Perceiving Their Perception
by Tyler Zach
How do the lost really view our movements on campus?
Chances are, the lost students on our campuses do not view our movements the way we view our movements. Richard Reising says, “They do not know our hearts; even worse, they often distrust us and are skeptical of us from the beginning. A million personal experiences have shaped their perception of us as Christians... We will have to work hard to change those perceptions.”
FCA. Navigators. Campus Crusade. Christian Student Fellowship. Intervarsity. It may all look the same to a lost student on campus. If they’ve been to one meeting, it is probably easy to judge them all. That is why it is going to take a lot of work for us to undo the misconceptions that they have about us – that is, if their misconceptions are false! If you are not a lost-centered community, then you’ll never be able to promote your movement to students who are at different places on the spiritual journey.
Here is a fantastic story (that I shortened a little) from Church Marketing 101 that puts all of this in perspective. Trust me, reading it is worth your time.
“Let’s suppose you and I are good buddies, and you are the world’s biggest baseball fan. I, on the other hand, find baseball to be mind-numbingly boring. After all, how much fun can you have watching a sport that has only three variables: the batter misses it, kind of hits it, or hits it right? Not enough options for me. I’ve never been to a game before, but I am sure that I will not like it. You beg me all the time to come with you. I really wish you would stop asking, but one day, I am weak and decide to give in to your request. If I am going to this game with you, you had better be sure that you’re buying my $2 nosebleed tickets and my hot dog. Together we sit in the upper deck on a hot afternoon – you in bliss and me in a sort of bewildered agony. I’m eating a hot dog and slurping a soft drink when all of a sudden the home team hits a home run. We jump to our feet together and high-five each other. I’m caught off guard. The hit inspired me. Maybe I like baseball after all. Am I actually enjoying a baseball game? This is not what I expected. You ask me to go again and I commit. This time, I am buying my own cheap upper deck tickets and my own hot dog. I am willing to spend a little bit, but not enough to sit down in the lower deck with those $80/seat baseball freaks. They are a little too committed for me at this point. I think I like baseball, but my commitment level is low… [but] each step along the way I commit more. I was skeptical at first, but now I am committed to give all. I did not get here overnight. I got here in baby steps.”
This is a great story, which parallels our spiritual journey. During the course of our life, we might have seen a few small impressive plays and then eventually a home run or even a grad slam. We became sold-out for Christ and his mission. For some students, it might be hearing a simple presentation of the gospel and saying, “Yes. That’s it. I believe.” But in my experience, it is usually not that easy. Students today are more skeptical than ever before. Their perception of who we actually are has been fogged up. So what do we do?
In the next article, I’ll talk about how students have different levels of commitment within our movements and what we need to do to communicate to each level.
*content was gleaned and contextualized from Church Marketing 101
How do the lost really view our movements on campus?
Chances are, the lost students on our campuses do not view our movements the way we view our movements. Richard Reising says, “They do not know our hearts; even worse, they often distrust us and are skeptical of us from the beginning. A million personal experiences have shaped their perception of us as Christians... We will have to work hard to change those perceptions.”
FCA. Navigators. Campus Crusade. Christian Student Fellowship. Intervarsity. It may all look the same to a lost student on campus. If they’ve been to one meeting, it is probably easy to judge them all. That is why it is going to take a lot of work for us to undo the misconceptions that they have about us – that is, if their misconceptions are false! If you are not a lost-centered community, then you’ll never be able to promote your movement to students who are at different places on the spiritual journey. Here is a fantastic story (that I shortened a little) from Church Marketing 101 that puts all of this in perspective. Trust me, reading it is worth your time.
“Let’s suppose you and I are good buddies, and you are the world’s biggest baseball fan. I, on the other hand, find baseball to be mind-numbingly boring. After all, how much fun can you have watching a sport that has only three variables: the batter misses it, kind of hits it, or hits it right? Not enough options for me. I’ve never been to a game before, but I am sure that I will not like it. You beg me all the time to come with you. I really wish you would stop asking, but one day, I am weak and decide to give in to your request. If I am going to this game with you, you had better be sure that you’re buying my $2 nosebleed tickets and my hot dog. Together we sit in the upper deck on a hot afternoon – you in bliss and me in a sort of bewildered agony. I’m eating a hot dog and slurping a soft drink when all of a sudden the home team hits a home run. We jump to our feet together and high-five each other. I’m caught off guard. The hit inspired me. Maybe I like baseball after all. Am I actually enjoying a baseball game? This is not what I expected. You ask me to go again and I commit. This time, I am buying my own cheap upper deck tickets and my own hot dog. I am willing to spend a little bit, but not enough to sit down in the lower deck with those $80/seat baseball freaks. They are a little too committed for me at this point. I think I like baseball, but my commitment level is low… [but] each step along the way I commit more. I was skeptical at first, but now I am committed to give all. I did not get here overnight. I got here in baby steps.”
This is a great story, which parallels our spiritual journey. During the course of our life, we might have seen a few small impressive plays and then eventually a home run or even a grad slam. We became sold-out for Christ and his mission. For some students, it might be hearing a simple presentation of the gospel and saying, “Yes. That’s it. I believe.” But in my experience, it is usually not that easy. Students today are more skeptical than ever before. Their perception of who we actually are has been fogged up. So what do we do?
In the next article, I’ll talk about how students have different levels of commitment within our movements and what we need to do to communicate to each level.
*content was gleaned and contextualized from Church Marketing 101
posted by Tyler Zach at 10:36 AM
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