Putting on a Show or Telling a Story
"The Super Bowl hype is blissfully long gone, and lazy media outlets can no longer reprint press releases and dissect multi-million dollar wastes of time and money.
The lesson of these ads is simple. Putting on a show is expensive, time-consuming and quite fun. And it rarely works.
The Gatorade commercial, or the guy clipping his toenails or someone throwing a rock through a vending machine... it's all show biz, it's not marketing.
Marketing is telling a story that sticks, that spreads and that changes the way people act. The story you tell is far more important than the way you tell it. Don't worry so much about being cool, and worry a lot more about resonating your story with my worldview. If you don't have a story, then a great show isn't going to help much."
- Seth Godin
I love this. In a day when the technology, or service, or customer service we provide for people in churches is at an all time high, this kind of thing makes a lot of sense to me. There are plenty of people telling pastors they need to be a certain kind of leader, that they need to use technology or they will die, etc etc. some of these folks are my friends.
People will respond to a show. It can create buzz. But change comes from engaging a story and relationship, not pretty sparkly gizmos. I'm not saying God isn't using these churches. I think God uses a lot of thing that aren't best for people.
Again, I've said it for 10+ years technology isn't all good or all bad. But it's not neutral. Using technology is a wonderful thing. But it's not your story. Not even close. Technology is optional for the gospel. the show is optional. frankly, everything is optional.
Everything bows down to the story.
That is unless unless you make the story, the show and you can no longer tell the difference. Hint: You can't easily tell if you've actually done this when you are the one doing. Often because it makes sense in your mind, but people make assumptions a bit differently. then you find yourself with a large crowd of people wanting more show and you start asking the ugly question of, "now that I've got them, how do I change them." This perhaps is the most hideous question a pastor, or leader can ask.
perhaps I'll write more on this.
posted by mark at
5:48 AM
4 Comments:
At a chuch I visited this past weekend the preacher used the phrase "Church stimulus package" and talked about how so many churches are just out to "stimulate" you emotionally - thru technology, music, etc. I found it an interesting turn of phrase....and true in many ways as I pondered the worship services I have traveled in/amongst over the years.
Please do write more on this.
I've lately become obsessed with moving away from a "sermon driven Sunday" towards more of a "story driven Sunday". And I would love to hear where you're taking this.
Is the Godin quote from Tribes? If not and if you haven't read that, you should! I imagine you will find yourself agreeing with much of what he is writing and amused at the connections and metaphors he uses.
godin quote from his blog.
thanks for the heads up!
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