Friends,

I am taking a 3-week online class that is designed to help pastors and church leaders ‘tell the story of your congregation’ in ways that invite others to participate. In the business world, this is called Brand Marketing. Many in the church world don’t like marketing/advertising language, but we do love to “tell the old, old story.”

Every community, every congregation, has a story. PCLT has a story. Every person reading this article knows at least a part of PCLT’s story as they have experienced it. Each of us could tell our version of PCLT’s story to a neighbor or a stranger, and they would know something about us and how we live together as God’s Beloved Community.

Yesterday, the instructor said something that I have been pondering for 24 hours now. She said, “As church leaders, you have the curse of knowledge. On a scale of 1-10, you know what is going on in the life and ministry of your congregation at about an 8 or 9 (or 10). You can probably explain it to someone else at a level of 6 or 7. But most people, even members of your congregation, still only grasp it all at a level of 3 or 4.” Thus, she argues, there is a need for better ways to tell the story of your congregation in ways that communicate more clearly and more completely. The more clearly we can tell the story, the more clearly we all will know a more complete version of the story of PCLT. And the more clearly we can tell the complete story of PCLT to the community beyond our walls, the more that story will invite others into engagement with our story and want to make it their story as well.

What part of PCLT’s story do you know best? How would you tell that part of PCLT’s story to a visitor or a neighbor or a stranger? How can you share that part of our story with someone this week?

I invite you to write down your version of PCLT’s story and send it to me or schedule a time to visit with me in person or over the phone to tell it. I’d love to hear from you.

Peace,

Pastor Jack