Disney is known for continually improving the guest experience. What if the local church had that reputation? One of the latest innovations from this experiential genius is the addition of powerful and more intimate settings for guests to interact with movie characters. Interacting directly with the story is hard to beat. Ponder how you can break your ministry into smaller communities to boost intimacy and strengthen relationships. How is your church reaching out to attract new first time guests? Have you considered a different demographic to draw in?  One church has offered a sermon series titled, ISIS, ISLAM and Jesus. Maybe you want to target retired folks in a new way. It's worth a thought or two to try something new. The Disney pros are always modifying their rides, adding a competitive aspect or new backgrounds perhaps. What is your church doing to increase the anticipation of its members? What fresh experiences can you provide to keep people engaged?  Another streng...

You can find examples in the Bible of fathers who discipline, fathers who comfort and mentor. This year, consider choosing several fathers of different ages in your congregation to share what they have learned about being a dad and what that has taught them about their heavenly father. Consider doing a smart phone video of interviews with youngsters in the nursery and children's area asking them what father's do all day. Consider creating a father's day devotion plan for families, and do "super hero" skit in church and special crafts in the kids areas. Perhaps you can host a contest where family members can nominate dads in various categories such as "Most Romantic Dad" or "Above & Beyond Dad" who goes the extra mile with a special needs child or neighbor in need. Have a hospitality room just for the menfolk with guy-style snacks and information about men's retreats, bible studies or events. Have a prominent sports figure drop by and ...

Mother's Day is the third highest attendance Sunday for churches because husbands and children often attend as a special blessing for their moms. Therefore, it is a fantastic day for outreach if you make the most of it. Tips: Encourage, recognize, pray for and celebrate moms Think about having a brunch for moms that day-- food always makes folks happy. Invite moms to attend weekday ministry events such as ladies' Bible studies, Mothers of Preschooler (MOPS) meetings, sewing groups or other places to plug in. (Consider a recipe card with a recipe on the front and ministry details on the backside.) Provide a way that members can invite others. Encourage them to look for guests and welcome them on Mother's Day. Give guests a takeaway printed on "seeded" paper that can be planted later. Perhaps list the website and social media addresses. Consider a ministry fair on Mom's Day that would showcase men's and youth ministries that would encourage gue...

How to Tell Powerful Stories Telling a powerful story is never an accident. A story is one of the most effective tools we have to communicate a faith message that resonates with the heart. Jesus modeled the power of a parable throughout the Bible. A story with powerful impact always features: 1) a person, 2) a problem, and 3) a before and after scenario. Telling that story requires identifying it, capturing and editing it to include the right balance of detail to touch the emotions. The impact is almost always found in the details, but mismanaging those details (too many, too few for example) can kill the impact. It is important to research ahead and have an angle before you start. Perhaps your story will spotlight the impact a ministry had had on one of your members or one of your ministry partner beneficiaries. Consider specific questions before you interview them, and build them up by smiling and encouraging them to share their experience honestly for the benefit of oth...

Church Communication: Top 3 Priorities When time and money are slim, church leaders and volunteers should go deep, rather than wide, with their communications. In this link, church communication guru Brady Shearer shares the "importance rankings" of these tools: 1) website, 2) email and 3) Facebook. I'd recommend signing up for his daily video tips and visiting the Pro Church Tools website for an amazing amount of free insight that will boost your communications effort and help you find some timesaving short cuts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXSEHRq352A&sns=em

The biggest disconnect I have seen in the churches I have worked with might shock you. In general, churches are pretty good at communicating INFORMATION, but when it comes to communicating about TRANSFORMATION, the church report card says: "needs improvement." Since audiences of all ages are so distracted by zillions of other messages and attention grabbers, church messages can easily be  ignored because they rarely resonate with hearts and emotions. Picture this: your members are sitting in their comfy recliners and need a good reason to put down their mystery novel, break away from adorable grandkids or turn off their favorite Netflix binge session. What would motivate them to do any of these? If you are having a potluck dinner at church, they will need to know much more than when to drop off their corn casserole. Members and prospective guests need to be reminded of the WHY of church on a daily basis, if possible, through all old and new media available. Perhaps...