David Tarkington

What the Church Can Learn From Steve Jobs

Some of you will find it difficult to admit that church leaders can learn from a man like Steve Jobs. In fact, just the title of this post is making some of you angry. I'm sure some are looking up verses of Scripture even now that affirm why I should never even attempt to make the claim this title boasts. 

As many of you know, from reading his biography and other reports, Steve Jobs was not a supporter or believer in the Christian church. He was a seeker who abandoned the teachings of the Bible when his Sunday School teacher could not answer a question regarding the suffering in the world. He engaged in the liberal lifestyle and drug culture of Reed College. He became a dabbler and follower of New Age mysticism and his eccentricities of the "all fruit diet" and not bathing for many days as a young entrepreneur are well known.

Even though he was known as a demanding boss and very difficult to work with, his entrepreneurial spirit and leadership at Apple Computers has become iconic. 

I was watching a video presentation by Guy Kawasaki today. Kawasaki worked for Apple during the 1980s and then again in the mid-1990s first as the Software Evangelist and later as the Chief Evangelist. (Nice titles, huh?) He claims to be one of the few people to have been able to work with Jobs twice and survive. He is now an author and speaker and developer of numerous websites. One of my go-to sites is Kawasaki's www.alltop.com. Kawasaki speaks globally in different settings. He has spoken to leaders in the corporate and education world as well as at Catalyst to church leaders. Kawasaki's faith is evident and his ability to keep his finger on the pulse of culture is helpful for the church.

It's obvious that he has much respect for Jobs. When Jobs died last year, Kawasaki developed a list of "12 Things I Have Learned from Steve Jobs." I watched his presentation of this at TEDx at the Harker School in San Jose.

While watching this presentation, even though focused on the tech industry and business, I discovered some things that can be helpful for church leaders.

Here are the 12 things. . .

1. "Experts" are clueless. That's a pretty harsh statement, but it's based on the fact that in industry, there are those who with past experience and age are elevated to the position of expert. Just because there is much wisdom in experience, there are times when the "experts" miss the point. He uses examples of Thomas Watson of IBM who declared in 1943 his view that the world would have a demand for a maximum of five computers. He also references Western Union's internal memo that declared the new device known as the telephone to be a loser and therefore not worth investing into. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: This is a stretch, but throughout church history, and especially in the past century or so, there have been some who have declared their "prophecies" of the future of the global church. Some have been dramatically proven incorrect. Sometimes it's a holding onto the past that leads to this, but mostly, it's a lack of discerning the Spirit's lead. There are far too few "men of Issachar" today who truly understand the times. However, there are some "experts" who seem to have their finger on the pulse of culture and without forsaking any of the message of the Gospel have been instrumental in leading the church to reach postmoderns and others to come. Lesson learned - just because someone has written a book and self-declared their "expertise" does not mean they are right. Trust the Spirit and the modern-day "men of Issachar."
2. Customers cannot tell you what they need. Kawasaki states that "Apple market research" was nothing more than the right side of Jobs' brain. Jobs made it clear that if you asked the customer what they wanted, the answer would be simply "better, faster and cheaper." The customer would only ask for better "sameness," not revolutionary change. Customers can only describe their desires in terms what they are already using. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: People know they have needs, but they don't always know what those needs are. Even good Christian people in the church. Often the perceived need is a better choir, an organ (seriously!), better ministry options for the kids, a more comfortable gathering place, a new pastor, etc. What people need is revolutionary change. This is deeper than church talk. This is referencing the transformational change that only comes from the Spirit of God. So, go ahead and do that "church member survey" but you will not discover what is truly needed. You'll likely see things that have absolutely nothing to do with the Gospel and tranformed lives. You will see things that hearken back to the "good ole days" or a ministry model perfect for the 1950s (or 1990s - by the way, even the 1990s are outdated now.)
3. Jump to the next curve. Big wins happen when you go beyond better sameness. Watch the attached video for a great illustration regarding ice (from harvesters to ice houses to refrigerators.) WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: I'm reminded of Reggie McNeal's book The Present Future. One of the statements in this book was that the church is answering the questions correctly. It's just that we're answering the wrong questions. It's time for a jump. We do not need "better sameness" but revolutionary change. The world is shrinking. The church must not run from the technology that enables us to communicate globally or support financially missionaries with the click of a button. It may seem honorable to discount the internet and hold tightly to that leather-bound King James Version Bible. I just wonder what we'll say when God asks why we didn't use the things He gave us fully so that more could know Him?
4. The biggest challenges beget the best work. The biggest challengers of Apple, this little startup company with a new type of device called the personal computer were giants known as IBM and then later Microsoft. The challenges were great and many other companies came and went in the 1980s and 1990s. Apple saw the challenges as a chance to be better. (This is very hard for me to admit, since I used to work and love IBM, but it's true.) WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Well, there are the David and Goliath elements here, but when thinking about the local church, it's a good reminder that the Enemy and the world are against the Gospel. Some cower to this. Some resort to creating "holy huddles" that protest everything. These churches become known, not for the transformational love and grace of Jesus Christ, but for the fact (or at least the appearance) that they are against everything. Some churches worry about the future, forgetting that this is a sin. The odds may be against the local church, but the victory is secure. This must be remembered. Any church that loses this focus becomes little more than a club. 
5. Design counts. Kawasaki states that Jobs drove people nuts with his Type A design demands. He stated that "some shades of black weren't black enough" and other detail things that most would say "What's the big deal?" Jobs was a perfectionist. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: The church must remember that the work we do is not for ourselves, but for God. He is the focus. He is the audience. Therefore, why would we offer anything less than our very best? Some churches just offer crumbs at the altar. God deserves the entire meal. The little things matter. Just thinking practically, since our God is perfect and holy, we should care for all that He has blessed us with so that those who do not yet know Him are not distracted by incomplete stories, poor planned events and left-overs. Details matter. It's not about becoming obsessive. It's about offering the best.
6. You can't go wrong with big graphics and big fonts. For Apple, this was made clear during Jobs' regular presentations at Macworld and other gatherings. He would stand in front of a huge screen, usually with one large graphic image and few words presented. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Fix your PowerPoint (or MediaShout, or other presentation programs for worship). Find some 16 year old that understands that clear and simple is best. Oh yeah, clean up the website while you're at it. No one wants to read paragraph after paragraph on your site (and, therefore, probably not on this blog either.)
7. Changing your mind is a sign of intelligence. Apple did a 180 on it's announcements about app development for the iPhone and iPad between 2007 and 2008. It was the right shift. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Times change. Programs change. Communities change. Churches change. What doesn't change? The Gospel. The Message. Don't say "We're doing this program until Jesus comes" from the pulpit. I've heard that said. Guess what? We stopped doing the program in two years. Why? Because it was time to change. There was a shelf-life for the program. It had served it's purpose. Oh yeah, sometimes you change because you realize you were wrong. God's never wrong, but we do not always listen well.
8. "Value" is different from "price." Apple products have never been the cheapest on the market. Why then does market share increase? Because the products are quality and have value. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Ministry is not easy. It will cost. It will cost time. It will cost money. It will cost friendships sometimes. It will cost some relationships (Luke 14:26). However, all of these are worth it. The Gospel is worth it. There is value in the Gospel. It is not cheap. Christ's sacrifice was not cheap.
9. A players hire A+ players. Jobs would say that A players should hire A players, but Kawasaki one-ups him here. If a leader only hires players who are not as gifted and effective as oneself, the organization suffers. If A players hire B players, then B players will hire C players, C players will hire D players, etc. What happens when you get to Z? WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Staff well. Too often pastors and ministers are "hired" for reasons other than the call of God and the excellence of the ministry needed. Poor hires lead to weak ministries which lead to frustrated leadership teams and disgruntled church members. 
10. Real CEOs demo. Jobs always showed how to use the products on stage at the trade shows. He didn't have someone else do it for him, when he was able. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Pastors must live out what they preach. Delegation is great, but many pastors do not fully understand what it is. Delegated leadership is not telling others on the staff or in the congregation to do something the pastor would not do. I have seen this and it's poor leadership. Pastors cannot tell others to share Christ if they do not model it first. Real pastors demo.
11. Real CEOs ship. Sometimes the product wasn't fully complete, but Jobs would ship it anyway. It was always ready, but in most cases not fully developed. That's why there continue to be new iterations of Apple devices. Do you know anyone who still has the original iPod? You know, the bulkier white one with the monochrome screen? It was good. It was ready, but not fully developed. That's why there are newer versions of these devices and others released each year. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: If you wait until everyone in your church has been trained in evangelism before you begin to share your faith, you will close your doors soon. If you wait until everyone is fully engaged missionally, you will miss the moment God has given you now. Understand the challenge. Prepare and continually refine, but "ship." Don't remain in the church building. The Great Commission is about action. Real pastors lead their churches to engage. . .to "ship." Refine and release new editions (new believers) as you go and grow, but go and grow!
12. Marketing boils down to providing unique value. Items need to be unique (not refined sameness) and valuable to impact the market. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: Our message is the most valuable one in the history of the world. It's a message of hope and life. It's the Gospel. It is never changing and cemented in Jesus Christ. The method for delivering the message. . .well, that's ever-changing. The challenge for the church is to follow God's lead into newer methods of delivering the never changing message. If the church does not embrace this, we are doomed to replicate what the church of Europe is now experiencing  - closed buildings, fewer believers and a culturally dying faith. (Oh, by the way, it's not hopeless even in Europe. I believe God is going to do a mighty work among the atheistic post-Christian culture there. It's never happened in the history of the world, but then again, our God has mastered the impossible.)

BONUS: Some things need to be believed to be seen. Here's Kawasaki's quote: "When you are jumping curves, defying/ignoring the experts, facing off against big challenges, obsessing about design, and focusing on unique value, you will need to convince people to believe in what you are doing in order to see your efforts come to fruition. People needed to believe in Macintosh to see it become real. Ditto for iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Not everyone will believe—that’s okay. But the starting point of changing the world is changing a few minds. This is the greatest lesson of all that I learned from Steve. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHURCH: I love this parallel. Faith is believing what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). A visionary pastor must believe that which God has revealed. There's no room for "Show Me" faith.

I recommend you follow Guy on Twitter at @GuyKawasaki 

Read more: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2011/10/what-i-learned-from-steve-jobs.html#ixzz1qjfQtCkB

Pastor Approved Apps

Over the last few days I've had some friends ask me about my iPad. As many of you know, I jumped into the Apple world a few months back with the purchase of an iPad2 and have been using it in meetings, sermon prep, on my vision trip to Wales and even using it for personal Bible study and preaching from it.

Now, I'm not advocating that other people buy iPads. In truth, I don't care if you have one or not. However, since I've been asked numerous times about it and what I use it for and what apps I have, I figured I'd give you a short list of some of the apps that I have downloaded and found useful. 

DISCLAIMER: I get nothing from the app developers (wish I did) and am not truly advocating you use these, but am just stating which ones I like and have found useful. Also, in many cases, there are Android versions of the same apps if you are not on an iPhone or iPad.

STUDY

The YouVersion Bible app is one of the most downloaded in iTunes. It was developed by LifeChurch.tv and offers more than 100 versions of the Bible. Reading plans are available when online. Most versions are downloadable, so you may read the Bible on your smart phone or iPad regardless of 3G or internet connection. This is a free app. Don't pay for a Bible app.

 

PRODUCTIVITY

I use the Apple software called Pages, Keynote and Numbers. Each is a separate download and costs around $10 each. Pages is a word processor and converts to and from Word seamlessly. Keynote is a presentation software and converts to PowerPoint easily. Numbers is a spreadsheet and works and converts well with Excel.

 

Another good app for office productivity is QuickOffice. It's n0t free, but offers you the Microsoft Office type software in one package for the iPad.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Facebook is still king of social media and they have recently released an iPad app that is pretty functional and easy to use. However, sometimes I still end up opening Safari and running Facebook from the web browser. I like the web browser version better (mainly because it's the same on all platforms.)

Before the Facebook app came online, I used MyPad. I still like MyPad and use it often. It is basically a Facebook interface for the iPad.

The Twitter app is simple and easy to use.

The LinkedIn app works well.

Hootsuite is a great tool. It allows you to update Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as well as monitor multiple accounts. I have it on my PC and the app for iPad is good as well.

Foursquare is addictive and fun. I love the commercial where the guy says "That's Mayor Dennis. . . of the watercooler." I admit, I'm a lot like that guy. I have unlocked numerous badges and am mayor of First Baptist Church (sometimes) and of Dave's Sofa, which just like the name states. . . is the sofa in my living room. By the way, I was really good at foursquare, the real game, back in sixth grade.

Instagram is a fun app that lets you post photos and track friends uploads. It's an iPhone app, but works on the iPad. Again - can be a royal waste of time, but since when has that stopped people from using an app.

G-Whizz! is an app for connecting your Google accounts on your iPad. Google+ and G-mail can be used through this app. 

 

TEXT MESSAGING

I have the iPad with Wi-fi, but not 3G. So, if I want to text message someone from the iPad, I use TextNow. This app is pretty easy to use. The only thing is that it assigns a strange phone number to your iPad for use. I think mine has an Idaho area code.

 

STORAGE & CLOUD

Having a virtual hard drive in the cloud is nice. These apps all provide this. DropBox is my favorite, but SugarSync provides more space for free. The Evernote app allows me to take notes and save to the cloud. I have all these programs on my PC as well and can access my data anywhere.

 

NEWS

In addition to local news channel apps, I have downloaded news apps from major agencies such as CNN, Fox News, USA Today, CBS News, and BBC News.

The Drudge Report app is interesting and links numerous headlines daily, just like the webpage. Tends to be conservative politically.

The Politico app offers the opposite perspective of The Drudge Report.

The following apps will link with your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts to determine your location, likes, dislikes, etc. to push news stories on their app you may find interesting. Each one is formatted a little differently, but I check them all regularly.

Evri - Not my favorite of these multi-site apps, but good info. 

Editions - I like this one. It's by Aol, but after compiling news stories, it presents it on your screen in the form of a magazine. You turn pages and go to sections that are interesting.

Flipboard - This one is likely to become my favorite. It's chock-full of information and news stories. I can get overloaded though, so I must be careful. Great app. 

 

SPORTS

I'm just going to list the sports apps that I use regularly. I have more downloaded, but these are the best ones I've found.

Yahoo! Sportacular

CBS Sports

ESPN ScoreCenterXL

 

CHURCHES, MINISTRIES & RELIGION

 

The best church app is First Baptist Church of Orange Park. OK, maybe not the best, but it's ours. I think it offers some great information. Like most of the churches out there, this is designed by The Church App and offers many of the same features as others including sermons, calendars, Bible (with daily plans to read or have read to you) and links to pertinent church sites.

 

The Florida Baptist Witness - the newspaper of our state convention.

 

OTHER APPS THAT YOU REALLY "NEED"

Since this post is getting long and I know I cannot put every app I use on here, I thought I'd end with some of the "essential" ones. . .

 

Angry Birds

 

Scramble

 

 

Words With Friends

 

Hanging With Friends

 

Jeopardy

 

 

Movie Challenge

 

Talking Tom (He has friends like Talking Ben, Talking John, etc. All are worth the download. The Talking Justin Bieber one, however, is not.)

 

 

Starbucks

 

 

ShopKick (like Foursquare for for shopping and you earn points for discounts)

 

StumbleUpon

 

Google (this app lets you take a photo, it scans the photo and then searches the web for info on it.)

 

Kindle (I like this better than iBooks that comes with the iPad)

 

Skype (Perfect video phone for when I'm on mission trips for calling back home and for meeting with church planters in other areas of the world.)

There are many other apps, and I'm sure you have downloaded and are using some that are really great. Leave comments with your recommendations. 

"Is Steve Jobs in Heaven?"

When Steve Jobs' death was announced, though expected, it still shocked many. Jobs was a unique man. Some have called him a visionary. He's been described as the "Edison of our time." Apple stores now double as memorial sites as flowers and cards are left at the doors. I've seen "iSad" on numerous signs and Facebook postings lamenting his death. He certainly was very intelligent and creative.

I hope you will join me in praying for the family of Steve Jobs, his wife and children especially. Pray for the dear friends who have lost a loved one.

I posted earlier in the week a simple link to Facebook from the Apple website that stated "Steve Jobs 1955-2011."

I put no other statement, comment or link with this other than the link to the Apple website. I found it interesting that within just a few hours a dialog had begun in the comment section about the impact, humanity and spirituality of Steve Jobs. Some clearly stated that he was not a believer in Christ. Others were offended that someone would dare judge someone as not being a Christian whom they had never met. The dialog was getting . . . well, nowhere productive, so I ended up deleting the post completely.

On Friday morning at one of our local junior high schools, the question of legacy and life and death came up, so Steve Jobs came up once again. One of the junior high boys asked point blank, "So, is Steve Jobs in heaven?"

Hmmm. Great question. This led to a wonderful discussion.

Steve Jobs is going to be greatly missed in this world. He brought many computer innovations, not to mention the entertainment of Pixar films, to the world. I worked at IBM for a number of years and our theme was based on Thomas Watson's message of "Think." We all had little signs in our offices with the "Think" plaque attached. I still have mine.

Jobs, and Apple came along and introduced a similar, but different theme of "Think Different."

I'm not sure how many outside the computer industry caught that as a response to IBM and the PC, but we did.

Jobs and Apple pushed the envelope. The Macintosh was so different than the PC-DOS based systems out there. Computer mouse? What's the use of that? GUI (Graphical User Interface) was another innovation. Now, these are standard.

When I was at IBM, Jobs was not at Apple. He had been fired. That seems crazy nowadays to even imagine. Apple fired Steve Jobs! They hired a CEO from Pepsi named John Sculley. Under Sculley and subsequent leaders, Apple almost faded away. It's hard to imagine that Apple was at one time headed down the same path as Compaq and Gateway and a host of other computer companies that were poised for greatness only to be relegated to the class of "also-rans." Here's a good article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek on the Sculley-Jobs relationship. (Note the suspenders and bow tie that Jobs is wearing. Obviously before he determined the black shirts and jeans would be his trademark uniform.)

During this time, Jobs founded NeXT Computers. This was an interesting company. It partnered Jobs with Ross Perot (yes, that Ross Perot) as Director. Though short-lived, NeXT had profound impact on the computer industry. 

Of course, most of you know that Jobs was brought back as CEO of Apple and under his visionary leadership led Apple to become one of the strongest corporations in the world. Even in a world facing economic downturn, Apple is growing. 

It's also interesting to note that many of the Wall Street protestors against corporations have stated that Apple "is different" and they like Apple and Jobs. 

Anyway, back to the question from the junior high boy and the comments on Facebook. With all that Jobs has done for technology and entertainment, the question remains about eternity.

Many have viewed Jobs commencement address at Stanford University back in 2005. Knowing that his time on earth was coming to a close, he sounds prophetic regarding life and living it to the fullest. 

One of the most repeated quotes from Jobs is this:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

It echoes the statement from Solomon as recorded in Ecclesiastes 7:2

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

Funerals and death are great reminders of what matters in life. The parties, feastings, fear of embarrassment and failure, etc. melt in the presence of a casket. Death is the destiny of all. The living should take it to heart.

While I pray that Jobs came to understand that life is eternally available only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I have seen no indication publicly that he ever accepted this. Jobs was a very private man, so perhaps he did come to Christ. However, there are numerous stories that lead one to believe he held more a New Age or Buddhist view of life and eternity. Still, we will not know this side of heaven.

This we do know.

The life God gives us here on earth is short. Whether 20 years, 56 years or maybe even 100, is so very short when compared to eternity.

The things we do in this life matter. I appreciate Jobs and the things he was able to do. As I write on my iPad, listen to music on my iPod and watch Toy Story, I am reminded of his giftedness and innovative mind.

Yet, just as other great innovators left some wonderful toys and tools for generations to come, the truth of the matter is that a man is not defined by the stuff of this world. He is defined through a relationship with the Creator of it all. The greatest Innovator and Creative Mind ever. 

Simply put, what one does with Jesus Christ is what really matters.

So, as my young friend asked "Is Steve Jobs in heaven?" The answer for Jobs is the same as it is for everyone else, "Only if he received Jesus Christ's sacrifice as payment for his sin and became a child of God."

Not sure how to do this? I was going to link you to a site called "The Kristo" but it requires a Flash plug-in. Since Jobs did not like Flash and iPhones and iPads do not run the software, I thought better of it. Therefore, check out this site here. Take the time to read this and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. 

Our App Launches Today

With the millions of people using iPads, iPhones and Android phones, we felt the timing was right to launch an app for our church on these platforms.

The app will evolve over time, but as of now, the following features are available:

• Sermons (audio only at this time)
• Bible ready plans - with the option of an audio version
• Link to this blog and updates
• Calendar of events
• Links to other options and FBC connections.

If you have use either the iTunes App or Android Marketplace platforms, download our app and tell others about it.

Click here for the link to the Android Market version.

Click here for the link to the iTunes App version.

Is Your Church Like Facebook or Google Plus?

Churches have been organizing small groups (i.e. Sunday School classes, LifeGroups, home groups, etc.) for years. There have been volumes of material published to help churches understand the very best way to connect with newcomers and to minister with seasoned members.

Flake's Formula (a systematic strategy for growing churches through the Sunday School designed by Arthur Flake) has helped Southern Baptist churches plan and design their educational ministries for almost 100 years. I'm not knocking it. In fact, it worked and still does in certain areas because the principles are solid. There have been evangelists (does anyone remember Leon Kilbreth) who touted the values of Sunday School and the importance of organizing to reach people that have spoken to hundreds of churches over the years.

While the days of the Sunday School revival are over mostly, the reality that small group connectedness is valuable remains. Jesus modeled this. He was the ultimate small group leader.

Churches still understand this, but struggle with reaching people who may not connect through traditional Sunday morning Bible study. I'm not advocating getting rid of Sunday School. In fact, we here at First Baptist still have a pretty strong small group time on Sunday morning. 

However, it's becoming clearer through the years that people are not connecting in the small group as easily as in the past. Yet, there are few really new models (and maybe that's because there's "nothing new under the sun") for connecting with people in small groups.

We advocate and promote the Sunday morning small group time. We endorse and encourage mid-week groups that meet on the church campus. We also value and support home groups and meetings taking place in resaurants, workplaces and schools. In fact, we boldly state that any and all of these small group times "count." 

That's huge. From a church and denomination that traditionally only counted the meetings that took place on Sunday mornings before worship (i.e. Sunday School), to say that any small group meeting that happens for the purpose of connecting with people and studying the Word of God has been a welcome transition.

Now, we find ourselves enjoying more freedom in our small group ministry. Yet, there's still a problem. We're really not connecting.

This is the age of social media. It's here to stay whether you like it or not. In fact, social media has been around long before computers. It just was fleshed out in the real relationships between people.

Now we have a venue to connect, at least superficially, online.

When the internet began, it was a basically designed to share documents between offices and computers. Over time, it evolved into a system that could connect people via social media (YouTube, blogs, chat, etc.) Now, it's taken another leap forward. We now see a web built around people, where their profiles and content are moving with them as they visit different websites.

This occurs via the "Sign In with Facebook" app that appears on many sites and "check-ins" with such apps as Foursquare. Twitter, which originally confused consumers and made many say "This thing isn't very useful. What can you say in 140 characters? Why would you?" is now huge. Revolutions have literally been followed via Tweets. Politicians have lost their jobs through it. Twitter, in some form or fashion, is here to stay.

OK, so what does all this have to do with small group ministry and the church?

I believe (and I fully admit, it's  just my belief and this thought process here is embrionic) that many of our churches and small groups are seeking to connect with an outdated model. The outdated model I'm referring to is not "Flake's Formula" or anything LifeWay has published. I'm speaking of "Facebook."

There aren't many people left on the planet, especially in our nation, that have not at least heard of Facebook. The amount of users is staggering and continues to grow. Even with the fear and obvious reality that Facebook has issues protecting people's privacy, the numbers grow.

There are some things about Facebook that make us believe we are connecting with others when we're not. For instance, the word "Friend." What does that really mean? It used to mean someone with whom you had a positive relationship. It was a real person who cared for you and vice versa. Many of us have an abundance of acquaintences, but in truth would only claim a few as friends. Then, there were the "best friends" we had. Those were special people. Being a friend took time. It was not effortless. It was, in fact, biblical. 

Then, social media changed the meaning of the term. Currently, I have over 2,200 "friends" on Facebook. I started looking through the list earlier today and noticed that there were many whom I've never met in person. Some aren't even real people (I'm a "friend" with a local news channel.) Others are acquaintences. Some I haven't seen since high school (Facebook eliminates the need for reunions.) Many are brothers and sisters in Christ, but only a small group would really be considered my true, close friends. Now, don't get me wrong. These people are friendly, but are they really my friends, in the truest sense of the word?

There's the reality that of my 2,200 "friends" most do not even know each other.

There are all the pages I "Like." What good is that? Businesses create pages on Facebook so people can become "fans" and "like" their products, but beyond that click, what's the point? In most cases, I've just created digital "junk mail" for my Facebook feed.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like Facebook. I use it. In fact, we have pages on Facebook for our church and different ministries and use those to promote events and special ministries. 

I wonder. . .and I'm rambling on my keyboard with these thoughts right now. . .have we shifted our small groups and connectedness in church? These relationships which are supposed to be about glorifying God together in community have become surface-level, hope you get the newsfeed announcement, Facebook-style friend gathering (where if you're not in attendance, that's OK, because we'll update you later with a Facebook message regarding class prayer requests and the schedule for who is to bring breakfast the next week.)

Something's missing.

Some may read this and think I'm just slamming technology and social media. I remind you that you're reading this on a blog. I use Facebook. I use Twitter. I like them. I read my news on the computer, etc. Just saying - this is not a rant against computers or technology.

This is just an observation that we may be clumping all our "friends" together, hoping to connect, but in reality missing many.

Now we have a new social media venue available. Google Plus was revealed not too long ago. It has been touted as the next Facebook, or as some have boldy stated, the program to dethrone Facebook. That all remains to be seen.

However, there are some interesting things about Google Plus that seem to at least acknowledge the reality of relationships. One reality is that sociability is complex. As Paul Adams has so clearly described in his slide show called The Real Life Social Network v2, people do not have one group of friends.

Online, as in Facebook, there is one group of friends. I'll use my group for example. I have one group of 2,200 friends.  They don't all know each other.

People have many independent groups of friends. For example, people have family, school friends, work friends, friends from city A, friends from city B, friends with common interests or hobbies, etc.

These can be categorized many ways: life stage, shared experience, hobby, etc.

According to research, regardless where an individual lives or what part of the world he/she is located, the friending groups are remarkably similar.

When people throughout the world were asked to list and group their friends, some interesting things were discovered.

On average, most people have between 4 and 6 groups.

Each group tends to have between 2 and 10 people.

Each group is independent. However, even in the days before online social networking, people have tried to mix their independent groups at times. In many cases, this was to no avail. The only common denominator was the one individual.

Like it or not, we are tribal and in this case, we find ourselves in different tribes. . .but rarely can the tribes mix.

Yet, in churches, we create small group communities based on some arbitrary thing like age or zip code or life stage (and in many cases these work) but discover that we often miss the desired goal of reaching everyone. That's why many of our groups have dozens of names on the roll sheet that never attend. 

This may be why some folks disengage in small groups? Try as we might, there are some who just cannot or will not connect. 

For example, if you post an update on Facebook, to whom is that intended? I post a lot (too much I've been told by some) and often they are spiritual things related to a series I'm preaching or a book I'm reading. I guess at some very thin level it can be called "internet evangelism" but in reality, it's an intended update that often gets comments or "Likes" from an expected audience. 

If I post something about the Dallas Mavericks (BTW - in case you didn't know, they beat the Heat and are the World Champions!!!! ) the comments and "Likes" come from a group I attended high school with and maybe my son because I have indoctrinated him in the ways of Mavs fandom.

The reality is that most of our posts and updates have intended audiences and are usually a small subset of friends and acquaintences.

Even within a subset of friends, there are even more subsets.

Here's where I'm going with all of this.

We often use the bullhorn to attempt to reach and connect with people. We have a large list of names. We scream through the bullhorn that we love God and people and invite others in. Then, we wait and a group responds. . .but often they don't connect. Why? Because we're attempting to connect, even in a small group setting, with large group ways.

Maybe we need to go back and read "Flake's Formula?"

Google Plus has come along and recognized the subset of "friends" and relationships and is attempting to take advantage of this. Perhaps it will work. Who knows? Regardless, it reminds us that the mission we have been called to - of reaching this world with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, is better done in relationships with others (and I mean real "friends") rather than in the large group of 2,200 plus.

It's been modeled before.

Jesus spoke to thousands. 

He connected with 12.

He was "best friends" (can I say that?) with three.

Not sure how all this is to be fleshed out, but it has me thinking. . .and that's dangerous.

What do you think?

How To Fix Your Church's Terrible Facebook Presence

It's a no-brainer - social media is here to stay (whether it will remain in the current format remains to be seen, though.) Churches and ministries have slowly drifted to using Facebook and Twitter and other outlets, but by and large, most don't seem to be taking full advantage of the opportunities available.

One of the reasons that churches have been slow adopters is fear. Remember when MySpace was the big social media outlet? Teenagers were the target market and parents and churches and ministry organizations like Focus on the Family were not too impressed. MySpace was viewed as "evil" by many and something the church and good Christians should protest or boycott.

Once News Corp. purchased MySpace it seemed to fall out of favor with many users. That and the layout of the pages and other things were not user friendly and as one teenager told me "It's the ghetto of social media." Well, that pretty much sunk MySpace. Oh, it's still out there, but with Facebook hitting the scene, MySpace has now turned to music only and is up for sale. Looks like it's going the way of Friendster.

After Zuckerberg and friends decided to increase accessibility of Facebook to those 13 and older (BTW - parents, quit letting your kids lie about their age to have a FB page. You're sending a bad message. Apparently, over 7.5 million children under 13 are on FB. See my previous post about lying) and more and more non-college age adults signed on, it was no time until Facebook became the most powerful social media outlet globally.

There are over 500 million Facebook users worldwide.

Twitter is another quickly growing outlet for social connectedness. In an age of sound bytes, it's no wonder that the "140 characters or less" media outlet has grown. It's amazing how many news reports have been broken via Twitter feeds.

Well, rather than educate you on the viability of Facebook and Twitter as ministry tools, let's get to the point. It seems to me that even though many churches are now using these outlets, their pages are pretty stagnant (i.e. boring) and their posts are little more than announcements (or, just an online bulletin.)

We (First Baptist Church of Orange Park) use both Twitter and Facebook, and even though I'm talking about how many churches don't use these media outlets well, I'm not saying we do. Our pages are pretty boring as well. 

Dave Kerpen posted an article on Mashable titled "10 Proven Strategies for Greater Likeability on Faceook" yesterday. Click here to read his article. This is a great article, though targeted to businesses. Yet, as I read these points, I can't help but think churches can learn from these points (of course, some won't work, and most have to be adapted to ministry).

Here are Kerpen's list of 10 with my comments regarding church use. . .

1. Never Stop Listening.  When churches use Facebook, most often we just post upcoming events or reminder to sign up for camp or other event. We do this and I think we should because people forget deadlines (I know I do), but when the page is nothing more than announcements, it remains one-sided. Ask questions. Seek responses to sermons, classes, events, schedules. For so long, churches have been afraid to allow discussion to occur, especially publicly, for fear of something bad being said or an image being marred. Listening is important. . .but where's the venue? Not everyone needs a personal consult with the pastor. Communication is two-way, not one-way. This is hard for pastors and churches because we're wired and set up for one-way communication (i.e. sermons, Bible study lessons, etc.) where we disseminate information. 
2. Leverage Facebook's EdgeRank Formula. Kerpen says "EdgeRank, Facebook's algorithm for determining what appears at the top of people's News Feeds, might be the single most important online innovation of our time." I have to be honest here. I have no idea what EdgeRank is. The fact it's #2 on this list and gets this type of promo intrigues me. In the business world, this is the fight to be heard and therefore, is the fight to appear at the top of the News Feed. For your church, you're not really competing as a brand, but if the message you're promoting is worth being heard (and if it's the message of the Gospel, then it is) then perhaps churches should take seriously the EdgeRank Formula.
3. Improvise Your Engagement. This is a key point in that it emphasizes the difference between talking to people and engaging them. I referenced this in point 1. Dialogue, not monologue, is key. 
4. Respond Quickly to Negative Comments. Guess what? People in your church and community will not always post glowingly positive comments. If they're totally offensive, delete them. Regardless, respond to them. Don't just ignore them. I sometimes get some pretty scathing comments on postings on my blog. I have chosen to leave them visible (unless they're profanity-laced.) Why? Because I can learn from them and also show that differences of opinion are not something to be feared. If the questions can be answered in love with grace, it speaks loads.
5. Respond to Positive Comments, Too. This one is obvious. It seems that negative things spread faster, but positive things do as well. Don't ignore these.
6. Be Authentic and Transparent. 
   
   Kerpen shares that the most "Liked" actor on Facebook is Vin Diesel. This surprised me. Now, I like Diesel as much as the next guy. Really, who didn't like The Pacifier? However, I expected George Clooney or Brad Pitt to top this list. So, why is Diesel the most liked? Because he is authentic and transparent on his page. How does this relate to church pages on Facebook? This moves the page away from just being an online bulletin. Share stories. Post pictures. Celebrate what God is doing in the lives of people and what He's doing in the community. Post some fun things. Don't be so serious all the time. Christianity is serious, but we are allowed to smile. For pastors, remember that most people don't care every time you are going out to eat (Yes, Kevin Hargnett, I wrote that for you) but you can share occasionally things in your life that show you actually have a life. It's amazing, but people can actually relate when the discover you have interests and hobbies just like real people.
7. Provide Value (for Free!) This one is a little harder to relate to the church. In business, brands can offer discounts or free products. In our church, I find boxes of T-shirts with the church logo on it and sometimes books that have been stored for a while. I just purchased a box of The Purpose-Drive Life Journals for the cost of shipping only (Saddleback was overstocked with these journals, so they were giving them away, except for the cost of shipping.) I don't know what I'm going to do with these journals. I plan on giving them away, but maybe I'll have a Faceboook push so that every new fan receives a copy? Who knows. Don't want to manage this "give away" too much. Needs to be easy. If not just getting rid of T-shirts and books, how about a discount for youth camp, a kids event, etc. Be creative.
8. Share and Inspire Stories. This is one of the best points. We love stories. In the old days we called them "personal testimonies." Still, with YouTube and Vimeo out there, it's easier than ever to post a clip of a great story. Through tweets, photos or videos, or Facebook groups, great stories can be shared. Check out Mary at McDonald's group page on Facebook here.
9. Consistently Deliver Surprise and Delight. This one takes creativity. I'm not exactly sure how to leverage this one for the church, but I know it can be done. It's pretty early this morning, so I'm not thinking very creatively about how this will work, but I'm sure it can be done. Post some ideas in the comments for me.
10. Don't Sell. Sometimes we hawk our church or Jesus like we're selling cars. Starbucks is a good example of how a business has created an image beyond the product. Yes, they sell great coffee and that is key, but Starbucks is more than just coffee. Disney is good at this as well, especially when marketing their parks. You never see them advertising the rides at the Magic Kingdom in their ads. The rides may be shown, but that's not the message. They're providing an experience. I'm not saying that the church should take it's clues from Disney or Starbucks. Their bottom line is still about selling goods or services. Our bottom line is about transformed lives. So, don't spend so much space on Facebook "selling" your next great event or service, but rather invite people in to the Story. Remember, it's not your story, but His.

I have just checked our Facebook page, and we, like most churches, aren't using this tool to its full potential. It looks like an online bulletin (which translates into B-O-R-I-N-G!) 

So, I'm going to work on this over the next few weeks.

One other thing that churches and ministries need to do when using Twitter and Facebook - UPDATE REGULARLY. Nothing will drive users away from our sites quicker than outdated information on your site. This applies to your church websites as well. Change it up. Add new info. Church sites are some of the most boring ones on the web. Oh, and if you have someone in your church maintaining your site, get control of it. Otherwise, you have to wait until he/she gets off work and has time to work on it to update information (and never, never use a Flash intro page.  No one likes those except the people that create them.)

Using QR Codes at Church

I've been seeing these new graphic codes popping up everywhere. They're in magazine advertisements. There's even one posted on the gas pump at Walmart. I figured they were some type of new barcode, but not so sure how they worked. So, I looked it up.

These cube shaped barcodes are called QR Codes. "QR" stands for Quick Response. They are specific matrix barcodes, readable by dedicated QR barcode readers (duh!) and many smartphones. Sites claim that Toyota developed these, but a friend at UPS says they did. I don't know? I just know they're everywhere now. I find it interesting that at the gas pump at Walmart, there's a sign that says to put away your cell phone for fear of a static shock that could ignite the gasoline fumes (not sure if this is an urban legend, but it did happen on an episode of "CSI: Miami," once) and yet, they have QR codes on their advertisements attached to the pumps. Hmmm. Put away your phone for safety sake, but get it out to scan this barcode?

Recently I read an article in Church Executive magazine about how churches are using these QR Codes. I previously had just ignored these, mainly because the only smartphones in our household belong to our children and mom and I get the left-overs.

Still, my interest was piqued. I read where one church created large templates of a QR Code promoting a collegiate Bible study event. They went to their local college and with the template and chalk, "painted" the code all over the campus on the sidewalks. Pretty creative. Not sure what the school thought about it.

Sometimes, because we don't understand a new technology, we shy away from it. I figured creating these codes would be difficult, so I had just not done anything with it. Then, I thought about every other software program I have, blogging, desktop publishing, PhotoShop, etc. that all seemed so difficult at one point and now I use almost daily. Surely, creating a QR Code can't be that hard.

Once I Googled "QR Code Generator" I found a site and was able to make a code that points people to our church's website. Even though a majority of people do not scan QR Codes, there are many who can and do. So, for the time being, I'm using the generator and creating codes that take people to different sites with more information about my church, men's retreat, etc. 

Looks like just another way to get the word out regarding ministry opportunities. 

Oh, if you want to know how to make a code using the sites I did, follow these steps:

1. Go to http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ (I'm sure there are other QR Code generator sites out there. This is just the one I used.)
2. Make sure "URL" is selected
3. Paste the web site you desire to send people to in the "Content" box
4. Click "Generate!" (Select the size you want. I chose the default "L")
5. The image appears. You'll need to save the image or copy/paste it into a document. Best to convert to a JPEG.

To test your image to ensure it's pointing where you think - go to http://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx. Select "Choose File" and upload your JPEG image and click "Submit."

Social Networking and Web Presence of the Church

It's obvious we are in the age of social networks.  When the internet was just something that folks checked once a week or so to get updates on their favorite sports teams or read about their favorite band, most churches didn't even bother.  However, in what seems like just a short time, the internet is now a part of just about everyone's daily life.  Oh, I know there are still some holdouts, but their tribe is dwindling.

Now, just about every church has a web presence.  Some church sites are incredibly interactive an informative.  Others look like a Word document that's been uploaded and updated about once a year.  Somewhere in between those extremes is our church site - www.opfirst.org.  I built the site and update it and while I try to keep it up to date, it's not that easy, especially in a church with so many different ministries and things going on.

So, over the past couple of years, we have looked at how to use the web to our advantage.  That's when social networking really took off.  At first it was Friendster (anyone remember that?), then MySpace (which was big for a while, but as my kids tell me now - it's the "ghetto" social networking site), and then Facebook.  Facebook continues to grow and while there are questions about privacy issues it seems that more and more people are logging in to connect with friends, reconnect with long lost schoolmates and to keep up to date with their children and grandchildren.

We have been using Facebook and Twitter extensively over the past year to communicate and connect with people in our community, church and beyond.

If you're on Twitter, be sure to follow the following:

• David Tarkington - davidtark
• Shelvin Lamb - theshelv
• Ryan Rouse - ryanrouse1980
• Brandon Phillips - bphillipsonline
• Orange Park First Baptist Church - fbcop
• Real Men's Ministry - realmanhood

By following these tweets, you can stay up to date on the latest happening in ministry and in the lives of our pastors.

As for Facebook, be sure to "Like" the church webpages at www.opfirst.org, www.creekchurch.net and www.168students.com.

Then, once you're in Facebook, go to the following group pages and "Like" them in order to get regular updates:

• Orange Park First Baptist and the Creek
• The Creek
• Real Men's Ministry
• Heart Matters Women's Ministry
• First Baptist Singles Ministry
• First Baptist Collegiate & Young Single Adult Ministry
• 168 Student Ministries
• First Baptist Preschool Ministries
• Orange Park Truth Project

We even have a page on MyChurch - though, it's not updated regularly.

Recently, we created our own social networking site for the church.  Our desire is not to keep you on the internet, but to discover new and better ways to connect members and guests at First Baptist.  So, if you get a chance, join our network at www.opfirst.ning.com.  It's free and you can stay up to date on current church events and even join or create groups for specific ministries.

Oh yeah, our network integrates with Facebook and Twitter, too.

Visit Orange Park First Baptist

Problems with Podcast

My blog's settings were corrupted once I uploaded the Somer Thompson funeral service.  I will upload it again and hopefully, won't have problems this time.

I have had to delete my podcast and resubmit it.  So, if you subscribe to my podcast, more than likely, you'll have to resubscribe.  I figure that iTunes will now show two versions of my podcast, beginning tomorrow.  Hopefully not, but probably so.  So, beginning tomorrow - Sunday, November 1, 2009, if you wish to subscribe to the free podcast on iTunes, you'll have to resubmit the subscription request.  You can do so by clicking the "Subscribe to My Podcast" link in the side menu or better yet, go to iTunes, click on the iTunes store and type my name int he search box at the top right.  It should come up.  I'd wait until Sunday to do this, though.

New Technology for XBOX