Seth Godin posted this story on his blog:
Rick writes:
Yesterday on her way to work, my wife had a flat tire at the post office. She coaxed her car to the nearest tire shop to see if they could fix the tire, we’d already ruined the spare, Wal-Mart couldn’t repair it when IT went flat a couple of weeks ago. (Funny how there’s never time to fix a spare tire!)
Our little tire shop repaired her tire and had her on her way in a few minutes. Now, we’ve just moved to this small Texas town, and though we’ve lived in Texas for years, what happened next still took me a bit by surprise. My wife inquired about payment, and they wouldn’t hear of it- she needed help and they gave it to her. Well, she decided it was time for some new tires and told them she’d be back in the morning for two.
I went with her this morning for the new tires, and what do you know- on a banner in the front window they proudly proclaimed- "Voted best tire store in Central Texas 2004". Wouldn’t you know it. And the total bill for the two tires was about $20 less than Sam’s, took less time, and we had a fun chatting with the employees. Yeppers, small IS the new big.
The funny thing is that I had a blowout this week as well. And I had precisely the same experience. Maybe it’s something about helping folks with a flat, but what a great example of how easy it is to build a brand when you help someone in need.
This is a great marketing message and truly the wave of the future. Trying to be “one size fits all” will in reality be “one size fits nobody.” But I think it’s an even better message about how we will be living our life as the Church (capitalization intentional) in the coming years.
Helping others, whether it’s helping them with their flat tire or helping them rebuild their house after a devastating fire, will define the “new church.” Gone are the days of irrelevant programs filling the pews with members only, telling a story that only members will understand. As we go out of our way to help those who need what we have to offer (and I’m not talking about a cute little tract with a salvation message) we will find that He will bless the work of our hands.
Stop trying to figure out a cool slogan that will encourage your church membership to participate so you’ll have a full room and feel good about yourself. Get out there and find someone with a need and meet it. You’ll be giving your membership a reason for living and mainlining LIFE into your community.
But don’t look for easy, clean, simple solutions. Life has a way of being messy and community life even more so. But God will rush in with His overwhelming grace and you’ll find yourself wanting more and more. It’s the only way to live.
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