A few weeks ago I wrote this post about the possibility of churches working together on using buildings.
Today I was catching up on some reading on my Google reader and came across this post by Seth Godin - In Search of Competition.
It made me start to think about ways we could actually create this competition in our churches.
Now just a quick note on competition. I know that churches are not in competition with each other although if many pastors were totally honest. When they hear about a church down the road that is growing quicker than theirs, there very often is a tinge of I wish that was our church.
Once you have read Seth's post here think about ways that we could actually foster the "competition" that would create this excitement and audience.
Here a my quick thoughts:
- Start another service with a very different worship style.
- Invite another church to start a service at a different time in your premisis.
- Support someone planting a church in your town and city.
- Provide a base for another church ministry to function from.
- Send volunteers or staff members to another church to assist in an area where they are in need say a Musician.
- Share your resources. - Nowadays we produce all sorts of resource that is time consuming, literature, videos & props to name a few.
Kingdom or silo thinking.
3 comments:
The problem with "competing" with other churches is that we are attracting "customers" away from one business to another.
As Mark said last Sunday our "competition" is with the powers and principalities of this world and we should be building our businesses/churches to take on this competition and saving souls.
In a time of recession both monetary and spiritual some businesses/churches are going to go to the wall, but the hope is that others are going to take onboard the fact that they are in a competition and seek out the solutions you suggest and which God will lead them to.
Milton Keynes has a proud recent history of installing churches in buildings including a pub, a cinema and a warehouse and of utilising rented premises on Sundays to allow space for the Holy Spirit to grow the church and enlarge their tents as required.
David H
Thanks David for taking the time to post a comment. Hope I did not give the impression that I thought we were in real competition with other churches. I was thinking more about how we could use our collective resources to generate more opportunity for people to hear and feel the love of Jesus. The more ways we have for people to hear about Jesus the better.
Billy,
These are great thoughts. I think with your leadership and that of other innovative leaders that churches can begin to see big things happen in the UK by partnering together.
Chris
Post a Comment