CUT THE CHEESE: 3 STEPS TOWARD CREATING A NON-CHEESY RADIO SPOT FOR YOUR CHURCH

I’m a big believer in leveraging all media by all means to reach all people for the gospel. There’s just one thing that drives me crazy… Cheesy Christian Media.

Let’s be honest: if Christians excel in one area of media, it’s the cheese. We try to clumsily lump theological doctrine into 30 second church ads thinking that the goal is information-transfer.

Nope, sorry.

Effective advertising is more about connecting emotionally and relationally.
If you can touch the heart (or funny bone), you earn permission to invite people into your story.

First, here’s a recent spot:

Three steps we’ve learned in cutting the cheese:

1) KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! 

This radio spot is not designed for deeply theological, life-long Christians.  In fact, I’ve already taken heat from over-saved Christians on the internet.  And I don’t care, because I’m not called to make men happy but instead to obey the Lord.

The message in this radio spot is aimed toward people who wouldn’t normally darken a church door.  When you know exactly who you are communicating to, it won’t bother you when the rocks come flying from outsiders.

2) CONSISTENCY BREEDS TRUST! 

When I lived in north-east Ohio, I was impressed by the media strategy of Knute Larson, a now-retired pastor of The Chapel. Over the course of many years, by consistently lending his own voice and personality to church radio and tv ads, people throughout the region began to trust Knute. Even people who never attended church began to naturally think of Knute as “their pastor.”

If they ever encountered a crisis in their lives, they knew Knute Larson and The Chapel were a safe place to go to for help. That’s my heart for Life Church in the Great Lakes Bay Region.  Consistency breeds trust.

Proverbs 22 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.”  Life Church has a strong reputation and name recognition among unchurched Millennials and Gen Xers in our region of Michigan as a safe, non-judgemental place to ask real questions about faith.  That is important to me as our church continues moving forward.

3) EXAGGERATE THE TABOO!  

In this 2017 ad, we were told by the radio station that we couldn’t say the full title of the movie in our radio ad for legal reasons.

What could have been a hurdle was instead turned into an opportunity.  

In my improv-comedy training, I learned about the power of exaggerating the taboo. I talk more about this in my first book, Comedy-Driven Leadership: there are no mistakes, only opportunities.

In this case, we thought it would be hilarious for our 60 second radio ad for a church to have words that are being beeped out.  It would actually make the radio spot more interesting, like playing a little game with the audience!

The result is a fresh and fun radio spot that is gaining traction in the Great Lakes Bay Region.  More people will feel welcomed at Life Church and the story of God’s love will echo into more hearts.

Easter Weekend at Life Church

LIFE CHURCH'S EGG DROP on ABC12 NEWS

I was a live guest on our local ABC affiliate talking about Easter at Life Church.

For what it's worth, here's the interview --

HELICOPTER EGG DROP 2023

Our Easter event was a huge success!

Thank you to the thousands who came out and joined in on the fun.

A special shoutout to our dedicated volunteers who made it all happen!

10 YEARS OF LIFE CHURCH

““I will build my church — and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!”
”

— Jesus in Matthew 16:18 (TPT)

Ten years ago today, my family took a deep breath and cannonballed into the unknown by launching weekly worship experiences... the birth of the church we love!

Just like childbirth it was messy, scary, and even a little bloody... yet what emerged is beautiful and bringing Life to the Great Lakes Bay Region.

We started by renting theater and classroom space at Saginaw Valley State University. 

It was a herculean task setting up and tearing down our portable church environments every week, but we got it done (even in Michigan winter!).

When you start something new completely from scratch, EVERYTHING is HARD... but it's worth it.

For the past ten years, we've lifted up Jesus, inspired our region, and seen lives transformed by God's amazing love.

To date, we've seen three hundred and fifteen people baptized at Life Church -- Holy Wow!

Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God.

As I’ve said for years at Life Church, every person matters!

Healthy Things Grow

In November 2014, we opened the doors of a former Golf Mania as our main worship facility and suddenly became kites in God's Hurricane.  

By February 2015, in the middle of Michigan winter, we ran out of space and began adding additional worship times!

New Locations

In March of 2017 we stepped out in crazy faith by becoming One Church in Two Locations: Saginaw and Midland!  

We became the very first multi-site church in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Our rapid growth continued with young adults and families from across the region discovering new life in Christ at Life Church.  

A Movement of Changed Lives

In 2018 we broke 1,200 in attendance and baptized 60 new Christ Followers.

Outreach Magazine & LifeWay Research recognized Life Church Michigan as one of the Top 15 Fastest-Growing Churches in America (September 2019).

Then 2020 hit, a year that closed our campuses and delivered a near-fatal blow to our labor of love. In late 2020 we reopened our doors in Saginaw and began rebuilding home.

Today we are a thriving, scrappy church for people who don’t always like going to church. Heading into our tenth year of ministry, we are focused on working like it depends on us and praying like it depends on God.

Current Stats on the Post-Pandemic Church

While there is much yet not understood about the effects of the post-pandemic/post-Christian climate we are now experiencing, some data and research is beginning to emerge to paint a picture of today’s spiritual environment.

What follows are three important articles that church leaders should take under serious consideration when planning ahead for the future.

---

Losing Their Religion: Why U.S. Churches are in Decline

Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The situation means some hard decisions for pastors, who have to decide when a dwindling congregation is no longer sustainable. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life.

About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.

READ FULL ARTICLE

---

The New Very Large Church

It’s time to rethink church size. For the purpose of this article, I define church size as average weekly worship attendance, including children and youth who may not be in the primary worship service. In other words, we count every person attending a worship weekend (or other days for a few churches).

Let’s look at the breakdown of churches by average worship attendance:

• Under 50 in attendance: 31% of all churches

• 51 – 99: 37%

• 100 – 249: 24%

• 250 and above: 8%

All of the numbers are fascinating, but the largest category should cause us to pause. Only 8 percent of churches have an attendance of 250 or more. These churches now define the category, “very large churches.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

---

In Church Planting, More Money Means More People

A church plant’s attendance is directly proportional to the money spent at launch and in the congregation’s first year, the research found. At churches with average attendance over 200 in the first five years, average startup costs were $100,000 and first-year costs $225,000—a total launch cost of $325,000.

Smaller churches tend to spend far less. Church plants more than two years old with less than 100 in attendance averaged $10,000 in startup costs and $60,000 in first-year costs. For churches more than two years old with between 100 and 200 in attendance, average startup costs were $84,500.

The correlation between spending and growth held over time. Growing churches continued to spend more as they continued to grow, while nongrowing spent less.

READ FULL ARTICLE

---

6 Steps to Relaunching Your Church

If we want our churches to grow and to reach more people for Christ, we have to learn to speak the same language.

Ask your team: Why does your church exist?

Everyone has a vision for your church, but you need to know why.

Vision & Values are required for your church to grow.

A program won't grow your church, but a process will.

1. Engagement
   
   People are interested in spiritual things, but too often the church is answering questions that no one is asking.
   
   Discover what keeps your neighbors up at night (HINT: usually it’s something involving finances or relationships). Use their felt need to take them to their greatest need!
   
   In engagement comes explanation (see Nehemiah 8:1–10).
   
   Make it clear and give the meaning to the people.
   
   

2. Excellence

   
   It's not about achieving perfection, it's about giving the best effort with what you have. Jesus has never given us anything but His absolute best!
   
   Excellence doesn't always mean spending more money, but it does mean expending greater effort.
   
   

3. Excitement
   
   Listen, you need to become your church’s BIGGEST CHEERLEADER for EVERY Sunday!
   
   The devil is excited if you’re not excited about this coming Sunday!!
   

4. Patience
   
   What a lot of churches call discipleship is nothing more than a form of control and manipulation. We cannot ‘microwave’ leaders!
   
   Thank about it: What would happen if the church responded to spiritual babies the way we respond to our children?

   
   We have to be patient with people.
   
   Discipleship is not a program, it's a process.
   

5. Kindness
   
   What if the church was known because it was nice to people?
   
   Jesus was kind! People will come to Christ if we preach the biblical version instead of the denominational version of Jesus.
   

6. Remembrance
   
   Don't ever forget what he's saved you from (2 Corinthians 1:26–31).

Recognizing the Dreaded Signs of Church Splits & Why They Happen

Nobody enjoys a car wreck, but we all inevitably slow down in traffic to peer out the window as we drive by, attempting to ascertain what happened and to (hopefully) learn something that will prevent such a tragedy from happening to us.

With over 20 years of full-time ministry under my belt (plus another 20+ as a pastor's kid), I've seen my share of ugly wrecks in church world. I'm sure you've also heard the stories -- usually whispered around a kitchen table -- of a minor church disagreement erupting into a full-blown church split that affects lives and livelihoods, leaving a black eye on the local Body of Christ.

The stories of church splits are never fun. Real people get hurt. Reputations are slandered. Hurt and heartache can echo for years due to unhealed wounds. And nobody wins: not the church of origin nor the newly formed congregation that results from a church split.

Perhaps by looking at one church split story, we can all learn how to better guard our unity within the church that Christ bled for (Acts 20:28).

This story is my story. You see, during an already-chaotic 2020, I went through a church split as the lead pastor (and founding pastor) of a church I love dearly.

I barely survived the trauma of what one of my counselor's diagnosed as a "mass casualty event" (Yes, I said counselors plural. Even pastors need therapy to ensure they are emotionally-healthy.).

The first thing you should know about church splits is this: at the time of this church split, even though I was the Founding Pastor, I had no idea what was happening behind my back.

My wife and I were not privy to the cruel whispers and private gossip sessions engulfing our staff team and then spilling out into the membership during the COVID lockdowns.

Looking back, I wish there was some sort of ministry alarm that would go off and alert a lead pastor when he is in danger of facing a church split. But, there isn't one. You usually have no idea that a church split is happening under your nose until after it has already occurred and the damage has been done.

My wife and I were completely taken by surprise. We were focused on the primary crisis of navigating COVID lockdowns and frantically fundraising for our staff team. During a crisis when I was putting out fires from COVID, I would look behind me for a bucket of water to be handed up to me... only to realize there was nobody behind me helping.

During this insane season of the COVID crisis now layered with an internal insurrection, I thought and truly believed that a minor misunderstanding at the staff level could be easily resolved with one honest and simple 5 minute conversation (and I still believe that to this day!).

Unfortunately, when you're the lead pastor and staff members try to hijack the church out from under you, behind-the-scenes conversations and condemnations move quickly behind the pastor's back and rumors can spread like wildfire on Facebook.

So, in the interest of helping church leaders who read this blog and sparing you from the immense pain and hurt and betrayal of a church split in the future, allow me to ask and answer the main question: What is the cause of church splits? 

In a word: factions. 

Factions arise when there is a pile-up of disgruntled people who build up a case that becomes a driving fantasy.

Factions are driven by the What If:

• "What if my assumptions are correct?"

• "What if the rumors I've heard are true?

• "What if my pastor - the same guy who led me to Christ and baptized me - what if he is actually a rotten person?"

Factions sadly live their lives on something that has not actually happened.

Factions thrive on anger.  Why anger?

When someone is hurt or experiences pain in their life, the person will often seek to numb the inward pain with outward anger. 

Anger is always secondary to a deeper hurt.  Anger allows the brain to release key hormones that soothe and numb the pain.

When someone is driven by anger, they can become emotionally-flooded.  This makes peaceful resolution difficult.  Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul wrote:

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently." (Galatians 6:1)

When angry people pile-up, you have a faction.  Factions are very manipulative and will often warp facts to fit their narrative.  Because anger arousal is high, it is difficult for the faction to parse facts from fiction.  

This is why the Scriptures warn believers against bitterness:

"See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15)

When factions form, conflict is inevitable.

The Solution

The solution involves honest, gospel-centered conversation:

"Contrary to our instincts, hard conversations usually don't kill relationships.

They save them.

It's choosing the short, life-saving pain of surgery over the long-term, fatal pain of cancer."
(Josh Howerton)

Galatians 6:1 and Matthew 18:15-17 say to go to our brother.

Ephesians 4:25-27 says to go without delay.

If a faction shuns/ghosts/refuses you, you can still forgive them.

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice.

You have the rightful choice to untether your heart from their hurt.

"You can forgive even if the person who wronged you is unrepentant.
You can repent even if the person you've wronged won't forgive you.
But there can be no reconciliation without repentance from the wrong and forgiveness from the wronged."
(Jared Wilson)

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
(Ephesians 4:3)

At the church I love, we have decided on three proactive approaches to head off the forming of any future factions.

For what it's worth, here is what we have learned from this heartbreaking experience:

1. We will always choose conversation over condemnation.

2. We will always seek to maintain the relationship over trying to win an argument.

3. We will always speak with honesty, not hypocrisy.

And as always, I choose to remain open and ready to meet with anyone, anytime, anywhere with a humble heart and a listening ear.

NEW EYE-OPENING NATIONAL CHURCH STATS

Before the quarantine, the median worship attendance was 65. Today it is 55. In 2000, the median worship attendance was 137. In 2010 it was 105. In 2020 it was 65. Today it is 55. Median worship attendance has declined by 60% in two decades.

1. The occupancy rate of worship centers was 33% before the quarantine. Today it is 28%. The median size of a worship center is 200. If the church has more than one service, the occupancy rate is even lower.
   

2. The median year of church founding was 1950 before the quarantine. That has not changed. Simply stated, we have not started enough churches to move the median founding date significantly in many years. New churches and new sites are imperative strategies for churches today.
   

3. The median income of churches was $120,000 before the quarantine. That has not changed.
   

4. The percentage of churches with an attendance under 100 before the quarantine was 65%. Today it is 75%. As a point of comparison, the percentage of churches with an attendance under 100 in 2000 was 45%. We are fast becoming a nation of small churches.

HOW TO QUICKLY REACH PEOPLE FAR FROM GOD

I’m not concerned about being criticized for taking risks to reach people far from God. I’m concerned about not being criticized.

Recently I was invited to teach a breakout session at a conference in Chicago based on my book, Holy Shift. The topic was so popular among church leaders that we ran out of seats!

I had fun sharing my journey in comedy and ministry, the unique story God is writing atLife Church Michigan, and equipping church leaders in my jam-packed breakout with comedy tools that will help them reach more people far from God.

Because I love church leaders and I want to see you go further, faster, here is the full video as a free resource to your team!

---