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February 21, 2008
It's not about you
One of the things I love the most about the blogosphere is that it's never ending. As soon as you discover one blog, it's a door into an endless world of other voices that are talking about your niche.
I came across a post today that implies that the consumer revolution and customer-centric practices that currently exist in the for-profit business world will soon spread to the non-profit world.
It doesn't matter what the brand is trying to say about a company; the customers have their own say about it. And customers will believe other customers more than they believe the marketing.
What does that mean exactly for those of us concerned with stewardship and giving in the church? It doesn't mean the church leaders should begin to view members as consumers. We've been down that road, and it's disastrous for everyone involved. I think what it means is this: what's relevant, helpful, insightful, etc. is determined by the person in the pew instead of the voice from the pulpit.
We've got to "bury" our top down mentality. This is what made Jesus so successful with people. (Of course, it's also what got him killed. But that's another post for another time.)
If we are going to be successul at re-seeding the conversation on stewardship and giving and capturing more money for more ministry, it's going to have to be a movement that begins with the church member instead of the pastor or other staff member.
When was the last time we made a case for biblical stewardship that compelled the person in the pew through story and life transformation rather than expository preaching and rational argumentation? If we don't, someone else will. And the chance that the one who does this successfully is outside the church is high.
Game on. Are you ready?
Posted by bstroup at February 21, 2008 6:36 AM
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