Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Our church is one of the first (if not the first) to give away all of its resources for free to smaller churches or anyone for that matter that has a need for them. So I find myself in an awkward position - we invite you to download our free resources while at the same time housing a store where people can purchase Christian material and clothing branded specifically to our church. Now, there are several ways to look at this scenario. One way might be to say that the downloadable items are for Kingdom gain whereas the items purchased are for personal use and growth. Other thougths??
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6 comments:
I look at it like this Erica, curriculum and other teaching resources play a critical role in seeing God change lives.
I'm not so sure that Christian "accessories" like T-Shirts and window stickers do much to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.
However, if you ever start giving away free T's...I wear an XL.
I have continually struggled with the t-shirt and accessory thing, and have come to the conclusion that the focus may be wrong. Lifechurch gives away the free stuff because it is not about Lifechurch, but about Christ. So maybe the t-shirts and accessories should be the same - be about what you find at Lifechurch (Christ!) rather than Lifechurch itself. Unification of The Church can't happen if we continually focus on a name of a specific one.
As far as the resources - I think they are needed and having them in the building makes them more accessible. Charge what is necessary to cover costs and keep up the good work!
Thanks Travis-
On the subject of accessories (decals, keychains, coffee mugs etc) and t-shirts, I think that they are very valuable. One way is to think of the person (or many people) that associate church w/ choir robes, drapery, pews, rules etc. Take that person as they start seeing t-shirts that could easily be bought at a popular secular store front. Then they see a car decal on not one, but two, and three and four cars and notice they are the same. They start wondering what this is all about maybe. Does it or could it change their perception of what church could be and break down the stereotypical barriers??
How many of us have tshirts that say "OU", "Abercrombie and Fitch", "Dallas Cowboys", "Old Navy"? I love a good tee and at Lifechurch.tv we have a great selection of those. If I'm going to wear a graphic tee, why not one that says Lifechurch.tv? This is a stretch, but stick with me. I like rap music. I love the beat. When I listen to Christian rap, I typically don't understand half the words, but I like it anyway. I'm not worshipping, I'm just gettin' my rap on! If I'm going to listen to rap music, why not Christian rap? Also, I am one of those people who invited a lady to church because she asked me about my Lifechurch.tv tshirt. We were waiting in line somewhere and we talked about her search for a church. I then invited her to lifechurch. So, there is something to the evangelistic tool side of church apparel, stickers, coffee mugs etc.
I own many Lifechurch.tv shirts and other accessories and will probably continue to purchase them simply because of the great quality of the products I find in the Lifestore. When I wear a Life shirt, I also get comments from people - but so far, only from others who attend there. Depending on my plans for the day, I may actually choose to avoid a Lifechurch.tv shirt because I do not wish to appear prideful of the church I attend. Many of my friends and family attend other churches. However, a Christ-focused shirt would take that pride off of our church and place it correctly upon the One on whom our church is built. Pride always goes before a fall, and we must keep ourselves in check no matter how fast our church in growing.
I see your point. I think people (especially people who aren't following Christ) are more receptive to a cool church from a church instead of one of those cheesy Jesus shirts you get a Mardel. I think those shirts are kind of intimidating. When you have a shirt on w/ the name of your church you are basically a walking invitation. People typically don't learn about Jesus on their own. They learn about Him at church and if wearing a t-shirt w/ a church's name on it can plant a see to get someone through the door, then I am all about it. Good thoughts!!
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