Facing discrepancies between our IDEAL ministry and DIGITAL ministry

To have healthy conversations about ministry models and innovation, leadership teams need to be honest about the discrepancies between what they "signed up for" and what's required in this moment.  Start there to avoid conflict forcing you to go there. 

Question: Hi Peter! In the pre-social-media church world, the "membership funnel" was simple, or at least seemed simple. People entering our congregation's orbit started as visitors to Sunday worship and/or attendees of programs. The end goal, from the church's perspective, was to get those people to ... join the congregation. Is there a similar end-point in the new social media world? Is it the same endpoint?

Friends, before we can talk about specific endpoints, there are conversations that require our attention. 

We have to talk about ministry models.  And discussing new models and what's required to be of service and thrive today brings us face to face with discrepancies between what many of you "signed up for" and what you're required to do online.  

In this video, I discuss being mindful of discrepancies between your IDEAL ministry and aspects of digital ministry.  

This relates to self-discrepancy theory.  We feel tension whether there are differences between our IDEAL life, what others say we OUGHT to be doing, and what our ACTUAL life is like.

Same for ministry.

What's your IDEAL?
What does your congregation think you OUGHT to be doing?  Your colleagues?  Your family? 
What about all those who you might be called to serve and their needs? 
And what are you ACTUALLY doing?

You have a sense of what's ideal,  your own internalized or felt OUGHT pressures, and so do all your staff and volunteer leaders.

Before you can get real about planning and moving forward, you need to discuss these.

It is important to get your leaders to a point where they are either on the same page, understand each other but disagree, or aren't sure but are reflecting on it.

Submit questions for future strategy sessions via the question box on this site.