Day 20: What an Experience!

“In doing so, workers become actors, intentionally creating specific effects for their customers. And it's the experiences they stage that create memorable-and lasting-impressions that ultimately create transformations within individuals.”

B. Joseph Pine III and James Gilmore, The Experience Economy

During the First 100 Days of your ministry launch, you need to create moments when the vision jumps off the paper and grabs people – moments when people says, “This is what he’s been talking about!  I get it!  I like it!  I am coming back for more!”

Ministry is not about preaching.  It’s not about singing.  It’s not about programs.  It’s not about budgets or slogans or the numbers of butts in the pew.  Ministry is about experiencing what Jesus called The Kingdom of God!  In fact, this Kingdom is just about the only thing Jesus talked about, and when he talked about it, he didn’t talked about in terms of ideas or strategies.  He didn’t lay out spreadsheets or 5-year plans.  What Jesus did was paint pictures and invite people to follow him in living the pictures out.

Paint the picture:  “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed - it’s like a wedding party – it’s like a fish net bursting at the seams – it’s like your front yard when it’s full of those pesky, little dandelions (and oh yeah, you’re probably one of those pesky, little dandelions!)”

Invite others to experience the picture:  “Come guys let’s see if we can feed these folks!”   “Seriously, just go from house to house, and you will find good folk, and good food, and good conversation.”  “You want some real fun? Then step out of the boat!”

I don’t think I can overstate this – ministry is not a product.  It is not something we produce.  It not a series of things we can check off our “to-do-lists.”  Ministry is an experience.  And when you are starting something new – you need to create as many new, and transformational, experiences for your people as possible.  And in our hearts, we all ready know this to be true.  At the end of the day it is not new information that leads to changed and transformed lives.  It’s not a program or even a bunch of cool videos during our sermons. It is an experience that changes us – an experience of the Risen Christ and the Kingdom he invites us to live in – this is what changes us.

So, when we deliver cookies to area merchants on the holidays, we are not just doing this to “deliver cookies to area merchants on the holidays.”  No, we are doing this for the experience of seeing the face of unexpected joy when somebody receives a gift for no other reason other than that God loves them and so do we!  We do it for the experience of getting out into our community and meeting our neighbors. We do it to experience of getting lost for a minute in something bigger than ourselves and our problems. 

We do it, because in doing it, we meet Jesus and we experience this Kingdom of which he spoke.

I am writing all this because today we had our first real “experience” of what our One Church in Two Locations is all about.  We had our first West Outer Drive Work Day.   Was there work to be done in and around the West Outer Drive Church?  Absolutely! Lots and lots of work!  But is that why we had the Work Day?  Absolutely not!  We held the Work Day so that we could experience the Kingdom!  And experience it we did!

More than 60 people (from at least 4 different churches) showed up.  People worked hard.  People met new people.  People worked with people of different ages, and races, and backgrounds.  And by the end of the morning, we had laughed together, shared meals together, got a lot done together, and felt like we had made a difference – together!

We had an experience we won’t soon forget.  An experience we can’t help but tell others about.  An experience we will make sure to come back for in hopes of experiencing it again!

How are folks experiencing the Kingdom in your ministry?