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Perhaps this phrase has come out of your mouth somewhere along the way. I know it has mine. I can remember times when I felt misunderstood by a friend, colleague or stranger and the phrase was either spoken or … at least crossed my mind. As a parent, I’ve thought or said it to an unruly toddler or a frustrating teenager. And, oh yes, my spouse … please forgive me Susan.
And I’m confident that many of the same folks have asked the same of me.
How about you? Perhaps members of your congregation … or those you are trying to reach with the Gospel. Who does that pastor or church think they’re talking to?
Well, at first pass, the question seems a little sassy and arrogant but taken in the proper context, it’s a question that when pondered can provide you with insight as a leader on how to more effectively lead your church and serve your community.
In my work as a coach and consultant with large churches, I often ask the “who do you think you’re talking to” question to help leaders get a clear picture of who it is that God has placed in their midst to reach. And when the question is asked, I typically get responses that articulate:
their understanding of who shows up on Sunday.
who they wish was showing up on the weekends.
the popular perception of their neighborhood or community.
The problem is that these are all usually only partially true but almost always is lacking in nuance.
In a recent session with a church that is trying to discern the next chapter in their story, we asked the “do you know who you’re talking to” question in a variety of ways:
How many people live in your zip code?
What percentage of your neighborhood are boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z?
What portion of your neighborhood is new to the area in the last 5 years?
The church is well established (75 years old) and in the middle of a lovely higher end neighborhood characterized by families that had been in the area for generations … literally. Many of the leaders we spoke with, now age 45 and up, had grown up there, as had their parents and grandparents.
This description would lead you to believe, as did they, that the number of people in the zip code was larger than they thought, the number of millennials and Gen Z was smaller than they thought, as was the portion of the homeowners that were new to the neighborhood in the last 5 years.
So why was this important?
Because without a clear understanding of who they were surrounded by, they ran the chance of spending lots of time, effort and money on initiatives, ministries and facilities that missed the mark. And a missed mark means decreased effectiveness in moving toward their God inspired vision of being a vehicle of transformation for their neighborhood.
Do you know who you’re talking to?
Perhaps, you’re sensing that God is wanting to write a new chapter in the story of your church or of your leadership capacity. Wouldn’t be a surprise since we’ve all been forced to do so at some level because of the pandemic.
Taking this thought a step further, let’s think about how you are navigating the Covid accelerated in-person/digital divide. Whether you call it hybrid, phrygital or something else, one of the keys to your effectiveness is knowing who you are talking to. There is certainly overlap between who shows up in person and who engages online but there are distinct differences as well.
Whatever the stage, decision, direction … effective next steps and new chapters require a clear understanding of who it is that you’re talking to.
So, you say, how do I get there? Following are a few ideas/tools.
Ask people.
Deploy a group of leaders in your church to interview folks on their street. Ask simple questions like tell me about your family, what kind of church do you think this community needs, what is your perception of the Church … of your church. Do regular quick surveys with your congregation to gather data and insights into who they are and what they need.
Listen to what people are telling you.
Listen to what people are telling you by understanding the data that resides in your church database. Review the differences in information received from those that are coming in person and online. Many churches are doing all of their check in via a “connections link.” Consider using different links or QR Codes for those that are in the room and engaged virtually.
Get the basic stats for your community.
Start with census data. The 2020 results are available here.
Explore behavioral preferences in your community.
You can gain insight into your community’s spiritual engagement preferences, relational health and more. Check out a variety of resources in this area here.
Get started … don’t expect it to be perfect … act on what you learn.
If you are trying to determine what’s next for your church or for yourself as a leader, I can help.
Multisite Reimagined™ is my proprietary process to help your team think creatively about what’s next for your multisite ministry.
Not multisite? Not a problem, I use a similar process called Storycrafting, developed by colleague Dave Travis, that will help you define the next chapter of your story.
To receive a free report that will provide you with some insight into who you are really talking to, shoot me an email at greg.ligon@generis.com with “free report and your zip code” in the subject line.
To schedule a call to talk about it, just go here.
Email me your innovation experiments and stories at greg.ligon@generis.com.