Levels of Commitment
by Tyler Zach
Are our movements relevant to each level of commitment within our community?
Continuing on the baseball story analogy from the previous article, there are four levels of commitment: Outsiders, Upper-Deckers, Lower-Deckers, and Players on the Field.
OUTSIDERS
These are students on campus who are not involved in our movement. Our goal should be to connect with them and give them a glimpse of what they might value in our movement.
UPPER-DECKERS
These are first-time visitors who may be seekers, spiritually curious, etc. Our goal should be to make them feel comfortable with the people and the atmosphere. Relating to them where they are at is the key.
LOWER-DECKERS
These are the students who have made a decision for Christ and are committed to being a part of our movement. Our goal should be to provide them with spiritual training and authentic relationships.
PLAYERS ON THE FIELD
These are the students who have accepted the challenge to serve and invest in the lives of other students. Our goal should be to provide them with various levels of volunteer opportunities and to help them to recognize their strengths.
Do our movements effectively speak to all of these audiences?
For most of us, we probably tailor our communication to reach the lower-deckers and the players on the field. We use “Christianese” language and do church things that make no sense to a first-time visitor. We just cross our fingers and hope that they will get used to it. If they don’t come back, then we may pass it off as just another student who isn’t ready to follow Christ yet.
Do I dare ask, “Could our movements be serving as stumbling blocks for the lost?”
Richard Reising says that we should communicate using an outside-in approach. Make sure we are speaking to the outsiders first. Then we can start working our way in. This may mean that your campus will either have to create multiple gatherings for your students or do a complete re-engineering of your current gathering. Whatever you do, think of the lost first.
In the next article, I’ll cover some of the obstacles that may be hindering lost students from staying around.
*content was gleaned and contextualized from Church Marketing 101
Are our movements relevant to each level of commitment within our community?
Continuing on the baseball story analogy from the previous article, there are four levels of commitment: Outsiders, Upper-Deckers, Lower-Deckers, and Players on the Field.
OUTSIDERSThese are students on campus who are not involved in our movement. Our goal should be to connect with them and give them a glimpse of what they might value in our movement.
UPPER-DECKERS
These are first-time visitors who may be seekers, spiritually curious, etc. Our goal should be to make them feel comfortable with the people and the atmosphere. Relating to them where they are at is the key.
LOWER-DECKERS
These are the students who have made a decision for Christ and are committed to being a part of our movement. Our goal should be to provide them with spiritual training and authentic relationships.
PLAYERS ON THE FIELD
These are the students who have accepted the challenge to serve and invest in the lives of other students. Our goal should be to provide them with various levels of volunteer opportunities and to help them to recognize their strengths.
Do our movements effectively speak to all of these audiences?
For most of us, we probably tailor our communication to reach the lower-deckers and the players on the field. We use “Christianese” language and do church things that make no sense to a first-time visitor. We just cross our fingers and hope that they will get used to it. If they don’t come back, then we may pass it off as just another student who isn’t ready to follow Christ yet.
Do I dare ask, “Could our movements be serving as stumbling blocks for the lost?”
Richard Reising says that we should communicate using an outside-in approach. Make sure we are speaking to the outsiders first. Then we can start working our way in. This may mean that your campus will either have to create multiple gatherings for your students or do a complete re-engineering of your current gathering. Whatever you do, think of the lost first.
In the next article, I’ll cover some of the obstacles that may be hindering lost students from staying around.
*content was gleaned and contextualized from Church Marketing 101
Labels: Campus Crusade, connecting with lost, Jesus, movements, spiritual
posted by Tyler Zach at 8:34 PM
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