In my last post I talked about terminology and I got some personal clarification on that today. I was listening to a podcast called "Practically Speaking" - it's an interview from North Point Church in Georgia (Andy Stanley's the head pastor) and in part 3 they're talking about focus. Here's the idea: by creating a brand for your ministry, whether that be students or Sunday service, you create an idea in the minds of people. That idea is who you are when people think of you. It's your brand. Look at the picture above. It's universal for the same product. Just that picture brings to mind for me a very specific taste. I like Coke, but on a really hot, sweaty day, no thanks. Coke has planted itself in my mind.
Focus. If we can define who we are - focus on what God's made us to be - life would be very different. I'm talking hot day here and hot day in Sacramento different. We'd admit that we aren't good at everything, but a lot of churches try to be good at everything. Let's face it, more happy people means financial stability. Focusing means saying no. I'm learning this on a personal level. If I can focus on what I'm good at and say no to what I'm not, my schedule would be liberated, my mind would be less cluttered. Think about it: what if you had two things to worry about - be a creative friend, and don't be lazy at work. That's it. How freeing would that be. And think about it this way... what if we all focused on the SAME things when it came to a church. I'm not talking global church, I'm talking right here. What if all our gifts, radical, different, and passionate, were all trying to accomplish the same thing?
At Carpenter's, we're focusing on 4 things. That's it. And we're going to do them excellently. "Excellently" meaning that people are going to come to Jesus because of them. Come this Sunday and hear what they are.
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