1. Story Formula: Crafting your message
2017 Renovate Conference
Orlando, Florida
November 7-9
Most of this material comes directly from Donald Miller’s new book “Building a Storybrand,” Published by Harper Collins, October 2017

2. Your Message
The biggest question I get is: How do I craft my message (the message God gave me for my church) to those in my church and those I am and will be ministering to?
We will use Donald Miller’s Story Brand Model for this breakout.
We will take a step by step approach to this model and use one of your churches as a model.
When we leave this breakout, each of you will have a tangible message that governs your ministry strategy going forward.

3. Crafting your message for Success
Can we mix Business and Church?
We already do. Think about committees, hiring, finances, taxes, children’s workers, etc.
This workshop is about marketing, media, and messaging not preaching
Is this the Seeker Sensitive Model?
No, it is a communication model
Jesus is our Hero. God is the center of all that we do.
Many people don’t know Jesus is Lord and don’t know they need to care. How can we help them hear the message through all the noise?
To help people listen, you need to address their needs, what does that look like?

4. The Pressing Question:
How do I reach my target audience with the message God has given me?
The Pressing Question:

5. Getting down to business…
The Best Product doesn’t always guarantee people will consumer or “buy-in.”
The best choir, preaching, youth group, kicking drums and guitar, wonderful small groups, a great vision to reach the world… Don’t guarantee a church will grow!
Marketing Experts say; “The best communicated product with the easiest use is the most likely to succeed…” It burns the fewest calories and more likely enhances the likelihood of success.
To be successful with your product you need to understand your customers and how they communicate.

6. Getting down to business…
Your Message needs to be abundantly clear within 3-5 seconds of hitting your church’s web page or your customer is moving on. People don’t have calories to waste, time to burn, or energy to figure out your web site.

7. What About People?
Everything the human brain does, all day, involves helping that person and the people that person cares about, get ahead in life, that is, to survive and thrive.
Having to think and process difficult media causes our brain to inadvertently burn excess calories and does not help our customers survive and thrive. Therefore, we ignore and shut out things not easily understood or deemed irrelevant. Therefore easy to follow stories attract our attention.

8. What About The Story? How do we communicate with them?
This simple marketing story formula works just as well at growing a church as it does entertaining an audience….
In every good story the HERO is looking for something – the rest of the story is about discovering.

9. Let’s Talk about the Hero?
In the story our church is telling, who is the customer, or who is the HERO?
We need to identify our HERO/customer.
Who is the HERO?

10. Let’s Talk about the Hero?
In the story our church is telling, who is the customer, or who is the HERO?
We need to know more about our HERO/customer. Here are two specific Q’s we must answer:
1st What does the HERO want?
2nd How is our HERO being Challenged?

11. Let’s Talk about the Hero?
How is our HERO being Challenged?
We need to know more about our HERO’s problem:
1st Who is the Villain?
2nd List the Internal Problems
3rd List the External Problems
4th List the Philosophical Pblms

12. Let’s Talk about the Hero?
Will our HERO have his or her problems resolved?
We need to know our HERO/customer. Two other issues we need to define for our HERO….
What tragic thing will happen if the HERO doesn’t win?
What good thing will happen if our HERO wins?

13. Is your church a Guide or a Hero?
Your church MUST position itself as the GUIDE for the HERO. Your church becomes the trusted organization that helps the HERO find the path to over come the villain or obstacle in his or her life.

14. Is your church a guide?
Before you can be the GUIDE, you must first define the obstacles or villains in your customer’s lives then determine how you are going to lead them to a successful outcome.
The key to successfully engaging our HERO is understanding our customer’s problems. And providing a sense of empathy to help find a solution.

15. Is your church a guide? How does your church show EMPATHY?
How does your church show AUTHORITY?

16. What Does YOur Church Do?
Churches need to focus on their customers, customer’s families, and customer’s tribes and help them survive and thrive. HOW?
Here are some ideas: Build Stronger families/tribes,
Connect to one another deeply,
Add meaning to life,
Add mission to life,
Find a home/acceptance/safety
Lead families to walk in obedience to Christ

17. Is your church a guide?
Then you need a SOLID PLAN….

18. Is your church a guide?
Then you need a CALL TO ACTION.

19. Questions?
If you need to contact me with further questions, feel free. My is