Comments on: Beautiful Basics

By: Kevin Shorter

Kevin Shorter — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 07:48:28 +0000

Kevin – I found your insight from the Apple iPhone interesting and was eager to read comments that started “But…”. Unfortunately those type of people probably would not read a blog called “Church Marketing Sucks.” It is interesting to me that Christians who believe in the 10th commandment have no problems thinking that their Church must do everything the Church down the road with more people does. A large megachurch can easily do more successfully than the downtown Baptist church with 100 people. God has called that downtown church to be something different than the megachurches and that’s ok.
Churches should not feel discouraged by your suggestion to only focus on what they excel at because those areas they excel are the areas that God is using them to be a blessing to the people He has entrusted them with. By taking away resources from those areas, the church is depriving the body of Christ from God’s best.
The one thing I would add would be for churches to pick one additional area they would like to grow. Picking one does not drain your resources from your strength, but it creates the stretching of your faith by seeing what else God can do.

By: mike scott

mike scott — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 06:07:46 +0000

WORSHIP, COMMUNITY, SERVICE.. Our emphasis at Image. The simplification of churches is a must. Just like Apple and google the clean; not so jam-packed theme is a breath of fresh air to an over stimulated society. People need to unwind and relax but need to serve also. The less is more should be applied because it is absolutely most effective..

By: Mark Howell

Mark Howell — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:37:28 +0000

I don’t know…I really love the idea that the Church, like Apple,…
“makes history not by leapfrogging everyone in terms of functionality and bells and whistles, they do it through elegance, simplification, clarity, and practicality.”
I believe that’s at the heart of what makes certain churches really work and others just sort’ve mill around.
In the last year I’ve come back again and again to the idea that simple is better, that clear is better, that obvious, easy and strategic are better. There’s just a better way to be the church than menu-driven.
That’s my take. Thanks for the post!

By: Jim McGee

Jim McGee — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:03:37 +0000

Kevin — I like the Apple iPhone lesson, but I think that’s a different lesson than what Franquiz is saying — and probably a more important one. Apple is showing that you can hit on a lot of areas in ministry, but having a simple interface and a unified concept makes all the difference between appearing accessible and chaotic. Like creating a style guide to ensure consistent communications, I think larger/growing churches can develop a strategy guide to ensure that varied ministries are accessible through a simplified, consistent presentation.