I just downloaded GOOGLE GEARS.  It allows you to read content (i.e. Google Reader) offline.  This is a great tool to keep up-to-date with all the blogs out there.

I read this blog this morning and it caught my attention.  The title of the blog is: The 10 Most Common Words You Should Stop Using Now! The Author, Tim Ferriss, lays out a list of words that are vague and over used.

Here they are (in now particular order):

1. Happiness
2. Success
3. Should
4. Responsible
5. Realistic
6. Reasonable
7. Spiritual
8. Good/Right
9. Bad/Wrong
10. Moral

I started thinking abut this . . .he is right.  How many times do we use "vague" words in leadership (staff or volunteers)?  I started thinking through planning meetings that do not get anywhere because I am trying to figure out what people are "really saying".  Statements like:  "I just don’t feel that."  "I am not sure if that idea is right". (What does "right" really mean anyway? Right for the person?  Right for the audience? Right because you are having a bad day?)

If you would add to the list, what words would you add?

Here are a few  that I would add:
1. Feel
2. Right
3. Not Creative (O.K. . . 2 words . .. and I could spend a lot of time explaining this one, but I won’t.)
4. ?

Heard about this story this morning on the radio . . .quickly found the story.  (Read below.) Interesting . . . are you dealing with "someone" in your church/ministry that continually complains?  No matter what you do – what you say – how you try – they aren’t pleased.  Simple question:  At what point do you ask somone to find another church?  OUCH! Please know, this should be the absolute last step you should take!!  But, at some point the few, will take away from everyone else time, intentionality, encouragement, _______ (you fill in the blank).

The squeaky wheel doesn’t always get the grease.

At least it doesn’t if you’re a Sprint Nextel customer. In fact, squeaky Sprint customers are getting their service canceled. On June 29, 2007 Sprint sent letters notifying some customers that their service would be canceled by the end

read more | digg story

I received an email with an "enlightening" attachment.  On the surface, it was one of those boring data attachments, but then I quickly realized how vital the "data" was.  We pulled this data from our Family Ministries Check-In software/data base.  We use Fellowship One
as our church database, check in, registration, everything software.
(If you have never checked it out, I would suggest it!  It has
revolutionized how we connect with "people".)

Take a look: Download weekend_attendance_by_household_checkins.pdf

How long did it take for you to see what I saw?  10 seconds?  12 seconds?  Eye opening isn’t it?!!  Our people come on average .  . . once a month.  (O.K. . . not exact scientific empirical data . . . but close enough.)  Seeing this, a host of questions/thoughts popped into my head. Here are a few thoughts .  .

1.  Weekend Programming:

• How does the data effect how we program our weekend services?  Seriously . . .if 2/3’s of our people come 1 time a month, then how do we streamline our programming?
• If we program a 4 week series and our "audience" only experiences one week, then what do we do with the other 3 weeks of material?

2.  Communication:

• How does the data change how we communicate to parents/ kids/ teenagers? 
• Does the marketing of events and core strategies (small groups, serving, reach events, etc.) take on a different look?
• How important is "repetition"?

3.  Increase Attendance:

• What can we do to increase people’s attendance? (or at least encourage weekend attendance)
• What if everyone took a step to attend "more often"? If the person who attends once a year decided to attend once a month?  If the person who attends once a month started attending twice a month?
• What does this say about people’s outside commitments?

What are your thoughts?

Chris Trethewey is the Executive Pastor of Family Ministries at Central Christian Church in the Las Vegas area; a pioneering and creative community of faith that has reached over 14,000 in attendance.  Chris has been in youth ministry for over 14 years where his passion of students to thrive in their faith continues to be a focus.  He lives in the Las Vegas area with his wife Kim and two daughters Kiara and Claire.

The Launch of the Family Ministry Lab Blog is about ready to launch.  Pieces are being finalized. Our prayer is that this will be a great resource for all those that read it.