Thursday Three For All

It’s Thursday, kiddies: the day when I roll out a few things I’ve been reading over the past week. Three of ‘em, to be exact. Enjoy. (Remember: click on the bold print to read the entire article.)

What Happens When You Go Multisite. (via @TonyMorganLive / @ChrisSurratt) Yes, yes, and yes on these. These are three automatics to prepare for as you consider multi-site. What else would you add?

I remember when the multisite conversation started at Seacoast Church around the year 2000. Basically – we were out of room, the city would not let us build and we had to do something. I can honestly say I had no idea that 15 years later, our step of desperation would turn into a movement. I am now surprised when I discover a large church that is not multisite. There are over 8,000 multisite churches in the United States alone.

Although more than one site has become the normal, I still see a lot of the same issues that come with this model. Here are 3 of the most common issues I see, and what you can do to help manage them:

 

Don’t Break Your Brand Promise. (via @enthused) Whether you choose to use the word or not, your church has a “brand.” And that brand has a promise. Are you keeping it?

Many companies have brand promises that look good in ads, and emblazoned on websites, banners and buttons, but often these promises have little credibility among customers or employees. They are simply a set of words brainstormed at an ad agency that usually promise more than employees are prepared to deliver, and result in less than customers expect to receive.

Take, for instance, my recent stay at a Courtyard Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Full disclosure: I worked for Marriott International for 20 years.) I passed a half-dozen signs on the way into the hotel that read: Make room for a little fun.™ And a quick peek at the @CourtyardHotels Twitter page revealed the phrase: “Put more play in your stay” along with the hashtag: #BringTheFun. With all this talk about fun, I was sure that my family and I were going to enjoy this hotel!

 

Guys Create Giant Wheel Out of iMac Boxes. (@premiumfunny) I want to go to there.