You are a Witness

The marketing process will only take you so far. You can have the boldest brand, the most captivating story to share, the most creative storytelling medium, and the best street team on the face of the planet, but if you are a tool, your message will fall flat on sleeping ears waiting to be awakened.

Did they just say tool? Yeah; we sure did.

You are witness, whether you want to be or not. 

When you share your story, it’s not just your story, it’s our story, and it most definitely is God’s story. But what kind of a story are you sharing?

To you, it’s probably the best story ever told. You’ve spent countless hours honing the message and perfecting the delivery. But what happens when the person that shares that story is a complete wreck?

How much do you love your community versus how much to do you want to succeed? 

The measure of success is not growth, but faithfulness. Unfortunately, the metric for effective churches and church plants is a numbers game of how many this week and how much capital have you raised.

Pride plays such a large role in this.

New church planter comes into town ready to change the world, and the town is not is not ready. The town rebuffs their actions. The town hears the story and their eyes glaze over. Pretty soon, the pastor becomes known for being pushy instead of someone who has a heart for their city and its people.

It’s about relational equity.

How much people capital do you have in your city? You’ve had people invest in you your whole life, but how much are you investing back … or are you just looking for a platform to share your message, or simply, you?

“You WILL be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8)

For better or worse, this is the reality of every Christ follower. You ARE His witness. Your life, your words and actions, the company you keep and the church you are leading; YOU are His witness.

What kind of witness are you? 

Seventy-one churches had their last worship service yesterday. For some, it was the typical life cycle of a church that lasts only fifty years on average. For others, it was a failure to launch. For the majority, it was the people that were leading the charge.

You are a witness. 

And people are watching. They watch your every move, the sports your kids play, the activities you enjoy and put out on Facebook, the challenges you go through and the politics you discuss.

You are being watched. 

It’s not a bad thing. You hold the keys to the best story every told: your story. Your story is His story, and collectively, it’s our story.

It’s the story that holds the keys to heaven. It’s the Good News. It’s the story of a far from God life that’s come home to Jesus.

It’s redemption. 

This week we want to challenge you on your story. May you value:

• People over Process
• Relationships over Platform

Your life and the lives of those in your church are the most effective marketing you can buy, only you can’t buy life-change; you just do your best to lean into it.