If you’re a deal-chaser, I’ll level with you: You’re about to get a steal.

Along with Tim Schraeder and Kem Meyer, I’ll be teaching at Exponential this year. We’re each leading individual sessions during the actual event, but we’re team-teaching a session at the Expo precon that you will definitely want to be a part of. Kem and Tim are there to teach you what’s up. I’m just there for the eye-candy (SNAP!).

I can assure you that this will be an ultra-intimate setting where you will get top-tier content from me, Kem and Tim. If you’re going to be at Exponential, you won’t want to miss it. I swear you’ll be kicking yourself later if you do. Like, right in the face.

The details break down like this:

Best Practices in Church Technology and Communications – Facilitated by Justin Wise, Tim Schraeder, Kem Meyer

The church has the greatest story ever told, unfortunately we don’t always do a great job of sharing it with others. In today’s hyper-connected world we need to know how to use mediums of today to communicate the timeless message of the Gospel in way that’s relevant to reach our culture. This prelab will bring together some of the leading voices that are shaping and influencing the ways churches communicate and give you the opportunity to discuss and dialogue how we can steward the opportunity we have to share the greatest story ever told with clarity. Panelists include: Kem Meyer, Granger Community Church; Tim Schraeder of the Center for Church Communication; and Justin Wise, Social Media Director for Monk Development. These proven practitioners will share their insight, share how they’ve implemented significant change in their unique contexts and give you next steps to create a communications strategy for your church.

Doesn’t that sound like fun? I think so. I think you should be there. So much so that I’m going to offer you a link. This link. It will take you to a place where you can confirm your participation in all the fun and excitement. Word on the street is that you can get some dough knocked off your registration by entering the deviant at check out.

I’d love to see you in Orlando. So would Kem. And Tim. Let’s be friends!

I wanted to turn your attention to some of the posts, highlights, lowlights and everything in between that this week has offered. Buckle up, get ready, it’s time for another edition of “Best of the Week!”

• Best social media post of the week: Chris Brogan tells us, as gracefully as possible, why we aren’t as successful as we think we should be. He’s right on the money, FWIW.
• Best ministry post of the week: Rhett Smith tells pastors to stop bleeding all over the congregation. Leading ≠ barfing uncomfortable information all over your people. Nor is it “authentic”.
• Best survey of the week: A friend of mine, Drew Goodmanson, put together this short survey to take a look at how churches use their websites. We could use your input!
• Best new website of the week: Timely.is posts tweets for you at the most optimal time, according to the click-rate of your last 200 tweets.
• Best food court proposal of the week: This gentleman thought it was a good idea to propose in front of a Sbarro. You can guess how this one ends.
• Best meltdown of the week: Tim Floyd loses it at a UTEP game. He used to coach for Iowa State. Go ahead, Timmy!
• Best news of the week: Amazon Prime now includes access to Amazon Instant Videos. Free shipping and free movies. Not bad.

This video was shot in downtown Des Moines on September 4th, 2010.

Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Is this helpful or hurtful?
What is the primary motivator in this scene? Is it a desire for people to know Jesus or an individual’s need to feel and be perceived as faithful?
What do you suppose people who are walking by are thinking about this man? About God? About the Bible? Jesus?

You decide.

I’ll admit it: Rage Against the Machine is one of my most favorite bands. Ever. I think they get a lot of things right–musically and philosophically.

Tom Morello’s play-my-guitar-with-a-wrench-beacause-I-can style.
Tim Commerford’s bubbling bass.
And of course, Zack de la Rocha’s unique, politically-charged, freestyle rap-rock lyrical delivery.

I feel like I’m outing myself or something. Yes, they have a radical message–but they’re passionate. And I love passion. I also have a sneaking suspicion that on certain levels, the life and message of Jesus looked more like Zack de la Rocha’s than Mister Rogers.

Rage is an un-band. You can’t classify them as either “here” or “there.” They do (or rather, did, as the band is no longer formally together) their own thing and make no apologies for it.

They painfully hold the light of exposure on politicians and political systems that they feel are unjust. In fact, if you go to the band’s official website, you’ll see a link in the nav bar to Axis of Justice. AoJ’s mission statement:

Axis of Justice is a non-profit organization formed by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian. Its purpose is to bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.

Lead singer Zack de la Rocha frequently speaks out against the foreign and domestic policies of the United States–with some notable encounters with Fox News and Saturday Night Live. Regardless of whether one agrees with all (or even most) of their political views, you have to commend them for doing something about what they believe.

As a frequent communicator, I know it is so easy to stand behind a microphone and preach ideologies without accompanying those beliefs with action. I want to be a person in Christ who not only speaks the word of God, but does the word of God.

Rage, while certainly not identifiable as a “Christian” band (on the surface, anyway), helps me to remember this–words require action.

Most pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors. Most pastors have some sort of regular public speaking routine built-in to there weekly/monthly schedule. As such, we have a lot to learn about human communication.

We have a lot to learn from others who communicate a message effectively and decisively.

One of those people to learn from is Steve Jobs. In fact, someone named Carmine Gallo even wrote a book on the presentation secrets of ol’ Steve. I haven’t read the book, but below is a list of some of the “secrets” unveiled by Gallo in a video at the end of this post.

1. Set the Theme

Andy Stanley does this more brilliantly than anyone I know. He weaves a single statement throughout his entire message, making it unforgettable by the end. Jobs does the same thing–one particular theme that you base everything else in your message off of. Cohesion, baby.

2. Provide the Outline

Tell people where you’re going. Don’t make them guess. Jobs will provide some sort of verbal outline near the beginning of his presentations. I like to do the same thing, just so people have an expectation of what they can expect to hear. You respect your audience by doing this, as well as giving them something to look forward to.

3. Open and Close Each Section With a Clear Transition

Give them a “bookend.” Clearly transition from one point to the next with a relevant and catchy transition. Jobs masters this and it shows–the momentum in his presentations never slows, even though the pace might. It’s like a stick-shift–you wouldn’t go from first gear to third, otherwise you wouldn’t have a car for very long. You go from first, to second, to third, etc. The same principle applies in public speaking.

4. Demonstrate Enthusiasm

Someone I work with once told me, “Your audience can’t exceed your level of excitement. If you’re at a five, it is not possible for those listening to go past that. You set the tone.” Steve Jobs is obviously, palatably excited every time he gives a presentation. He’s amped about the latest product he’s wow-ing the crowd with. What about you, pastor? Are you honestly excited about the message you’re conveying? Or are you manufacturing energy? Learn a lesson from Perry Noble: GET EXCITED!!!

5. Make it Visual

Pastors and preachers, listen up. I am convinced this is the most important take-away we can learn from Steve Jobs: Make your presentation visual. The spoken word is designed to engage the mind while visual images are designed to affect the heart. Steve Jobs is a master at conveying information about Apple products while engaging the heart at the same time (i.e. the “I want that!” factor):

• He rarely has more than three images on a single slide.
• There are usually less than 10 words on a single slide.
• The images he uses are rich and vibrant, telling a story.
• Visual aids are simple and rich with meaning (i.e. pulling the Macbook Air out of a manilla envelope. Brilliantly simple).

This is where we pastors have the most to learn. Powerpoint slides are not an excuse to cram as much information as possible onto the screen. Clip art is (and always should be) forbidden. Think less words, more images. Think less words, less slides. Let your story-telling skills do the walking!

6. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse

While I’m not 100% on this tip, there is merit. Jobs makes his presentations look effortless because he’s logged dozens of hours to make you think that he’s not even trying. Believe me, he is. While every individual is different, and every schedule is different, practicing your message can never hurt. Knowing your transitions and cues from one segment to the next is key. While we pastors may not have as much time to practice for a weekly message, we can be intentional about knowing what we’re going to say before we step on stage.

No matter what you think about his products, Steve Jobs is an amazing communicator. Sure, he may not be communicating the truths of Scripture, but the message he is conveying is being heard and embraced by millions. Isn’t that something we can learn from? Leaders are learners!

(If you’re interested, below is a brief video presentation by Carmine Gallo on Steve Jobs communication skills. It’s a bit cheesy, but the info is great and the analysis is super helpful.)

Has our preaching become too “black and white”? Perhaps even more so than the Scripture we preach on? What’s there to be said about the mystery of this whole Gospel story? Where did it go and how do we get it back?

Bottom line: Does a younger generation want to be “told what to do” or do they want to “connect the dots” themselves? One or the other? Both?

Holla.

Earlier this week I shared about open-source sermons, an idea I got after listening to Gary Hamel at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. The gist of the idea is to leverage the power of new media and give people the ability to contribute to the R&D process of my weekly message. I used Google Docs, Twitter and Facebook and let ‘er rip, not sure what would happen.

To my surprise, people gravitated toward the idea. Some even contributed. I even utilized some of the insights people shared. It was wild.

If you tuned into the webcast last night at Immersion, you heard me describe the process and thank the people who contributed. My friend Dave added some wisdom, so did @NeilGilbert and @bwgoods. Someone even gave me the wonderful image that’s at the top of this post (you need to read 2 Samuel 6:1-11 to have that make sense, though.)

I felt myself refreshed and encouraged by the response, and even changed the direction of the message based on some of the contributions. Simply wild.

Even after one week, this is making me re-think my sermon preparation strategy:

• If we believe that God’s Word is living and active, wouldn’t it stand to reason that it is saying something new and fresh to everyone who engages it?
• If I can incorporate others experience with the Word of God in tasteful ways, why wouldn’t I do that? As John Donne said, “No man is an island.” (I’m sure Donne would agree that no woman is either.)
• God’s Word is communal. The letters that Paul wrote that we now call the New Testament were read in community.
• Jewish rabbis hashed out the Scriptures together in midrash.

Contrast this with our modern messages. They are largely written in solitude by one person with very little interaction or feedback from real, flesh-and-blood people. Rob Bell once said that the “Scriptures are like a gem. The more your turn it, the more the light reflects and refracts through it.” If that’s true, wouldn’t I want as many eyes on the gem as possible, telling me what they see?

I’m not trying to be critical, just observant. I’m not saying open-source sermons are the “right” way to go, but I do think there’s a whole lot of value in listening to what God’s Spirit says through other people.

So here’s your chance to join in the fun. I preach again on the 27th of August, so I’ve made the passage we’re using available here: http://bit.ly/imm-82709. Check out the text and join in the discussion; join in the open-source.

What would it take for you and your community to go “open-source”? Is this something you feel would be beneficial?

I listened to Gary Hamel talk about the future of the church at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. He blew my mind. One of the gems he dropped (among many, mind you) was the following:

We need a lot more business models and innovations in church. Why is church a lecture, not a discussion?

He talked about how the church has become a one-way street when it could be (and should be) a two-way street. Less monologue, more dialogue. More questions, less answers. Then he mentioned something that had never occurred to me as a preacher and teacher:

Open-source sermons.

It’s like Linux or WordPress, but for messages. What if the members of the community had a chance to give their input into what was covered in the weekly message? What if someone has a unique perspective on the Scripture being preached on and can “lend a hand”? What if some of your members have a Masters of Divinity just “sitting around” and would love to “take it for a spin” every now and again?

So, in keeping with another Summit presenter’s advice to “just do something,” I decided to give this a try for my message this week. (And beyond, if it works!) My text is 2 Samuel 6:1-11, so I’d encourage you to give it a read and contribute your thoughts here: http://bit.ly/imm-81309. The beauty of this all is since Immersion is webcasted, my “community” is literally worldwide. Certainly there are some limiting physical factors, but anyone and everyone can contribute and watch what God does on Thursday nights.

Think of the benefits:

• Attenders eagerly anticipate the message, hoping something they’ve shared can add to the word that God has for your congregation.
• Increased Biblical fluency–if your people want to contribute, they’ll have to read and know the Scripture you’re talking on!
• Decreased preparation time for the communicator.
• Broader ecumenical and cultural experiences built into the message.

You, as the communicator, would ultimately have the last word in what went in and what didn’t. This idea speaks to shifting the “professional clergy” from being the “powers the be” to the “powers that see”–see the connections, opportunities, and wisdom in the surrounding community. It would leverage technology in order to allow the faith community to build a collective and communal word to themselves. Brilliant.

Would you be willing to try it?