SCD Ideas

This last week I had a planning session with the leaders of the New Church Tracks for this year’s school.  It was great to see how excited they are about teaching their tracks.  Candace Landsberry, who in now in the second year of her second new church start in Las Vegas, made the observation that the world has changed since she  started a church in Phoenix eight years ago.

Others in the group agreed.  Here are a couple of things they noted:

1.  People are more fearful — they are not willing to come to a stranger’s house to meet people.  This makes it hard to start small groups in people’s homes.  So you must look at Third Places — like Starbucks to meet people.

2.  Relationships are key — to gather people you must take the time to connect with individuals, like key leaders in the community to develop contacts. 
3.  Timing is important — people aren’t willing to wait too long before you launch worship.  12 to 15 months seems like the longest you can wait.

4.  People are suspicious of religion in general.  So just saying come to church does not attract.  You must give them a reason to want to be part of a faith community.  So saying you are United Methodist (this is my thought) can be a positive because it shows you are part of a larger organization — not just a fly-by-night operation.

These same comments can be heard by owners of movie theaters (see blog on the Oscars), restaurants, and malls  — people seem to be more and more reluctant to leave the safety and comfort of their homes.  About ten year’s ago we called this cocooning. Think about it — through the Internet and your home entertainment system you can bring the world to your home without having to leave.

So even if you are an experienced new church starter, you can’t keep doing the same things over and over again.  You need to adapt to climate of your community and create new ways to connect with people — not for the sake of building a church, but for the purpose of giving people the opportunity to hear of the love of Jesus, the love that truly transforms.

So what other changes are you seeing?  Help make a list by adding your comments.

According to an article in USA TODAY on “ShoWest report: 3-D is the next generation in the movie industry”, you will soon be wearing 3-D glasses and paying more at the box office to see the latest thing from Hollywood (see link below).  The article brings up some points that churches can learn from.

1.  Even though the popluation of the U.S. has grown over the years, the number of people going to movies has remained flat the last three years.

2.  Movie Theaters find themselves competing with home TV and computer screens.  They have to offer something unique to get people out of their homes.  As people convert to digital TV in the next year, the home experience with wide-screen monitors and full scale sound systems will only get better.

3.  The Youth Boom is in full force.  The “Best of Both Worlds” Concert by Disney teen star Miley Cyrus, has generated $64 million.  Through the 3-D technology they were able to create an immersive experience that you can’t get a home.   Theater owners are betting that the installation of digital projectors will allow them to offer more live-action shows like the Super Bowl and made-for-theater concerts.

Two other comments got my attention.  First, one theater owner experimented with the sound and found the installation of a new sound system was just as significant as what was on the screen.   Second, another owner pointed to the fact that if the theater experience is ruined by people acting up in the audience, no amount of technology will overcome a bad trip to the movies.

So what does this mean for the local church?  One of our biggest challenges is offering an experience that will get people out of their homes and into our sanctuaries.  Things like the sound system, the lighting, and the overall mood of the worship space effects the way we worship.  Finally, the way the audience — the congregation – behaves has a profound effect on how people experience worship.  What brings people back is not just a carefully crafted sermon or beautiful anthem.  They can get that on TV.  What brings them back is the smile from an usher, a kind word from the person sitting next to them, the invitation to return by the person in front of them, and the feeling that the people in the congregation have a passion for God.      

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-03-13-showest-3D_N.htm