First, here’s an advertising video from Google:

Now, here’s an advertising video from Apple:

Which commercial did you connect with better???  I had the same answer… Apple.  It’s obvious, isn’t it?  Fast Company’s Blog gives three lessons that Google can learn from Apple.  It’s three lessons that WCC can learn from, too.

1. There’s a difference between good usability and a great experience

Even though something is technically correct, people connect to an experience, not to sterile facts.  When we greet people during the ‘welcome’ time of a worship service, that’s a Google approach.  When we talk to people we don’t know after the service, invite them to our ABS Group, or ask them to join us at Moe’s for lunch… that’s an Apple approach.

2. A tool doesn’t have to be boring

Did you notice that Apple’s video is 2X longer than Google’s???  But I’d choose Apple’s over Google’s any day of the week for one obvious reason.  It’s not boring.  This is why our church leaders work hard to make the truth engaging.  Kids Rock is a great example of leaders who teach truth in engaging and interesting ways.  Truth doesn’t have to be boring.

3. No-one needs a screwdriver

People don’t feel they need tools; they need solutions to problems in their life. People never ‘lack a screwdriver’; instead, they need a screwdriver to hang a painting on the wall.  Apple gets this.  Google doesn’t.  Apple taps into what people want… to be connected.  We need to remember this, too.  People who don’t attend church aren’t waking up in the morning thinking, ‘Wow!  I need to find a church!’ Instead, they’re thinking, ‘I’m lonely and need a friend.’ ‘I’m exhausted and my life is way out of balance.’ ‘My sixth grader needs some good influences in his life.’ That’s why I don’t ask unchurched people, ‘Where do you go to church?’ early in a conversation.

So as we think about the 70′s Date Night, for example, remember that people aren’t staying awake at night asking, ‘I wonder where I can find a great place to take my wife (or girlfriend) on a date with some 70′s music?’ They’re wondering, ‘Where can I find a friend?’ Ask a couple to JOIN YOU for a fun night out.  Bring them on your arm.  They don’t need a screwdriver, but they do need a friend.

Proverbs 17 teaches us, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” It doesn’t say ‘a friend talks about love.’ It says ‘a friend loves.’

Let’s be a church modeled after the authentic Jesus (Apple), not an inauthentic religion (Google).  People don’t need a screwdriver, but they do need a friend.

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.  Join the discussion and post a comment!

Oh… how did you like my parallel between Jesus & Apple? 

Today’s Dumb Idea???  God is All I Need.

It is true that God and His ways are all I need, but we forget the ‘and His ways’ part of that phrase.  God designed us to be relational.  That’s His way.  In Genesis 1, God created man and said “It is NOT good… for man to be alone.” And yet, because we’re rugged, individualist Americans, we tend to think that we can live life without deep connections to people.  Not true.  God created us to live in community.

On Sunday, I told about my 4th of July Weekend.  We spent it in the Georgia mountain community of Ellijay.  We joined the Main Street Scavenger Hunt, laughed at the Parade Floats (they were all cheesy), and watched the fireworks celebration.  Now if you don’t know, I’m a city boy.  I love the city and all it has to offer.  But this past weekend, the country town of Ellijay reminded me that God created us to live in community.  Ellijay has one high school, so people grow up together.  They stop and talk as they stroll through Ace Hardware.  They stay in touch with each other, celebrating the good times and helping in the bad.  And as I sat on Main Street, getting ready for the fireworks, their 4th of July celebration felt like being on a movie set… very surreal.

I’m sure Ellijay has many problems, but living in community brings advantages:

1.  You’re known. You’re not just a number.

2.  You know others. You have relationships at many levels.

3.  You contribute. You have a meaningful role in the community.

4.  You trust. Because you feel safe, it’s easier to trust (a KEY component of faith).

5.  You have accountability. If you try to do something that you shouldn’t, someone will find out… quickly.

We often bristle at #5 – everyone knowing our business – but there’s one distinct advantage to that… natural accountability.

God created us in His image.  He is relational (Trinity) and He created us to be relational.  It’s His way.  We need friends who know us, who serve with us, and who love us – warts and all.  The New Testament Church lived in community with each other (Acts 2 & 4) because it’s God’s way.  And when we move from community to community, church to church, big city to big city, it makes it hard to be connected.  Community happens more naturally in small towns.  City boys (and girls) like us have to be more intentional about developing it.

If you’re not opening yourself up to a community of believers, we’ll talk about what holds us back later this week.  But how about making a commitment to pray during the month of July for a place to belong?  Not just a church to attend, but a group where you know and are known.

Now it’s your turn… Join the Discussion. Post a comment and share how you’ve benefited from Christian community.