Cutting Through the Clutter

an article recently about a business that has gotten crossways with city officials. Their misdeed? Hanging a fiberglass replica of a Mini-Cooper automobile above a busy sidewalk on the wall of their retail store. According to the article, “City officials have ordered the sidewalk cordoned off and twice cited the ‘car’ – not for parking violations, but for code issues,” specifically for putting up a sign without a permit. The article went on to say that people have lined up on the sidewalk to get a good look at the hanging car. Of course, this is exactly the kind of publicity that the store wants. Houston is a busy city with lots of billboards along the freeways, huge digital marquees popping up constantly, signs on every bus and taxi, and a barrage of ads on the airwaves and online. It’s probably a lot like where you live (except that some of you may have the good fortune to live in a city that restricts billboards). The competition to get our attention has created an incredible amount of clutter, and advertisers are always trying to find ways to cut through it. As a ministry leader, you also need to cut through the clutter, but you don’t have a huge Madison Avenue budget to help you do so. The good news is that we have a message that is truly unique and truly life-changing. The bad news is that we often wrap that message in packaging that is so boring that no one wants to open it. The good news is that word-of-mouth, first-hand testimonies by “satisfied customers” are more effective than even the best Super Bowl commercials. The bad news is that many of the people who might offer those testimonies aren’t very excited. So as a pastor or ministry leader, what are you doing to cut through the clutter? Is the vision of your church or faith-based organization clear and compelling? Do people know it, understand it, and get excited about it? Is it something that is clear in your own mind and that you’re passionate about? Are you investing in life-changing ministry, the kind that will result in your message being spread virally? One final thought. The article said that people lined up outside to gawk, but it didn’t say whether any of them came inside to make purchases. If the only thing that your church offers is a clever gimmick, you may draw a crowd but they’re not likely to be transformed. I hope your efforts to cut through the clutter will produce fruit that is rich and long-lasting and pleasing to God. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>