History in the Making

The Future is in The New

Hundreds of thousands of pastors have converged upon South Barrington, Illinois, at one time or another to attend a Willow Creek conference. For years, it was Mecca for outreach-minded church leaders. They came to learn the models and methods of this larger-than- life church.

And that’s a shame...

[read, forest, read]

Church Planting Falls Somewhere Between a Puzzle and a Mystery

In his new book, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the difference between a puzzle and a mystery.

Puzzles require keys that need to be discovered; whereas mysteries require judgments based on vague uncertainties.

Puzzles give us too little information. Mysteries give us too much.

To the young struggling ministry couple in the field, church planting can feel like an elusive mystery.

To the big shot pastor who blew up a town on his first try, church planting feels like an easy puzzle.

I'm pretty sure both are wrong.

This is why I wrote Church in the Making.

There's a hidden "back story" that explains why new churches either flounder or flourish.

Creative Confidence

In the making of STORY, I worked really hard to keep video off the stage. No IMAG for sure.

Initially, we were going to project worship lyrics onto fabric, but the tech team voted me down because rear-projection was our only option. Then we moved to the idea of a video backdrop with large trees obscuring it. But again... big lyric problem.

By September, we ran out of time and had to go with a prominent video screen, center stage... but we had absolutely no content for it, and no budget to create it. So I set to work capturing still images that would walk people through four seasons that corresponded with creation, fall, redemption and restoration.

By show time, I still had no idea if it would look right on-stage...

[wince]

I thought the result was gorgeous.

It played as an additional character in the program, and for certain elements - like Holly's reading in the photo above - absolutely captivated the room.

When you need a photographer... need a cinematographer... need a graphic designer... but can't find one. And your project is dependent on it.  Sometimes the only thing you can do... and maybe the best thing... is to teach yourself a new craft. You just might surprise yourself.

Embracing Your Weaknesses

I'm posting this on Thanksgiving for you few lonely souls surfing the internet today.

Do you see that blog banner above? The gentle hues, drifting toward turquoise? The abstract photo taken by the brilliant Bjorn Amundsen?

Yes, that's my nose.

It's my profile tilted toward its most exaggerated shape. You could say... it's my "worst side." =)

Of course, I don't really believe that... which is why I used the photo.

But I did spend my whole childhood fretting about it. Kids in school called me big nose. Even at my wedding in 2000, my uncle heard someone behind him say, "Wonder where Ben's dad is?" to which somebody else replied, "Look for an older man with a big nose." har har har.

But I posted it because I love it. It gives me something distinctive. Who knows... when I produce films, maybe I'll put a Hitchcock-like silhouette in the opening credits. =)

I've learned that the most iconic people have become caricatures of themselves. Their worst... er... most distinctive attributes are no longer weaknesses, but part of their inimitable brands.

Here's hope to all of you who turn your heads slightly in one direction for photos...

Wednesday Morning Run-Down

• The STORY DVD is almost complete. There's still time to order it and have it before Christmas.
• Believe it or not we're already pouring into STORY 2010 which is going to be jaw-dropping... and shaped by the best practices we learned from 2009.
• An amazing group of leaders have applied for Dream Year so far. We're at about 30 applicants for 20 openings. There's still time to apply - Dec 12 is the deadline.
• If you applied for Dream Year and are having trouble getting a Google Wave account, e-mail me from your Gmail account, and I'll submit your name.
• Cirque Du Soleil's Alegria is coming to the Hampton Coliseum in December... just in case I happened to be on your Christmas list. =)
• Thanksgiving is just not my favorite holiday. Don't think me ungrateful... but dry turkey, wet leaves in the yard, Starbucks is closed, sitting around getting fat, watching tv... c'mon. =)
• I haven't read all the chatter about Deadly Viper's end, but am I the only one who grew up idolizing ninjas? I spent at least 8 years of my childhood trying to become one. So Deadly Viper scratched an itch for me. It spoke my language. It regarded ancient Asian culture as a higher life form. And why wasn't the movie Kung Fu Panda protested as well then?
• All of you men who went to see New Moon should be ashamed of yourselves by the way. =)

A Little Rant About Non-Profits

In the last two weeks, I've heard at least six people blame their financial woes on being "non-profit" organizations... which isn't accurate.

I run two non-profits. STORY and Whiteboard are both non-profit organizations. But non-profit doesn't mean you're supposed to hurt for money. That's not the prerequisite. It doesn't mean you have to beg for donors and struggle to survive as a business model.

It doesn't mean that you bring-in less than for-profits. I know plenty of non-profits that blow the doors off for-profits in revenue.

A non-working business model is a non-working business model, regardless of whether it's for profit or non-profit.

Everything has a "business model." Your church. Your business. Your non-profit. Even your family budget. It's all very simple: revenue in; expenses out. And the revenue has to be more than the expenses.

I'm no attorney, so grain of salt here, but revenue can be generated the same way as a for-profit company. But no one person or group of investors can personally profit from the revenue of the company.

It's not about being non-profit.

It's the business model, baby.

Oh Charlotte

I'm in Charlotte, NC today for a meeting with the great folks at the film distribution and marketing firm Big Finish Media.

When I think of Charlotte, I think of a couple things -- a young Atlanta; a sleeping spiritual giant; and the Billy Graham museum. Definitely a strong spiritual heritage there that's gone sour. Slowly building its way back though. My family once drove through Jim Bakker's geriatric amusement park Heritage USA, which is now described by BoingBoing as a "rotting Jesusland." Maybe a church could come in and give it some redemption. Here's a visual tour.

Dream Year Application Now Open

The application process for Dream Year begins today.

Just 20 participants.

Your dream.

My coaching.

12 months.

We'll make it happen.

Here is a page with more info about Dream Year.

Or you can skip right to the application.

The application process ends December 11. I'll let you know the decision by December 17.

Oh, and I am offering a few scholarships. Feel free to e-mail me with your request...

Knoxville Trip

Just spent a couple of great days with Dr. Chris Stephens and his A-level staff at Faith Promise Church in  Knoxville, TN. So impressed with his leadership - both in public and private. Loved hanging out with his two sons, who are college studs but totally sold-out to Christ.

Chris is launching a new ministry for pastors at churches under 1,000 in attendance this spring. He's already booked one of the most iconic college coaches in America to appear at the first event.

What I love about Chris is that he's not just a pastor's pastor... but a guy's guy. He learned how to fly a Cessna to get his thrill-seeking kicks, and he picked me up at the airport in a Corvette convertible. Love it.

Most Anticipated Purchase of the Decade

Forget Kindle.

Apple iTablet.

Where have you been all my life?

Dream Year Coming on Monday

 
Okay.

Dream Year is coming on Monday.

Your dream.
Our collaboration.
12 months.
We'll bring it to life.

I'll announce details shortly on how to become part of the class of 2010.

Help Jon Acuff Build a Vietnam Kindergarten

Uber blogger Jon Acuff is raising $60,000 to build two kindergartens in Vietnam through Samaritan's Purse. He's only $15,000 away from meeting his goal. Read more about it [here]. Check it out [here].

I Don't Even Care What the Dog Saw...

I'll just read anything Malcolm Gladwell writes.

Spring Flings

Was sitting in bed last night just thinking about all of my friends who are releasing projects this spring....

Carlos Whittaker's new album
Pete Wilson's new book Plan B
Vince Antonucci's new book Guerrilla Lovers
Jon Acuff's book Stuff Christians Like
I think Anne Jackson's book Permission to Speak Freely
Mike McKinley's book Church Planting is for Wimps
And my little tome Church in the Making

Did I miss anyone?

Hear me out on this.

I think everyone... absolutely everyone... is a level 10 creative leader in SOME way. I can even envision what these projects would be for some folks if they only took the time.

Get the Story DVD by Christmas

There's still time to get the STORY 2009 DVD by Christmas. You can order the 3-disc set for $79 at StoryChicago.com.

Dream Year

Okay... bear with me. I'm going to run an idea by you.

What if you were part of a group of 30 people who...

1. Had a dream project they wanted to fulfill for 2010
2. And were open to collaborating with other dreamers

I'd serve as Dream Coach.
It would be called Dream Year.

We'd walk through a process of achieving the projects.
We'd start in January 2010 and go for 12 month.
We'd read 1 book a month together...
And enjoy other perks, like my events. =)
We'd collaborate on Google Wave.
We'd form smaller groups on-line that meshed well.
All assignments would be for our own projects...

But we'd collectivize our influence, connections, resources, talents, and ideas to make all 30 larger-than-life dreams become a reality by January 2011. Each year would be its own class of graduates... a fraternity if you will.

Would love your feedback...

• Would you apply to be a part of something like this?
• Does it scratch an itch for you?
• What criteria would you institute to determine the participants?
• Would you pay something to be a part of this to keep out the riff-raff? =)
• How much?
• Any other thoughts?

The Days of Blogs Gone By

Let me tell you about a day gone by...

There was a day when blogs looked like blogs. No one knew how to make a Blogspot template look like a self-promotional web-page.

Your blog picture was taken by your spouse on vacation... not a professional photographer. You had to crop half the photo to make it work. And we liked it that way.

Forget RSS feeds. We actually visited people's pages and read their blogrolls and admired the colors they chose in their blog templates. It was all part of the experience.

There were no ads. We wrote what we wanted to write without getting paid for it.

We even said negative things at times. Burned bridges. That was the excitement of being a blogger.

Nobody made money off blogs. We lost money. They raised questions of cost-effectiveness and productivity in the workplace. And we liked this tension. It made us feel renegade.

Nobody tweeted. We just made long lists of little thoughts and posted them on our blogs.

There were no blog celebrities. It was a free exchange of ideas. And the best ideas won.

I miss those days. =)

STORY Panorama

 

Tom Roepke shot these great panoramic images of STORY from the back row. Love panorama. I'd become a panoramist if it paid anything.
 

Wednesday Morning Run-Down

• My friend Mike McKinley who is a theological sparring partner... but one of my fave people just wrote a book called "Church Planting is For Wimps." Crossway asked me to endorse a pre-release copy - so honored and can't wait. It's due out in April 2010.
• I'm holding in my hands the just-over-nighted, typeset, designed manuscript of my book "Church in the Making," which I'm pretty sure is the exact opposite viewpoint of Mike's book. =) Also due out by Broadman and Holman in April 2010.
• Hmmm... I may ask Mike to do a James Carville / Mary Matlin promotional book tour with me.
• By the way, only the big-guns release books in the fall: the Eldredges and Don Millers of the world. The rest of us stay clear of the carnage by releasing in the spring. Little publishing tidbit for you.
• B&H just let me change the subtitle of my book to "What Makes or Breaks A New Church Before it Starts." Love working with Tom Walters and Tim Jordan out of Nashville. Amazing team.
• Perry Noble just blessed our family with a Wii system. Now I'm not the only one in my family who absolutely loves Perry. Although... I now wake up every morning at 5:30 AM to the sound of Dylan screaming at Wyatt for beating him up in "Punch out."
• If you don't know Rob Thomas of Collide/ Igniter/ Worship House Media/ Echo... he is a case study in great leadership.
• Yesterday, I got to talk to Craig Johnson AND Jason Young on the same day. I'm running with the thoroughbreds people. Running with the thoroughbreds.

The Creative Class, Doing Good

We're in a new generation of the creative class that's doing good through their art...

My new friend in Chicago Bjorn Amundsen who is a filmmaker by day, photographer by night, designs videos for NURU, which seeks to stop terrorism by ending poverty. Check out the founder's story. Here's how you can get involved.

...

And our friend Stephanie Beaty is raising $1,000 for Orphan Network here in Virginia Beach by shooting five sessions at the oceanfront this Saturday for just $200 each.

Contact her if you want a great shoot for a great cause. All the money goes to OrphNet. Stephanie shot our Cody out of the womb, and she's truly brilliant.