Spiritual Movements for Dummies: How Did Jesus Do It?

A “come to us” approach has been used by Christians for hundreds of years. But did Jesus use that approach?

Most churches and campus movements have struggled with becoming less attractional (come to us) and more missional (go to them).

It is kind of ironic that Jesus was a skilled carpenter, yet he never used his skills to build a temple and invite the masses to him. It is true that people were attracted to him and followed him around, but he was always on the go.

So, what principles can we learn from Jesus’ movement launching strategy?

1) Leave “Home”

Jesus left home his home in heaven to enter our territory.

Have our churches or students left home? Do they have a dwelling beyond their Christian community? If multiple movements are going to happen, people must first be told to “Go”. I’m not talking outreach events and one-time conversations. I’m talking about doing life with other people in other communities.

2) Embrace Middle Spaces

Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch would say that these middle spaces are “places or events where Christians and not-yet-Christians can interact meaningfully with each other.” Some of Jesus’ middle spaces would include the synagogue, peoples’ homes, the beach, boats, etc. Middle spaces on campus might include intramural sports teams, the dorms, Greek Houses, clubs or organizations, etc. Jesus didn’t pass around sign-up sheets for bible studies, but he did enter into middle spaces and began teaching there.

So perhaps we should not ask “What people can we get to join our community?” but rather, “What community can I join and participate in?” to incarnate the gospel.

Middle spaces for adults might include a Parent/Teacher Association, sowing club, book club, town hall meetings, neighborhood association, the workplace, hunting trips, political campaigns, etc. You have the opportunity to bring Jesus to where people do life (missional) before you try bringing people to your church or bible study (attractional).

3) Identify With Others

As Jesus left home and began dwelling in these middle spaces here on earth, he began to identify with the people he hung out with. He chose to live like them, with all the struggles and problems that they faced.

As we dwell among the artists, the Greeks on campus, the fellow dorm students, the minority students, we begin to take on their pains, their struggles, their joys. We enter into their lives to identify with them. It is in this identification process that we find the redemptive window through which the gospel can most effectively come into this community.

Blog Series Recap: Movement Marketing

by Tyler Zach

In review, this is the full series of articles that I wrote on spiritual Movement Marketing - specifically looking through the lens of connecting with the lost.

The content in these articles was gleaned and contextualized from the book "Movement Marketing" by Richard Reising.

1) Movement Marketing: Is your campus movement connecting with the lost?

2) Perceiving Their Perception: How do the lost really view our movements on campus?

3) Levels of Commitment: Are our movements relevant to each level of commitment within our community?

4) Lostobstacles: What are some obstacles that keep the lost away from our movement?

5) Does Your Movement Slap People? How can our movements be more relevant to people at all spiritual levels?

6) Nailing the Perceived Need: Learning from Nike

7) Creating An Experience: Learning from Starbucks

8) Multiple Movements: Learning from the Gap

9) Before A Sweet Logo: Branding Your Movement

Before A Sweet Logo: Branding Your Movement

by Tyler Zach

Branding Tips To Help Your Movement Connect With The Lost

“Branding is a dynamic weapon used to affect perception. If you can grasp that marketing is the management of perception, then it should be easy to understand that branding is, in simple terms, the use of defined consistency to affect perception over time. Branding is not just a design. It is not a logo. It is not a letterhead. It is the sum perception you create in the mind of those with whom you are trying to connect.” (Church Marketing 101 pg 160)

If your movement can be pictured like a ship, then your brand is what others think about your ship when it passes by or when they come on board. Branding then, is creating a defined sense of self in the ship’s appearance and communication. In regards to your movement, branding comes from having a cohesive sense of who you are as an organization and effectively communicating THAT in all that you do.

Here are some essentials to help you become a well-branded movement (pg 201):

• Know who you are and who you are not as a movement.
• Have a set of core pillars, tenants, or values that you are committed to be passionate about as a movement – and communicate them weekly. Often the leadership says something once or twice and assumes it has been communicated to everyone. It is just not so. As with the radio, people tune in at different times. By the time you have said something several times some people are just hearing it for the first time.
  
• By creating a set of core values that you communicate regularly, you can undo the perceptions that people have of Jesus and your movement.
  
• Have a vision piece (brochure) and supporting media to illustrate the vision and the brand.
• Make decisions that shape public perception with your brand as a filter.
• Have a welcome kit that provides visitors with a sense of the size and offerings of the ship and gives them a “map” of how to get connected and grow.
• Use your design style consistently.
• Have a brand management meeting every six months or less, to discuss how you are communicating as a movement and how well your members and the college community are catching on to 1) who you are, 2) where you are going, and 3) their steps for growth with you.
• Keep statistics on who is volunteering and who is participating in each level of your movement.
• Create a sense of continual challenge for each level mixed with patience.
  

For those of you wondering about graphic design, know this: brand and branding are not graphic design terms. Design plays a part, but it fits into the brand, it does not drive the brand.

Branding is primarily verbal communication. This has caused me to think about how much time I spend with student leaders – coaching them on how to effectively communicate our vision and purpose. I have not done a very good job at this.

Whether you are communicating verbally or non-verbally through graphic design remember that you will always need to:

• Captivate them and draw them in
• Connect with their sense of self, need, or style (meet them where they are at)
• Communicate clearly, providing more answers than raising questions
  

This ends my blog series on Movement Marketing. A big thank you to Richard Reising for pioneering these concepts for churches (as well as us in the campus ministry) around the world. Go buy the book, Church Marketing 101, today!

*content was gleaned and contextualized from Church Marketing 101

Creating An Experience: Learning from Starbucks

by Tyler Zach

How can Starbucks mentor our movements in the area of making much of Jesus?

In The Experience Economy, the authors paint a brilliant picture of what makes us so addicted to Starbucks. At a fundamental level, coffee is a commodity, tradable by the ton in a commodities market. But, Starbucks, in all its innovation, has wrapped an experience around a cup of coffee. The authors go on to say that in the modern economy, companies like Starbucks have created “experiences” to set themselves apart from “services.” In other words, you do not simply buy the coffee. You buy the Starbucks experience.

What would it look like for us to wrap an experience around Jesus the way Starbucks has wrapped an experience around coffee?

Richard Reising says, “Some people might be offended by the [question] above, but I think the greater crime is turning [our movements] into a commodity. A relationship with Christ can’t be canned. It cannot be mass-produced. It is an intimate and powerful thing and we should be very serious about enhancing the experience in order to prepare the heart of the visitor.”

If companies like Starbucks work so hard at creating an experience for something as simple as coffee, shouldn’t we as Christians work even harder to create an experience for the student’s spiritual journey? Starbucks has taken the microscope approach: taking something small and simple and magnifying it for us. We, however, as Christians, get the advantage of using the telescope approach: taking something infinitely great and bringing it into our world. Theoretically, it should be easier for us to create an experience for students than it is for Starbucks to create an experience for coffee-lovers. We are dealing with something infinitely valuable. The only obstacle is ourselves.

There are many churches out there that provide a service. We literally call it a “service.” But few churches and movements can provide a transformational experience.

Think about what makes your favorite restaurant your favorite: Hospitality, romantic lighting, comfortable seating, quality food, nicely dressed workers, music, etc. What if the owners of the restaurant said, “It’s not about the building. It’s all about the food.” Now think of your restaurant in terms of stiff chairs, bright lighting, t-shirt dressed unhappy servers, bad music, BUT the food is still top-notch. Even though the food may be good, the restaurant now ceases to be your favorite.

I’ve heard some church and campus movement people say that it’s not about the externals because it’s supposed to be about Jesus. But let’s ask ourselves, “Why do we spend so much time decorating our homes?” I think it is because we love beautiful environments that will leave us with lasting memories. It’s silly to think of all the time we spend on our homes - only to step into a church where there are white walls and stiff pews.

If we are going to pray with Jesus that His whole Kingdom would come, then we need to be about His whole Kingdom. The Kingdom is more than just spoken word. It encompasses physical beauty as well. The New Jerusalem will be more beautiful than we can imagine. The description in the book of Revelation is breathtaking. It will be an experience beyond all comprehension.

So, how can we give our students a glimpse of that… now? What will it take to make the Christian life an experiential journey rather than a purchase of a commodity?

*content was gleaned and contextualized from Church Marketing 101

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