I have mentioned my book, that will be finished about 2059, in my blogs before.  I was looking through it earlier, and came upon this.  So, I am going to rip it off, and insert it here for today’s blog…

           " Now I would like to take a few paragraphs, and talk about something that many churches are guilty of, both high and low, big and small, fat and skinny- I call it “The Art of Almost Doing Something”.  I find this to be most prevalent in two major categories:  small churches, and uneducated churches.  As I say that, I don’t mean uneducated in the sense that they are all 4^th grade drop-outs, but in the sense that they are trying to accomplish something without receiving the proper training or guidance they need in order to accomplish it well.  Let me start this chapter by spelling out my Technological Motto, and then we will dissect it from there, with examples, bar graphs, and photo illustrations.  “If you cannot do it with complete excellence, don’t do it.”  This may sound very harsh, and non-forgiving, but you have to ask yourself, is there anywhere else on earth where what is being said inside the building is as important as what is being said inside the church?  With the obvious answer looming over our heads as a constant reminder, you now have to ask yourself this (this book is a joyride for all you bi-polar readers), how could we accept anything less than pure excellence?  We are trying to convey the most important message on earth- the message of Christ; and whether it is through music, video, drama, or teaching, we need to strive for A+ quality (just like USDA) all the time.  Assuming that 9 out of 10 doctors agree, let me show you some real life instances where the standard of excellence was not upheld, and where it would have better off not even existed.

            I can think of one conference I was at, where there was probably 30-40 churches represented, with about 2000 people attending this weeklong music conference at a nice conference center/auditorium.  This conference was supposed to be the pinnacle of worship leading and technology.  However, they PowerPoint operator was consistently 2-3 slides behind where we were actually singing during the entire 6-song worship set.  By the end of the set, about 90% of the people had repositioned themselves facing the tech booth, trying to figure out which astrophysicist was operating the PowerPoint.  By then, the entire mood of worship at this major conference was totally gone, and it was obviously apparent that it was hard for everyone to refocus, even after the pastor had begun to speak.  And this was at a conference of total church staff!  Imagine if there were newcomers!  To me, this was a classic example of “Due Diligence” not being given.  Everything has its “due diligence”, or the diligence that it is due, or required, in order to achieve excellence.  Because excellence was not the standard, even at this conference that was supposedly trying to set the new standard, roughly 2000 people lost the spirit of worship.

            Another musical example comes out of a church I worked with, where the interim music minister (of about 8 months) kept trying to put new (and weird) songs into the set that were very hard to sing, and nearly impossible to keep up with.  Because of his inability to connect with the congregation (and the lack of a creative planning team, that probably would have halted the idea), the entire congregation gave up singing the 3^rd song (out of 5), and all sat down and just looked at him.  The band couldn’t keep up with him, and they too ended up falling apart and stopping.  Imagine someone walking into church for the first time ever, and walking into that service.  Again, because excellence was not the standard by which they programmed and executed their services, the entire mood took a dive that really never recovered until that Music Interim was relieved of their duties at that church.  I could go on forever with stories that range from a Pastor forgetting his sermon notes at home, and trying to remember by turning around to look at the PowerPoint, to walking in to see microphones DUCT TAPED……..yes……..DUCT TAPD to broken microphone stands, dangling in front of the choir. 

            It all comes down to one simple fact- Your outcome reflects the work you put in, and the level of excellence you maintain.  If you keep a high standard in everything, even in the small details, it will be evident it your outcome.  Give everything its Due Diligence, and you will see the difference. Transparency IS Success….."

So, again, it has been quite a while since I have put anything on here…..every time, I say I am going to do better about blogging more often, and every time, I fail…..so, I’m not going to even bother saying that this time…..  I am writing this blog, after having just returned from a trip to Willow Creek in Chicago for the Willow Arts Conference.  This trip was AWESOME this year….the relationships that we all got to build during that trip was AMAZING….a truly talented group of people.  It was this trip that helped me realize how CRCC is blessed in a way that sadly, many other churches aren’t.  I have been working with a few churches in town, helping them to become better at what they do by raising their production value, their technical transparency, etc.  In all of these churches, they are all very talented people, and many of them have tons of potential in the area that they serve.  The problem, in almost every church so far that I have worked with, is their relationships with each other.  The band members think they are right every time….so do the sound guys…..so do the vocalists…..so does EVERYONE in the group….and they spend all of their time together arguing about how it SHOULD be done, instead of just doing it, or finding a middle ground.  At one particular place, I am pretty sure that the drummer and audio guy actually HATE each other…..  The sad thing is, out of about 5 churches I am working with, this is true for 3, and sometimes 4 of them…..and that is just in Vegas…..so what does that mean for ministries and churches nationwide?  Could it really be that 3 out of 5 churches are dysfunctional, because of their team member’s relationships?  Sadly, yes.
The church I came from was in a similar situation at times…people who had no business serving where they were serving where left untouched, because nobody wanted to "hurt their feelings"……new ideas or church plans never happened, because it might make someone upset….staff members kept secrets from each other…..volunteers didn’t like working with certain other volunteers……yet, the church continues in the same path today, because the majority refuse to even recognize a problem (whether out of ignorance or stupidity, who knows), and because nobody wants to hurt anyone’s feelings. 
We seem to have it all wrong.
Sure, I understand that we shouldn’t be out to get someone, or do things just to hurt their feelings……but at the same time….it really isn’t about them….it’s really not about any of us.  Being a church is about growing the Kingdom, and reaching the lost…..it is about catering to peoples NEEDS….NOT their needy-ness. See, the moment you let your feelings get hurt because someone else is trying to advance the Kingdom, you are making it about you….saying that what YOU want is more important that was everyone else wants….or even what is best overall.  Even for the over-achieving, gung-ho volunteer who has a vision for how things "should be"….if someone tells them otherwise, and they make it a personal attack, they have missed the point.  Serving in the church is just that….serving.  It’s not about self-advancement, or getting the spotlight, or even doing a task…..it is about using the gifts that GOD GAVE YOU, to help bring HIM honor.  It’s amazing, as I look at these churches, and the one I came from, many people serve, because they think the church "needs them", or that they have something amazing to offer….No offense….but we don’t need you….We are providing a place for you to say "Thanks" to God for giving you what He has given you.  On more than one occasion, my boss has come up to me and told me to do things a different way than I was doing them…whether it be mixing sound, the way I built a particular set, the way I put a  microphone on someone, WHATEVER…my first reaction is usually the urge to punch him in the face (I say that half jokingly, because I see that he has subscribed to this blog)….but I have to remember that he isn’t doing that to be a complete jerk…or just to screw up my day….he is doing is because like myself, he cares about the whole experience, and knows it can be done better.  If I were to dwell on the fact that he thought I was wrong, I would be missing the point.  It’s not about what I think is right….it’s about me doing my very best, and taking direction from those above me.
I say all of that to say this I guess…there are SO MANY churches out there who are struggling; not because of finances or membership drops….but because they are too caught up in petty things to have the freedom or ability to move forward.  "Playing church" is not acceptable folks, neither is a church that isn’t going anywhere….. small churches aren’t bad…..but a church staying small because of their lack of mission IS. 
I was so proud of my team in Chicago…..as we were all playing volleyball together, I took a moment a looked….we had staff, volunteers, old, young, actors, musicians, technicians, vocalists, producers, writers, programmers, leaders, etc…..we even had a tag along from another church, that nobody (except for 3 of us) had met before…..and there we all were……playing together…..having more fun together in that one week than many church staff’s have over 10 years.  There were no age lines…..no official title lines…..no experience lines……just a team who actually loved each other.  I think we take that for granted sometimes, but it is, disappointingly, a rare thing in churches across America.  Way to go guys…..I know I built some AMAZING relationships out of this trip that will last a lifetime…..

I will soon be posting some pictures of this trip on this page…..stay tuned…