Your Vision’s Growth Potential References: The Motley Fool ( Every Business is a Growth Business, Noel Tichy, 1998

4 Types of Businesses 1. Dying 2. Mature 3. Rule-Maker 4. Rule-Breaker

What distinguishes businesses? Stakeholder symmetry Willingness to find new customers Accuracy to discern new needs

Existing Customers vs. New Customers Existing Needs vs. New Needs

Existing Customer New Customer Existing Need New Need 1. EC/EN 3. NC/EN 2. EC/NN 4. NC/NN

1. Existing Customer/ Existing Needs Dying business –No new revenue streams More Coke to current Coke buyers –Increasing levels of customer expectation and dissatisfaction –High vulnerability to competition

2. Existing Customers/New Needs Mature business –New revenue still generated from existing wallets Greater market share of a limited pie Selling Sprite to Coke buyers –Deceptively comfortable A short step to “dying”

3. New Customers/Existing Needs Rule-Maker business –Top dog in established industry Microsoft in software, Intel chips, American Express in $ services –Will churn out steady if not spectacular earnings Selling Coke in China

4. New Customers / New Needs Rule-Breaker business First-mover in emerging field –Amazon, AOL, Celera Higher risk/higher reward –Selling indigenous beverages in China –Eventually either become ‘tweeners (AtHome) or Rule-Makers (eBay)

Some obvious conclusions …? Finding new customers is the most important factor in growing. Growth is tied to risk. –Though the ultimate risk is never to risk! It pays to be strong (RM) or swift (RB). If you attend only to current customers, you will die.

A Less-Obvious Question: Who is your church called to reach? –The answer to this “vision” question (and resulting strategy) will determine your church’s growth potential.

Churched Non-Churched Christian Non-Christian 1. C/C 3. NC/C 2. C/NC 4. NC/NC

1. Churched/Christians That would be us. Have a personal relationship with Christ Have an identified relationship with a local church Know how to use a Bible, offering envelop, and business meeting

2. Churched/Non-Christians Children (pre-Christians) Unbelieving family members Mean, crusty church folk (!?)

3. Non-Churched/Christians Transplants Backsliders Dissidents Nature/fun-lovers Prodigals

4. Non-Churched/Non-Christians The toughest customer to find (we’re not looking; they’re plentiful!) or sell By far the largest segment of the US population

Some obvious conclusions …? Finding new customers is the most important factor in growing. Growth is tied to risk. –Though the ultimate risk is never to risk! It pays to be strong (RM) or swift (RB). If you attend only to current customers, you will die.

Some principles of successful businesses and growing churches 1. Those who segment, target, and focus win the prize. 2. What satisfies one customer may dissatisfy another. 3. Those who pay too much favor to existing customers neglect new ones, grow old and die. 4. Risk is tied to reward.

Some principles that have absolutely nothing to do with business but everything to do with the church of Jesus Christ… 1. We don’t get to choose our calling. 2. Key #s: 99/1, Matthew 28, Acts The Church will never die, but many churches will die % of churches are plateau/declining, and most of the U.S. is lost.

Sobering conclusions If our vision is unclear, we will let the squeaky wheel get the grease. And the non-churched, non-Christian person doesn’t attend business meetings! If our budget and calendar don’t match our rhetoric, then we will be definitely ineffective and maybe hypocritical.

Hopeful conclusions There are plenty of lost folk to be reached We don’t have to generate spiritual hunger in our day When we go/tell, we are joining God in what God is doing Matthew 16 (we win!)

Your Vision’s Growth Potential Dr. John P. Chandler The Ray and Ann Spence Network For Congregational Leadership Copy Right John P. Chandler, 2003