s not you. To be fair, they don’t really trust churches in general.
Many in the community don’t even like you or churches any longer, either.
How’s that for encouragement?
I know. These people don’t know you. They’ve never visited your church, either. Nevertheless, they aren’t necessarily a fan.
It hasn’t always been this way.
Once Upon a Time When Cultural Christianity Reigned
There was a time when this was not true. Twenty years ago, people generally liked churches and trusted church leaders. Of course, not everyone in every community felt this way, but churches and pastors were reasonably liked and generally trusted. Keyword being “were.”
Leading a church and pastoring in a community was simpler when Christianity was cultural. People feeling the need for some kind of church association kept Christianity cultural. The “ought to” attend church emotion helped people publicly like and trust churches more. This “ought to” emotion supported better church attendance, too. And volunteering.
There was a time when Christianity was cultural. That time is gone.
Today, the unchurched and dechurched community does not look at churches kindly by default. While every person in every community still seeks hope and help, churches are no longer top of the solution list.
Hybrid Church to the Rescue!
Churches have attempted to solve this problem by becoming “hybrid.” Integrating online and in-person expressions through a new church model is necessary in today’s networked world. Still, a hybrid church strategy supporting an outdated model isn’t the answer.
A Disruption in the Making
This problem isn’t pandemically induced, either. This disruption has been building for years and years. Church problems are societal and generational, not viral. In 2016, 17, 18, and 19, most churches felt the results of the growing disruption. Still, they made no significant ministry model changes because, for the most part, they were paying their bills. I hate that this is true, but churches tend to resist change until the money is gone. And by then, it’s usually too late.
Financially, many churches thrived during the pandemic, hence the lack of ministry model change progress. Sure, everyone broadcasted or posted something online for a few months, but the dedication to new models and strategies was halfhearted. Most churches simply got by until people could come back. Why? Because they could pay their bills.
I’m relatively sure your church mission has nothing to do with money and bills. I’ve never seen a church say they exist “to not default on a mortgage.” Your mission is the Great Commission – personally and corporately. You’ve added some new words and language to make it your own, but you exist to lead people to Jesus and help them grow more like their Savior. That’s comprehensive discipleship. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish.
You’ve no doubt noticed one more thing: Plenty of your church people aren’t coming back. What should we do?
A New Church Model for Today’s New World
The solution to engaging a world that doesn’t like or trust us has been right in front of us for years and years. Perhaps hundreds of years.
The solution? The Customer Journey.
The Customer Journey is a marketing mechanism that engages people unfamiliar with a company and its products on a path to becoming a friend, customer, and eventually a raving fan. When companies create raving fans, these fans can’t stop talking about the products to other people unfamiliar with the company and product. And the journey begins again for this new, potential customer. It’s a beautiful (and profitable) upward spiral.
My friend Wayne Mullins at Ugly Mug Marketing wrote an outstanding marketing handbook on this very concept.
By the way, you’ve fallen prey to this customer journey. Perhaps dozens of times. I’m a raving fan of Stance socks because of their customer journey. Same with BYLT undershirts. Trek bikes.
Think about some of your favorite companies, brands, or products. How did you first become interested in them? Did a raving fan introduce them to you and create some interest for you?
I bet they did because that’s how the customer journey works.
Companies must employ a customer movement model to help strangers like them, friends trust them, customers love them, and raving fans share them.
That’s the model.
Your New Model: The Church Engagement Journey
Let’s bring this back to churches. As we now exist in a world where people do not naturally like or trust us, we must jettison any ministry models that don’t help people in our community like and trust us. If you developed your church model before 2010, I can almost guarantee that it needs an overhaul.
The Church Engagement Journey is a comprehensive ministry framework I developed over the past two years while watching churches struggle to reach people in their community and move them through a discipleship pathway. The framework provides churches the best opportunity to seamlessly integrate in-person and online experiences targeted to categories of people in their community.
It’s new, and it’s comprehensive in evangelism, discipleship, strategy, alignment, and hybrid integration.
As a church leader, the framework allows you to evaluate what you are currently doing in light of what is working, not working, missing, and confusing against your mission. As you consider the framework, the gaps in your holistic discipleship journey become painfully clear, allowing you and your team to adjust physically and digitally.
At the same time, the framework doesn’t create homogenous churches. This framework functions as a structure from which you can become the very best version of yourself.
The Comprehensive Church Course Overview
I’ve recently completed a cohort group on this ministry model and would love you to join my next group. If you would like to be a part of this six-month experience, let me know.
Space is limited as I want to keep this personal and connected.
The cohort consists of six personal sessions with me. We unpack The Church Engagement Journey, discuss our community contexts, and consider best practices for your specific church. I want our time to be beneficial and personal.
Here’s a quick overview of the course:
- Six 60 – 90 minute sessions over six months with me and our group.
- One personal one-hour session with me.
- Additional resources and tools to help you understand, teach, and execute the Church Engagement Journey model.
- Case studies for us to consider as a group.
You can view the full course schedule and content description here.
Sign Up With Me Today
I’d love to engage you and your leadership through this course experience. Contact me for dates and details.
