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….."