Is Your Church More Like Netflix…Or Blockbuster?

Does anyone remember going to Blockbuster video on Friday night back in the day?  

For those who do—you will remember it was a madhouse!  People literally getting in fistfights over the last movie rental, children throwing a tantrum until their parents bought them the overpriced candy so prominently put on display at eye level for them—and then there was the CLASSIC two dollar charge that was put on your bill if you did not rewind the VHS tape (which was completely done away with when DVD’s came along!)

Blockbuster video opened their first store on October 19, 1985 in Dallas, Texas—and…at the height of their dominance they had a total of 9,094 stores—and it seemed nearly everyone in the US had a Blockbuster card in their wallet.  

Today if you have a Blockbuster card in your wallet it means you haven’t cleaned it out in quite a while!  

How in the world did this once video giant go from domination to obscurity?  

It’s simple - they chose not to reinvest in innovation, which would have led to them reinventing the way they could have dominated the entertainment business.  

However, because they were in love with tradition (rather than innovation) - a little company they dismissed on more than one occasion (we know them as Netflix) replaced them as the industry’s leader in entertainment…and eventually made them irrelevant altogether.  

Unfortunately what happened with Blockbuster CAN happen with the church as well…

PAUSE

Let me state for the record I do not believe the church is in any sort of trouble.  Jesus said He would build His church, and it has been thriving for the past 2,000 years.  

However, while THE CHURCH is fine, some churches are not; in fact, according to numerous different articles I’ve read - somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 churches shut down every single year (and average of around 10 per day!)  

The sad part is—it doesn’t have to be that way!!  

Unfortunately - with the churches who closed I believe the overwhelming majority of them chose to romanticize the present (like Blockbuster) and ignore the future (Netflix).  

I can actually remember churches in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s swearing they would NEVER have a website, and questioning why other churches would waste money on something so useless (no, I’m NOT making this up!)  

There was also a huge resistance to online giving in many churches (and, unfortunately, there is STILL a defiant posture in some).  

But - the bottom line is…businesses and churches who refuse to change with the times will eventually cease to exist - NOT because of the devil, but because of a decision to dive into irrelevance.  

One of the MAIN ISSUES with the church today is it seems to be answering questions no one is actually asking, while avoiding the cultural issues of the day people are legitimately seeking spiritual guidance on. And…even though the Bible is not silent on so many issues—the church still chooses to be because the “Blockbuster” mentality dominates their thinking (people will always flock to this place.)  

And this is one of the reasons I am hosting the Preaching Event on November 8-9.  

Because, I believe one of the MAJOR reasons people will attend and come back to a church has to do with the churches Sunday services.

And I believe Sunday services can (and should) be awesome and engaging, especially to those who do not know Christ.  

I believe the way we plan and promote Sunday services have a major impact on the passion our people have for them—and when people become passionate about what is happening on Sunday’s—they invite their family and friends who do not know Christ…

…and when the Gospel is presented in a clear and compelling way, those friends and family meet Jesus…

…and when they meet Jesus, they can begin their journey with Christ step by step (this is called discipleship.)  

(HOWEVER, we can’t have disciples unless we see first time decisions made to follow Christ!)  

For years as a church leader I studied attendance patterns, promotion ideas and the predictability of people in regards to their church attendance.  

I learned how to take 15-20 key Sundays where attendance will naturally be up…and turn it into 30-35 key Sundays.  

I learned what to say (and what NOT to say) when promoting the next sermon (or series). 

And…I learned what series work well (AND…which ones do NOT!)  

At the end of the day I really do love helping local churches - and I believe this preaching event will help each local church leader (and their teams) win BIG when it comes to impacting their community and reaching more and more people for Christ.  

At the end of the day - a church can choose to stay the same, and unfortunately experience the same fate as Blockbuster.  OR - you can reinvest in your leadership, reinvent your mentality (and maybe even your approach to Sundays) and see results unlike you’ve ever imagined.  

The early bird rate of $199 ends on Wednesday night of this week (afterwards it increases to $249.)  Everyone who attends this event will walk away NOT just with concepts and ideas, but an actual plan that produced passion in people—which will lead to results.  

I can’t wait to see you there.  If you haven’t registered yet then go here and do so ASAP!!!  I promise you will see 2018 take off unlike anything you previously imagined.