This is the 777th post on BeDeviant.com. It’s also the last post on this site. There are also 777 words in this post. After seven years of actively posting, sharing, thinking, challenging and changing, I’ve decided to bring this journey to a close.

There are lots of reasons behind this decision, but I’ll briefly share three main ones.

Reason #1: Different Interests

It’s no secret that I’ve left my job working at a local church and joined the team at Monk Development. I’m also able to work with wonderful human beings like Charles Lee, Brad Abare and Tim Schraeder on a regular basis.

After graduating seminary, I realized very quickly that I did not want to be a local parish pastor. That might seem like the epitome of irony, or even that my experience at sem was negative. Quite the contrary, in fact. Bethel helped me to see, in fuller detail, the cost of being a pastor in the 21st century church. After graduating I quickly came to the conclusion: I am not a pastor.

Many of you reading this are, in fact, in pastoral roles. I cannot tell you how much respect and admiration I have for you. I’ve been in your shoes at one of the largest churches in the U.S. and can say, unequivocally, you have one of the hardest jobs on the face of the planet. The pressures, the demands, the struggles—you are most certainly gifted with a strength straight from God’s hand!

That said, BeDeviant.com was an online dialogue of the struggles I was facing as a pastor. The frustrations, fears and anxieties that I faced working for a church. Since I’m no longer on church staff, those struggles, thankfully, have disappeared. With that, most of my writing material has gone with it!

My focus is much more specific now, dealing primarily with web and online ministry. Rather than trying to continually morph BeDeviant into something it was never created to be, I decided it was best to simply stop the train.

Reason #2: Too Divisive

I was afraid this day would come because of the subject matter on this blog. My main intent through the years has been to challenge, but sometimes that’s difficult to do faithfully.

BeDeviant, by its very nature, causes eyebrows to raise. That can be a good thing until it isn’t. In the past 12 months, I’ve been asking the question if being divisive is what I want to be about. The answer, thankfully, is no. My intent, obviously, has never been to create conflict, simply reflection. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always translated well.

Some of  you have been hurt, angered and frustrated by the things I’ve written. I’m sorry for that. BeDeviant.com was started with the idea of challenging people to think differently about their relationship with God. I think BeDeviant has served its purpose in doing that, but at a price. Shutting this site down is me saying, “Holy Spirit, I trust you to challenge people where they need to be challenged. When appropriate, use me.”

Being a unified Body in this day and age, is more important than ever. I want to work towards doing that. I’ve tried to do that in the past few months, but moving in a direction is what’s need to make that happen more fully. Please join me!

Reason #3: Falling Flat

The traffic on this blog has plateaued for the past 12 months. I don’t think it’s reactionary to look at that and say, “This may be as high as the ceiling gets here.” If you know anything about blogging, you know that there are certain “niche” markets to get in to. I’m afraid the “Lutheran-postmodern-ex-pastor-theologically-generous” niche is all dried up .

That’s not to say the only reason that I write is for traffic, but the amount of time and energy that goes into writing a blog like this is, in a word, substantial. There are so many of you wonderful people who have read this blog since its inception and I cannot thank you enough for it. Your emails, notes, tweets and encouragement blesses me more than I can say. But sometimes, “You gotta know when to fold ‘em.”

So, What’s Next?

I’ll still be blogging. Quitting that would be next to impossible. I’ll be at JustinWise.net talking about blogging, social media, productivity, and my life (on occasion). I want to share what I’m learning in the space with all of you. I’d love it if you joined me or grabbed the RSS feed.

You can always reach me on Twitter as well. @JustinWise for those who don’t know!

Words cannot express what our conversations through the years have meant. I’ll simply wrap things up by saying “Thank you!”

May God bless you and yours.

Peace,
Justin

For the first time ever, the Center for Church Communication will be holding a CFCC Meetup at Catalyst West. I’ll be there. Tim Schraeder will be there (worth the price of admission alone!). CFCC founder Brad Abare will be there. TRIFECTA!

Would you consider joining us? If so, check out the details for the meetup. We’ve got a sweet location (Irish pub! I’m 2/54ths Irish!), great company and all the time in the world (well, from 5:30 until this guy shows up).

Of course, if you can’t make this one we have a plethora of other meetups that we’d like you to consider. Check out the growing list here.

Some of you may be asking, “What is the Center for Church Communication anyway?” I’m glad you asked. Here’s part of our purpose statement:

We are made up of passionate change agents, experienced comm professionals and thoughtful instigators; advocating for communicators to find their place in the church—and helping the church get through to their communities so that churches know who they are and are unashamed to tell others.

We identify, resource and celebrate the next generation of church communicators, encouraging them to focus their tenacity and talent for excellent communication, so that churches are sought out by the communities they serve.

If that doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will. Tim and I were recently named as co-directors of CFCC and couldn’t be more pleased to bring along as many people as possible for the ride!

Make plans to join us at Catalyst West or one of the other meetups. While you’re at it, take a look at CFCC’s online presence:

• Blog: Church Marketing Sucks
• Twitter: @CMSucks, @CFCCLabs, @CMLab
• Facebook: CMS & CFCC
• Web: www.CFCCLabs.org

Hope to see you there!

One of the scarcest traits, rarely found, is the ability and willingness to be persuaded.

Strangely, while most people individually will agree on it’s value, I think societally we’ve deemed it a sign of weakness. We seem to glorify those who remain steadfast in their positions and “stick to their guns” no matter what, instead of those weak willed individuals who are sold on an alternate idea and “flip flop”.

I think this stems from the experiences we’ve all had of being manipulated, and more importantly manipulating others. We know both feelings all to well and they shape us.

The truth is this apparent vulnerability is one of the greatest strengths one can possess. True leaders know this. True leaders don’t care about the perceptions. True leaders change their minds.

How many leaders do you know that willingly change their minds based on what those around them are saying? Unfortunately, not many. Add to this the “God called me to do this!” language and you have on your hands a stubborn, arrogant leader who now, apparently, has God’s backing. *shudder*

I think there’s being focused and there’s being headstrong. Often times I think leaders–especially church leaders–confuse the former with the latter.

Do you know of any great church leaders in your life who are able (and willing) to change their minds? Who are they and what have you learned from them?

• Little to no dough.
• No people.
• Solo staff, so they wear many hats.
• No guarantee of success.

To top it all off, they have people who make weird (but funny) videos like this, mocking their plight. I found the following a little angry, but humorous nonetheless. And hey, if you can’t laugh at the fact that nearly every church planter has some form of facial hair, you’re probably taking yourself a little too seriously.

Enjoy (and have a great Friday!):

HT: Michael Novotny

The following is a post from Blaine Hogan. Blaine, amongst other things, is an artist, a pastor and an incredible dancer. Enjoy!

How much time have we wasted trying to make ‘bigger and better’ or ‘slicker and sweeter’ messages instead of just being the messengers?” – Play Time: Finding the Freedom to Imagine and Explore by Betty Spackman, author and installation artist.

Awhile ago I was asked to submit a proposal to a publisher for a set of short films. As I sat down to write the proposal, I became acutely aware of the fact that what I was creating was very quickly going to be turned into a product. All of a sudden I was thinking about demographics, marketing, target audiences. Before I could even get started I was paralyzed, knowing that what I was writing would be subject not only to the scrutiny of my own creative process, but also to whether or not the publisher thought she could sell it. Sitting at my desk, I knew I had a choice. I could write what was inside of me. In other words, be the messenger. Or, I could write for the publisher, giving them something that might not be from my heart, but I knew they could sell.

I thought to myself, certainly there must be a place that lies somewhere between these two extremes.

How many times a week does this happen in our organizations? A creative person sits down at their desk with an idea. But before they can put pen to paper, they realize their idea will soon be critiqued, not only for its inherent artistic value, but also for its potential appeal to the audience – will the leader like it, will it move people to do good, will it change lives? There is no easy answer to this dilemma. For it is not an easy task to live in the tension. We want either/or’s. And yet the art of tension lies somewhere in the middle. A third way, if you will.

For me, the art of holding the tension between being the messenger and being a producer begins by creating environments of safety. Pastors and priests: if you want great visions, you must take good care of your prophets.

While not the case for everyone, some of you know all too well that your church is not a safe place for your messengers, artists, and prophets. The reasons vary from not having enough to time to create something from the heart, to the direct dismissal of creatives as disorganized weirdos. Regardless of the reason, these unsafe places have created communities deprived of the deep, complex, and beautiful mysteries of the faith that cannot always be spoken of in a sermon.

The artist is the pastor of the 21st century whether we like it or not.

Spackman writes:

Whether one is an artist or not, I think as Christians we are all implicated in the horrendous deficiency of imagination, the visual illiteracy, the dispassionate celebrations of ‘the joy of our salvation,’ the uncaring lamentations of our sorrow for the oppressed and wounded, our lack of protest for the destruction of our ecosystem and the consumerist kitsch that is the predominant expression of faith in most of the Christian community.

If the above is news to you, know that the creative professionals in your organization have long been aware. They have felt the deep pain of working and volunteering in places that are lacking in creativity and imagination for sometime now. Those of you who are leaders have an incredible opportunity to revitalize your community by beginning the difficult work of trusting and affirming the visions and dreams of your creative professionals. This process, however, will not be easy, nor will it be quick. But, if you are willing to live in the tension of letting your artists free and not micro-managing the creative process, you will begin to experience some amazing things.

The following is neither an exhaustive list of how to accomplish this, nor a step-by-step plan. Instead, what follows are a few things I think might help your team along.

Leaders, my challenge to you is to gather your creatives and ask them what they dream about. Ask them about the art they create. Ask them to share with you their vision of your community. Ask them to tell you what it is they find mysterious about following Christ. Ask them to dream of a place where they would be free to experiment and make mistakes. And then (here is the tough part), work tirelessly to create that place for them.

If you want to grow the mystery of Christ in your church, you must first foster mystery among your staff.

Creatives, my challenge to you is to be honest to yourself, your leaders, God. Perhaps the most tragic part of your calling as prophets and visionaries is that you will not always be understood. In fact, most of the time you will not. Be careful, however, that being misunderstood isn’t something you carry as a badge of honor. Simply know this: more often than not, the prophet will be called into the court to share her vision; she will be lauded and praised, and then she will quickly be dismissed.

Do not be discouraged and do not lose heart. You are desperately needed.

While your leaders might only now be able to ask you questions, it will be your task to gently guide them into your world. Give them grace when you are dismissed and offer strong words when you have more to say. The art of holding this tension will be largely in your hands.

So, how will you hold it?

If we are truly carrying the gospel with us in our daily experiences, through breakfast, and meetings, and coffee breaks, and creative brainstorming sessions, then it should spill out quite naturally into the art we create. It is inherently marked and stamped by the truth we hold in the center of ourselves. If this is true, then our offerings do not need to be big, better, slick, or sweet. They need only to be honest.

And yet with this honesty comes the great and difficult tension that we have been speaking of. It is the tension that comes from our deep desire to create work that serves the community we are a part of, affects the hearts of people who refuse to be touched, and provides a path toward redemption and restoration. It is the tension that comes from creating something from the center of your being that is neither product, nor production, but an outward pouring of beauty.

Again, there are no simple or easy answers to offer. Instead, I say this:

May you simply be kind to yourself and may you hold the tension well.

I love going to conferences. Fresh off the heels of STORY, I’m convinced now more than ever before that conferences are a vital part of leadership development and training.

I know everyone doesn’t agree with me. Some people see conferences as a huge waste of time and resources. “We should be working!” they say.

That’s why I loved getting this question from reader Rachel recently:

I’m curious… I see a lot of bloggers get together for big events and what not.  I’m poor and live far away on a vast peninsula, but are these things worth going to?  I mean are they worth the financial investment?

Simply put, she’s asking if conferences are worth it. The travel, the hotels, the money, the time–does it all pay off? Or is it just an excuse to get out of the office for awhile?

It’s All About the Network

Conferences have people. People build community. Conferences, with people, build a community. In the Christian conference circuit, there are very few people who I’d pay a registration fee to go see. There are too many outlets to grab the content you want from the people you admire:

• Podcasts
• YouTube
• On-Demand Players
• Livestreamed Services
• Tour DVDs
• Etc.

The one thing these resources cannot provide is the experience you get from shaking the hand of someone you’ve followed on Twitter for awhile, but never in real life. Or grabbing a bite to eat with an online buddy. Or connecting in person with a long time reader of your blog. Conferences provide these opportunities. Conferences, for me, aren’t about the content. They’re about the people.

People Helping People

Further, when you go to conferences and you meet people, you build your own personal network. Here’s the thing: Most people like to help other people. I know I can call up Vince Marotte and ask him for a favor and, if he’s able, he’ll do it. (And vice versa) Why? Because we’ve supplemented our online relationship with good ol’ fashioned, face-to-face bonding. Going to conferences helps you build on the online relationships you’ve already built. It makes your network, your community, stronger.

I met Rhett Smith online, but when we met in person at Cultivate last year, he sent me a Christmas card. We keep track on the conferences the other person is going to and make sure to connect when we’re at the same ones. Rhett’s a friend, but he’s an even better friend since we met in person. TRUTH.

Offline Trumps Online

Even though I’m a huge proponent of online community, there’s nothing quite like being face-to-face when possible. Conferences help people do this; help people get face-to-face.

Yes, conferences cost money. Yes, you have to sometimes pay a healthy sum to travel across the country. Yes, it’s time away from the office. But ask yourself, what are you getting in return? Further, ask yourself what you’re missing out on by not being a part of the larger community.

• What opportunities are you missing out on?
• What relationships will never be fortified?
• What friends will never be made?

I’m not saying you need to go to every conference out there, but I would suggest picking 2-3 “no-miss” conferences throughout the year and stick to them. For instance, I won’t miss ECHO or STORY. Every year, barring a national tragedy, I’ll be there. Count on it.

Here’s a little secret–most conferences have a “scholarship” budget built-in to the planning. If you are truly at a point where you can’t afford to go to the conference of your choosing, email the leadership team for that event. Ask for a scholarship. Tell them you’ll volunteer. Ask to barter. Being a conference promoter myself, I know that most anyone would be willing to find a way to get you there so it’s a win-win for both sides.

What conferences are no-miss for you? Why do you go to the conferences that you do? What’s the value for you? Please share in the comments below. Would love to hear what you think!

I hold weekly online office hours on Wednesday afternoons. A set-aside time where I open up the virtual doors of my office and say, “Come, child. Let us discuss the matters of life.”

Anything is fair game, but mostly we end up talking about blogging, social media and velociraptors. Yes, velociraptors.

At any rate, a question came through from a reader who asked,

Do you have any PRO TIPS for branding a church plant?

I liked the question because I don’t think enough church planters think this through before they start. Frankly, I don’t blame them for not putting design and branding at the top of the list. With Bibles, budgets and buildings to be worried about, design slowly sifts to the bottom of the list.

Although it may not be on the top of mind, it should be. In the words of my high school football coach, “You look good, you play good!”

Branding is easier now than ever before. And for the most part, it’s free or low-cost. We’ll be talking more about this topic at the BeDeviant Social Media Summit, but here’s how I answered the question:

First, get specific. If I were to start a church tomorrow (I’m not), I’d find out as much as possible about the city that I’m planting in. I’d build off of something unique about that city. For instance, here in Des Moines we have the Gateway Park downtown. One of my friends, Paul, planted a church downtown and named it, you guessed it, The Gateway Church (http://TheGatewayChurch.com). This tells people, “Hey, we care about this city. We’re here to stay.”

Second, I’d invest in killer design. One of my undergrad communication professors said, “Presentation is half the battle.” I’ve never forgotten it. If your church brand is aesthetically pleasing, the better the chances are that people will come and visit. This works on a subconscious level mostly. Good design cannot be overstated. It’s a must.

Finally, use that awesome branding and invest in a good website. There are simple solutions for church plants (http://CloverSites.com) that take the hassle out of having a good web presence. Get your location, times, staff, and about page rocking and then send everyone you meet to the site. Get cards printed up with your site on it. Put it in your email signature. Grab a Twitter page with your URL (e.g. XYZChurch.com = @XYZChurch). Do the same for a Facebook page. Get a web presence started immediately and push your community there. Chances are you won’t have a building right away, so let the online sphere serve as your collective “gathering space.”

Hope that helps!

What would you add? What churches have you seen with a great brand that extends across multiple platforms (i.e. website, Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc.)?

• Practical ways to get started in digital ministry.
• Technology as an aid and not a destination.
• People are always the point.
• And more….

Some of you were asking when the webinar would be posted to the M2 LIVE archives (that rhymes). I’m here to tell you, it’s up. Just click the image below.

Thanks again to the guys of M2 LIVE. They’ve assembled a phenomenal team and the process couldn’t have gone any smoother. Well done, Matt and Sean!

Speaking of M2 LIVE, I’ll be taking part in their regional tour in Chicago, October 8-9. I’d love it if you could stop by!

Ron was spot-on with his reasons. You can tell this is a guy who has been down the road a little bit and doesn’t want young ones to make the same mistakes he sees the people around him making. I appreciate his wisdom and willingness to identify the elephant in the room. His list was great in and of itself, but I wanted to add a few of my own reasons why leaders quit organizations.

1. They were not given a healthy avenue to deal with and resolve conflict. Too often, especially in Christian circles, we gloss over the truth with a spiritual-sounding veneer. Just enough lacquer to keep the masses at bay. Sometimes conflict is allowed to fester because we’re too busy bowing down at the altar of Nice. Leaders aren’t content to have conflict sit idly by. They want it resolved and they want you to help them.

2. They were not compensated fairly. I heard Bill Hybels speak on this at a Willow Creek Leadership Summit a few years ago and haven’t forgotten it since. He said, “If you have the most dedicated, passionate and productive staff member and you do not compensate them fairly, they will leave your organization within three years.” All that from a Dutchman. Yow.

3. Their organizational concerns weren’t addressed. Leaders know the difference between situational problems and systemic problems. They know what will eventually pass through the system of the organization (food poisoning) and they know what is corroding the organization from the inside out (cancer). When their concerns aren’t addressed, even to say “You’re right, that’s a problem. We’re working on it!”, they get frustrated.

Have you seen any of these at work? Is there anything you would add to this list?

In college I was part of a student-run news station called UNI-TV. In one of my less-than-stellar moments in life, I decided to dress up as Cupid for our Valentine’s Day special. My “costume” consisted of nothing more than heart-shaped sun glasses, the word “Cupid” drawn on my chest, and a “diaper”–white gym shorts rolled up entirely too short. Don’t believe me? Here’s visual proof:

Needless to say, I don’t share this image very often. Nevertheless, here I am telling you along with all of the Internets.

See, I used to be ashamed of this part of my story. In college, I was much different than I am now. Many of you reading can attest to that. This image captures a lot of who that person was. It captures what I chose to communicate to the rest of the world back then: Clueless, brash, arrogant, womanizer, drunk. I look back on my life at the University of Northern Iowa and think sometimes, “How did I get there?”

How did I get in a fist fight that left me with a nearly-fractured orbital bone?
How did I drink so much that I literally forget what happened the entire night before?
How did I get on Cedar Falls public television wearing nothing but my gym shorts?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you look around and think, “I have no idea how I got here?”

Imagine my surprise when, not too long ago, I got an email from Tim Schraeder, communications guru at Park Church. In it, Tim asked me to be a part of a project he was putting together. The project, then yet to be titled, was going to be a collection of church communication people from all over the country (world?) sharing their stories.

“Me?” I thought. “Did he mean to send this email to me?” I was a bit dumbfounded. Some of the other names on the email were people I look up to. People who influence me in myriad different ways. People who’ve left an imprint on me, whether they’re aware of it or not. People like Leonard Sweet, Ben Arment, Kem Meyer, Cynthia Ware and on, and on.

Have you ever looked around and thought, “I have no idea how I got here?”

Thus, OUTSPOKEN was born. A collection of church communications leaders and influencers telling their stories. Sharing how God communicates to them and how we, in turn, communicate his reality to the rest of the world. Somehow or another, in the irony of Providence, I found my way onto this project. “How did I get here?”

I try not to use this language very much, mostly because I think it’s been horribly abused, but I feel like this is God moving powerfully in my life. Going from a punk 21-year-old kid with nothing but his own self on his mind, to an almost 30-year-old being asked to contribute to a project that is, by all accounts, filled with the best and brightest the Church has to offer. Once again, “how did I get here?”

I’m humbled, I’m grateful. In a strange way, I feel some redemption from my “I’ll wear gym shorts on public television because I can, dammit!” phase. God’s using me to communicate something of himself to the rest of the word. Sheesh. Talk about grace. I cannot wait for you to experience this collection first hand.

In the meantime, follow the progress of the book on Twitter or check us out on Facebook. And be sure to check out Tim’s post explaining the whole project. It’s a good read.

Don’t let anyone ever make you feel ashamed for the person you used to be. God can use, clean it up, turn it around and change the world through it. Believe that. His grace is wider, bigger, stronger, taller than any goof, gaffe, or blunder you’ve made or could ever make. Trust me. I’m living in that reality right now. A reality that, as you might guess, leaves me wondering sometimes, “How did I get here?”