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.

That One Time TINA FEY Helped Me Pick Out Panty-Hose

One Saturday night in the mid-1990's while working at The Second City comedy theater in Chicago, I received a phone call that I was being activated as an understudy for a

children’s theater performance the next day.

Somebody in the cast of the production was sick and so my moment in the spotlight was beckoning. I was excited until I realized that the production involved dressing up as a pirate and I needed to provide my own pantyhose.

Apparently Captain Hook had an inner diva.

Pantyhose, really? I’m a guy which means I have an allergy to Haines and don’t know the first thing about choosing pantyhose.

But here I was after working the late shift at Second City, clumsily fumbling through the pantyhose aisle of a Walgreens at 3 am. I think my Man Card was suspended for the night.

Luckily, two women walked into the Walgreens and came to my aid: Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey. I shared in my book, "Holy Shift," about how at this time in her life, Tina Fey was not big into parties after late night performances at Second City. Her regular rituals included renting movies at the local Blockbuster Video and grabbing a snack at the Walgreens across the street.

This is how she and Dratch found me.

I wish I could say it was one of my finer moments in life but there’s no way to spin it: I was a young college dude looking pathetic buying women’s pantyhose.

Tina and Rachel must have thought I was nuts and easily could have assumed the worst about me and walked away. Instead they walked toward me. Instead of talking ABOUT me, they chose to talk WITH me.

It didn’t hurt that they recognized me from Second City, so they came over to ask what I was up to.

After I explained my predicament in a way that only professional theater people can understand, Tina took a few minutes to choose just the right color and size of pantyhose for me to dress up in as a pirate the next day.

Yes, it’s true: Tina Fey helped me pick out pantyhose.

Actually purchasing the pantyhose was embarrassing. There is just no cool way for a twenty-year-old dude at 3 am to slyly hand over a pink package of Haines Hosiery Thigh-Highs

and declare with security in their own manhood, “It’s just something for the little lady at home.”

Yes, I may have looked odd or even a bit creepy from the outside

looking in.

The cashier didn’t crack a smile once during the checkout

process, he just stared at me in judgment. And I can’t blame him

for assuming the worst about me.

But isn’t that how we all react when we encounter something out of the ordinary without all the information on the situation?

What if we chose to believe the best about the people we encounter?

What if we eclipsed our inner judge with a presumption of compassion?

At Life Church Saginaw, we are willing to try anything and do

anything short of sin to engage people who normally will not darken a church door.

Having a whatever it takes attitude to reaching people

far from God has led us on some wild adventures.

One idea that has gained traction and successfully reached families in our region each year is our annual Easter Egg Helicopter Drop.

We invite folks to our church campus, throw a free party (remember, Jesus loved a good party!), and after they realize we are normal and harmless, we invite them back the next day for Easter services.

We have heard story after story of people becoming Christ-followers as a direct result of our Egg Drop!

As you can imagine, when you throw 50,000 eggs out of a helicopter, the media takes notice. Flying plastic eggs play well for local news cameras.

One year our Egg Drop even caught the attention of

newspapers throughout Michigan and The Christian Post, a national online publication. People far from God loved our heart and passion for serving area families. However, the online comments sections were filled with venom and judgment . . .

from other Christians.

As I read the first few comments from self-professing Christians,

I felt like a hemophiliac in a razor factory. Instead of talking

TO us, brothers and sisters in Christ were talking

ABOUT us on a public forum with assumptions that were not true.

The statements made about our church’s motives by people outside our church who claimed to represent the one true Church made people who go to church look stupid.

Assuming the worst can lead to unnecessary black-eyes within the Body of Christ. Friendly-fire is preventable. God gave us one mouth and two ears for a reason. It is always wiser to listen more than we speak.

Labeling people in public forums is not a sign of maturity—it’s a

preschool mentality. If we are unable to gather all the facts, then

our default as Christ-followers needs to be believing the best about people, not assuming the worst.

We have a fantastic team of Interns at Life Church who are learning and growing in their leadership skills. Part of the program is that we are intentionally providing a safe environment to make mistakes in.

We learn when we try.

When an intern makes a mistake in our church, we always believe the best. We walk alongside them, tell them to take a deep breath, and then we ask, “You’re okay, you tried something new, now what did you learn from that experience?”

Believing the best can be a game changer in your life and your

leadership. Jumping to positive conclusions creates energy, trust,

and forward movement in any ensemble. Believing the best helps

eliminate gossip and unnecessary drama.

Believe the best about the people you are partnering with and watch how your leadership climate shifts toward a stronger ensemble!

[ Excerpt from the book, "Holy Shift," by Dr. Jonathan Herron ]

HOW TO REPAIR A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP

- Conflict is inevitable but drama is a choice.

- Romans 12:18 - “If it is possible, as far as it depends on YOU, be at peace with EVERYONE!”

- it is never too late to become the person you were meant to be.

- Peace makers NOT peace fakers, absolutely not a peace breaker

- Conflict is required in any relationship.

- Jesus is your Guide, not just a good idea

- We are all very good at noticing others faults

4 huge ideas to remember on fixing relationships of all kinds, friendships, relationships, mentors etc.

1. I will get back to, not back at.

- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

2. I will own MY slice of the blame pie.

- we're all jerks

- “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Jesus in Matthew 7:3)

3. I will make the first move, regardless of who moved away first.

- Matthew 5:23-24

- I don’t want anything from you, I want something FOR YOU- peace, wholeness, reconciliation.

4. I will keep the door open and the welcome mat out.

- What do you do when someone is willing to talk about you, but not talk to you? Don't give up. Keep trying.

-Romans 12:18 - Jesus walked into hurt, to begin healing.

What is the Root Cause of Church Splits?

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, three years ago, 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 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.

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.

Reflecting on 3 Years After COVID

Three years ago today I sent our Life Church staff home due to this great unknown, COVID-19.

We had just celebrated Life Church’s Midland Comic-Con event success and I had just returned from a briefing at The White House.

Sending our team home that day, I could not have known all the change and tumult that awaited our church family in the coming months.

Online worship became the norm. We did five Drive-In Easter services that April. By September, everything I knew was sadly gone: friends abruptly disappeared and blocked my family online, the entire staff curiously quit one by one, and I was left holding the place I loved together by the skin of my teeth.

What’s remarkable to me is that none of this took God by surprise. You cannot surprise the Master. In John 13:19 Jesus says, “I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.”

When life feels out of control, God remains firmly in control. Everything that happens to you in life has passed through the sovereign hands of God and is ultimately for your good.

That doesn’t mean that life can’t hurt sometimes. Trust me, Amber and I received deep educations in 2020 on betrayal and heartache.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4, “At first there was no one I could count on to faithfully stand with me—they all ran off and abandoned me—but don’t hold this against them. For in spite of this, my Lord himself stood with me, empowering me to complete my ministry of preaching.”

When the earth shakes, the Lord stands firm. When life doesn’t make sense, I can choose to trust in a God who does and who is working behind the scenes for my good.

While our family’s life now looks radically different than it did three years ago, I am thankful for a God who remains faithful and just regardless of passing troubles.

I am thankful that our faith is grounded in the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation, and that it is never too late to become who you might have been.

Whatever your life looks like today, choose to persevere. Choose to believe the best in people and allow love to cover over all sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Trust in the Carpenter-King and see what God can do through you.

CREATE A CULTURE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT

"Create a culture by design, not default"

(Walt Disney)

Since our very first Informational Meeting eleven years ago today (!), Life Church has chosen to be known by what we are for, not what we are against.

Our culture is the secret sauce.  We're all about Jesus: dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.

Culture determines behavior.  In order to be the church we dream of, we must fight for our culture -- our unique flavor that propels us forward to reach the lost at any cost.

This is why I am committed to raising up a generation of fearless leaders in the Church. 

The Church is worth fighting for.  We must always rally around our shared heartbeat if we are to extend that passion into the world.

Being a Culture-Keeper requires thick skin and calcium in the spine. 

Agendas must always be eclipsed by the Culture Code of your organization.

"For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and motivates us, because we are absolutely convinced that He has given His life for all of us.

This means all died with Him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for Him—the One who died for us and now lives again."

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15, The Passion Translation)

Heading into 2023, I have been working on codifying our original Culture Code.  The words are nearly exactly the same, the passion is as present in my bones as on Day One, and now it's been distilled into 4 easy-to-remember big ideas.

For what it's worth, here is Life Church's 2023 Code:

1. HONOR: We are a generation of honor and integrity. We do not gossip. No insider politics. We are not competing with any churches. Full of honor and integrity, we will do the right thing even when it hurts. Our heart is to out-love, out-serve, and out-give those who misunderstand us.
   
   

2. HUMBLE:  We will be known for what we are for.  We will speak vision and life over our people. We choose to leverage humor over hammer. We will lift up the life-giving power of Jesus Christ rather than using our platform to condemn.
   
   Movements move. We are not Atari, we are Apple, joining God's audacious movement of changed lives.  We will always maintain a posture of learning new methods.  We will always narrow the focus in all we do.  We think steps, not programs.
   
   
   

3. HUNGRY: We are united under one vision -- to reach the lost at any cost.  To reach the people no one else is reaching, we will do the things no one else is doing.  We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God.  We will aggressively defend our unity and vision.
   
   The church is a rescue organization, not a social club.  We will not cater to personal preferences in our mission to reach this region.  This is not a Yacht Club.  We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep. We are only as "deep" as the last person we served!
   
   
   

4. HUSTLE: Don't just stick your toe into the water -- Cannonball!  We do it right and do it big! Greatness is never on sale.  We believe undistracting excellence honors God and inspires people.  We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
   
   We are all about the numbers.  Every numbers represents a person.  Every person represents a story of life-change through Christ.  Tracking metrics measures effectiveness.  We will unapologetically celebrate life-change!