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August 31, 2006

The Realities of CFCC

This week we continued our 'heart and soul' series with some kind words from DJ Chuang. Last week I shared some of the dreams that have been twirling in our heads and hearts, and where we see things going with the Center for Church Communication. Now we want to bring it back to earth a bit and talk about some of the practical realities of making a non-profit work.

Right Now
First, let me give you a snapshot of what we're working with. There are a handful of people working behind the scenes to keep the labs going. The primary caretaker for the labs, including Church Marketing Sucks, is Kevin D. Hendricks. He works way more hours than we compensate him for, alongside his day job of freelance writing. We also have a number of volunteers who have stepped up to moderate the Church Marketing Lab, run the Events Lab and help out in other ways. So far, we've been funded by yours truly, which is running about $1,000 a month just to keep things going. We've received a handful of donations including a small grant from a foundation. Our overhead is low because most of what we do is virtual, which is nice.

Building something great is never easy. It takes time, people, patience, money, talent, persistence and so much more. While I have always had a healthy respect for the potential that the Center for Church Communication could realize, I have also made a commitment from the beginning that we are not going to rush or ramrod the process of allowing it to evolve. This whole deal is bigger than my puny ideas anyway. To be honest, if it's going to succeed in its mission to help the church matter, it's going to take lots of us, not some of us. How can you help? I thought you would never ask.

Continue reading "The Realities of CFCC"

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:12 AM
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August 28, 2006

Communicating Any and Every Which Way Possible

Editor's Note: Welcome to the latest installment in our 'heart and soul' series. Last week we dreamed big. This time around we invited DJ Chuang--the executive director of the L2 Foundation, manager of online strategies and tactics for the American Bible Society and editor of Asian American Youth Ministry--to share his thoughts on the Center for Church Communication and Church Marketing Sucks. Thanks for helping us celebrate two years, DJ.

Communicating Any and Every Which Way Possible

by DJ Chuang

The Internet has so much potential for ministry! Hundreds of web sites and a handful of Christian books and conferences have called attention to the potential of the Internet for ministry. Indeed, there is a lot of potential and tons of opportunity for connecting people through the Internet. The word "ministry" can refer to a wide range of things, but essentially it is about communicating effectively with a kingdom purpose in mind.

When I first stumbled onto Church Marketing Sucks, I had my reservations.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:56 AM
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August 22, 2006

The Future of CFCC

The 'heart and soul' series continues. Last week, Kevin shared some of the accomplishments we’ve realized over the last several years through the Center for Church Communication, especially in light of Church Marketing Sucks and the overwhelmingly amount of people who are benefiting from its mission to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ. A couple weeks ago I shared about our history. This week I get to share about our future...

Big Dreams
I love dreaming big dreams. I'm sure it stems from the entrepreneur blood rampant inside of me, but there is something about the process of thinking big thoughts, wild ideas and unimaginable scenarios that keep me up at night and lost in thought during those few alone times each day, like in the shower and during the morning commute. I know many can relate.

When I think about the future of the Center for Church Communication, it is difficult not to get too far ahead of ourselves! As we continue in our attempts to recruit a team of people to help steward this vision, we will keep moving ahead with the many ideas we've been tooling with and talking about. The only real hurdle to any of these being accomplished is--no surprise here--is help. More about that later, but for now, won't you dream with me?

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Posted by Brad Abare at 6:31 AM
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August 16, 2006

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Church Tech

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review covers church technology in an article called "'Godcasts' spread the Gospel." The piece covers the increasing use of technology for religious purposes, including everything from podcasting sermons to virtual tours of the Vatican to youth group rooms pimped out with video games--which is where we get a comment from our very own Brad Abare:

But the devices used to transmit the gospel could wind up becoming more important than the message, said Brad Abare, founder of the Los Angeles-based Center for Church Communication.

After all, "Jesus didn't say go into the world and use a soundboard and good lighting," Abare said. The point is to spread the Gospel, he said.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:00 PM
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August 14, 2006

How We've Helped

Welcome to another round of the 'heart and soul' series. Last week Mark Batterson shared a tribute to Church Marketing Sucks. This week it’s time to look at what we’ve accomplished. It’s time to brag a little.

Church Marketing Sucks
Church Marketing Sucks had its first blog entry in July of 2004. Two years later over 30,000 people visit the site every month. We’ve had over 1.5 million total visits. Our team has written over 650 blog entries and we’ve racked up over 3,300 comments.

This one sums it up pretty well:

"All of 2005 I was concerned with me, myself, and I until I ran across Church Marketing Sucks in late 2005. ... I was ashamed and realized that I was doing a great disservice to my church by not using my education and gifts for God. I asked my leadership if I could volunteer my gifts and I was welcomed with open arms." -Davin, March 2006

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:18 AM
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August 7, 2006

A Tribute to CMS

Editor's Note: We're in the midst of a 'heart and soul' series, explaining why we want to help the church matter and just how we hope to do it. We started off talking about why we do what we do and last week Brad explained the history of how this whole thing started.

This week we invited Mark Batterson—pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., the man behind the Buzz Conference, and author of the soon-to-be-published In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive When Opportunity Roars—to be a guest blogger for this series and share his thoughts on the Center for Church Communication and specifically Church Marketing Sucks. Thanks Mark. So with no further babbling from me...

A Tribute to Church Marketing Sucks

by Mark Batterson

We have a core conviction at Theaterchurch.com: the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. Another way of saying it is this: the greatest gift (salvation) deserves the greatest packaging!

Something in my soul gets riled up when I see Hollywood and Madison Avenue doing a better job marketing their wares than the church does marketing the Good News.

Continue reading "A Tribute to CMS"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:16 AM
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August 3, 2006

Get Together at MinistryCom

A few folks in the Church Marketing Lab were talking about the upcoming MinistryCom conference in Phoenix Sept. 7-8, and they thought it would be fun to have a little gathering of Church Marketing Lab folks during lunch.

We loved the idea, especially because we didn't have to plan it. So during lunch on Friday at MinstryCom we're going to have a little Center for Church Communication get together. We'll have a few tables set aside and you can meet fellow Church Marketing Lab members, fellow commenters from Church Marketing Sucks and some of the folks who make CFCC happen.

Send us an e-mail if you'd like to join us so we can get a head count and reserve enough space. It's just an informal time to hang out and meet fellow communicators face to face.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:12 PM
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