- How can you act as a platform?
- What can others build on top of it?
- How little value can you extract?
- How big can the network atop your platform grow?
- How can the platform get better learning from users?
- How can you create open standards so even competitors will use and contribute to the network and you get a share of the value?
- How can you add value? (35).
While these questions deal primarily with business and even more specifically, social media, the underlying principles are there for most organizations. I would think that the last two questions have some great potential for any organization including the church. How can a church create value to people’s lives, and even more so, add value at places where there are already natural intersections with their lives? I think things like Financial Peace University which Hillcrest launches this month are potential examples for this. People have a need to right their finances, the church provides a proven product to do that (the key here is not recreate anything that is out there if it works well), and the intersection is created value.
Wednesday Night Service has that same potential, though perhaps not as obvious. People have a need to serve others (or at least participate in the community on some minimal level), the church partners with others to provide opportunities (and also does so in time frames that work), and when people serve (and provided the experience goes well), value is created.
The second to last question is more difficult and perhaps requires the input of other churches, which we all say are not our competitors, but we function as if they are. How can churches create open standards? Can a church do all things for all people? Or is it better to specialize or focus on a couple of things and partner with other churches who do other things better than us? Shouldn’t we have just a big old meeting and agree that there are some things that we are all going to do (worship, teaching and education, caring for one another, and taking care of our local communities being ones that would probably rank up there), but then when it comes to other interests (preschools, sports ministries and programs, marriage ministry, parenting seminars, etc) would we not be wise to at least pursue the thought of sharing resources, talents, so that those places with those bents were the ones providing it? I think of New Hope Family Church who provides an excellent sports ministry for kids. Rather than trying to launch our own sports ministry, are we not better to at least consider supporting theirs? I think of another church who’s thinking of launching the Celebrate Recovery ministry which would be an excellent opportunity as there are currently no locations in South (or North) Dakota. What if we saw these not as threats or weaknesses on a church that doesn’t do that but rather as opportunities to partner, to share strengths, to add more value to our community rather than taking away value by diluting our own services?
As a long time church worker, I agree with your thoughts about letting some churches do what they do best and "forgetting" to compete. As a church, you DO compete, whether you want to or not. I worked for a very traditional Lutheran church in Iowa for seven years before moving to SD. I was part of the team that finally decided that "Yes. We are a traditional church bound to our King James Bibles and Red Hymnbooks. If you would prefer something else, the new church down the street has what you're looking for." It was the most healthy decision that church ever made for itself and today, it's flourishing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Kate. I do agree on the freedom and health that can come from knowing who you are as a church. At Hillcrest, we're a certain kind of church and do certain kinds of things (and consequently don't do certain kinds of things). Being able to be honest with people about that, rather than trying to be change who we are to keep someone, is a good spot. Thanks for the thoughts.
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