What the Church Can Learn From Apple

I'm an Apple fan. I wasn't always, in fact I used to give Apple users a hard time about their devices. But a couple of years ago I bought my first Mac, a MacBook Pro laptop, and I've never looked back. Last year I bought my first iPhone and this year I intend to buy my first iPad. And I still have my original video iPod.

But this is not an advertisement for Apple products, it's an encouragement to those of us who lead in our churches to learn from anyone and anything we can - including Apple.

I'm reading Steve Job's biography. It's a fascinating read that even the anti-Apple folks would probably enjoy. When the company was in it's infancy stage a guy named Mike Markkula invested and became a one third partner and Apple's first marketing director. Mike wrote what became Apple's marketing philosophy which was made up of three principles. Three principles that I believe every church should adopt. Here they are:

1. Empathy - an intimate connection with the feelings of the customer: "We will truly understand their needs better than any other company."

I DON'T believe the church should operate from a consumer mentality. I believe too many churches do that and in doing so create overweight (spiritually speaking) Christians that are not engaging the world around them for the Kingdom. I DO believe the church should do all that it can to understand the needs of the people who would benefit from our message and then meet them where they are based on those needs.

2. Focus: "In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of the unimportant opportunities."

Anyone who knows me as a Pastor knows that I believe a church should be focused. Focused on what matters most - not on good things but on BETTER things. In the eight years I've been the Lead Pastor at FCBC we've probably stopped doing more things than we've started. Churches don't need more programs, meetings and ministries they need more focus.

3. Impute: "People DO judge a book by its cover. We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities."

The church has the greatest story in the world. God came in person to offer everyone forgiveness and a fulfilled life. Everyone on the planet needs to hear, understand and accept that message. But too many times we present it, and ourselves for that matter, in slipshod ways.

We sing songs that are emotional for us but don't connect with the current generation. We use outdated technology when the rest of the world uses, well, Apple products. We communicate in a language that outsiders don't understand. And on top of that we serve the worst coffee in town and make people sit on uncomfortable pews.

What if churches adopted these three principles? We probably wouldn't hit Fortune 500 status but I bet we would reach more people for Christ.