Your Church is more complicated than LOST

Tonight marks the Beginning of the End of LOST.  I can’t even begin to tell you how DEEP I am into this show and it’s endless mythology and storytelling.  (If I told you that I owned not 1 but 2 Lost T-Shirts…would you still love me?)

However, I’ve noticed that for every 1 FAN of Lost there are 784,593 people who are not into it.  Several friends this week have told me that they would love to watch, but it’s just too complicated, too confusing, or they missed too many episodes.  They reiterate the fact that there is no such thing as a Casual Lost Fan.

I think the same could be said of our Churches.  Without even realizing it, we’ve created Churches that are more complicated than Lost.  There’s too much Insider Language.  Too many Complicated and Confusing Linear Strategies.  Too many Detours that make it difficult if not impossible for an “outsider” to get it.  While there is no such thing as a Casual Lost Fan, there are 100,000’s Causal Church Goers in your community.

The question is – How are you making it SIMPLE for people to Get It, Get Started, and actually Grow.

Here’s Four Ideas for how you can make your church Simpler

1) Change Your Language.  Listen to what you’re saying.  Listen for what you’re not saying.  From Worship Leaders, to Teachers, to Printed Materials.  Think first of the First Time Person who hasn’t been here as long as you and don’t have a clue what things like Connexxus or Axiom are or even mean.

2) Change Your Website.  This is your Virtual Front Door and if someone has to walk around the house two or three times before they can find the front door, they’re not coming back. I love the simplicity of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley.  Clear and to the point.

3) Have a SIMPLE Strategy and stick to it. I know that you’re a Linchpin and you love changing, tweaking, and tinkering, but you have to remember – They Are Not.  They weren’t here when you used to call it Area Home Groups.  They weren’t here when you used to do it Tuesday Nights.  They don’t care.  They need to be able to get within the first 2 minutes WHAT you about and WHERE they can START.

4) Go to another Church.  Learn from their simplicity.  Learn from their complexity.  Listen to their Language.  Better yet, go to the Apple Store (which you probably have in the last 7 days).  Within 60 seconds you can find what you need and figure out what to do with it.  And in the case that you can’t – there’s always an Apple Cult Member Employee within 5 feet to help.

Following Jesus is hard. Finding him shouldn’t be.  Let’s fight for Simplicity!

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(btw – if you know what the picture is at the top of this post…than you truly are as much of a nerd as me.  I’m praying for us now.)

• This post was written by Jarrett Stevens
• Co-Leader of Soul City Church,
• who believes that Nikki and Paulo are the key to it all!
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