Leadership means vision. Visionary leadership means Leader-y Visionship.(TM)
As you know, I consult and am personal friends with well-muscled leaders in many fields, ranging from military generals to NFL coaches to CEO's of franchised chicken restaurants that stay closed on Sundays. But this letter is about you, and your church.
I'm concerned about many of you, in your struggles to establish your Church Brand and attract people. These are troubled economic times, and we're all looking for ways to cut back, while still attracting people to our products and/or services.
That's why I want you to check this out: It's only $950 to pay people to come check out your church. That's for five "mystery guests" through a mystery church-shopper thing.
Five guests, plus their FAMILIES. That, friends, is a bargain!
Granted, the program is set up for them to come review your church, but what if your church is so awesome that they can't help but fall in love with your products and/or services?
Let me bottom line this for you, colleague: Rounding up, it's $1,000 for a "wave" of paid church-shoppers. If two out of five stay, with their families, you're talking $200 per family.
The yield on that could be TREMENDOUS for your ministry. If they give at 3% of their income -- ignoring the Biblical command to tithe 10% to their local church (Ecclesians 4:2), at $40k per year, you're looking at $4800 in return the very first year.
Hiring mystery shoppers makes sense, if you've got your branding right. Friend, I'm recommending you hire 10,000 shoppers, keep 4,000, and make $9.6 million, which is enough to hire lots more people under you, book a speaking engagement by Lou Holtz, and then buy that animatronic Chris Tomlin for your KidzPizzaZone's Entertainment-n-Jug Band.
It just makes "cents"! (I laugh as I write that, friend!) If your church is one of the 94% losing people, or even the other 6%, this is a far, far cheaper model to turn it around into a successful venture. What's more, those who question your leadership skills will be excited to see the waves of visitors! And that, friend, has a ripple effect, underscoring your -- and, by extension, my -- awesomeness.
PAY people to go to church? If that seems odd, remember, you're kinda already doing it with your staff. And this is way, way cheaper.
Like one friend of mine with a VERY successful church says, "If I can't get them in the door, I can't reach them."
And when it all comes down to it, it's all about winning souls, isn't it? Yes. Church-mystery-shoppers have souls.
Friend, in the final analysis, how will you answer this question, when God asks, "Did you care about the souls of church mystery shoppers? (TM)?"
