What Your Organization Can Learn From Barack Obama
The new president has yet to sign an executive order (that I know of), yet he has already positioned himself to be a very effective president. This past week, before the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr holiday, Barack Obama sent out a video message calling people to celebrate that special holiday through service.
Calling a nation to service is not new. Many past presidents have done so with vigor. But what is different about Barack Obama is how he does it:
1. Use of technology: When he releases his weekly addresses, they are through YouTube. Through this medium he is vastly expanding his reach and audience.
2. Through offering immediate opportunities for action: A new website has has been created called USA Service through which immediate action may be taken. You plug in your zip code and how far you’re willing to drive, and you’ll be rewarded with a list of opportunities and more information to serve.
Through offering practical and immediate opportunities for service, based upon a level of commitment, was how he won so many primaries and eventually the presidency. You could either make a phone call from your home, drive to a center and make calls as a group, you could volunteer to knock on some doors, or host a party!
What about you? What are you doing in your church or organization to offer immediate action opportunities? When you call people to service do you have a list of places handy where they can serve? When you call people to be witnesses do you also provide immediate opportunities in which someone can witness?
If you’re not offering immediate opportunities for action, then you’re wasting the people’s time. They will end up zoning you out in any future calls, and you will have done yourself a disservice.
Coming up on the 14th of February is Valentine’s day. For the first time in a while it will be on a Saturday. What if churches took that day to teach on love and outreach, and then gave people an immediate opportunity that afternoon to serve and love their community? We’re planning on handing out roses and candies. For more ideas click here and here.
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Good post. I like the emphasis on service. Check the links in your post. Some of them are not re-directed correctly. Steve Sjogren has a lot of good stuff to say about servant evangelism. Just be careful when reading his theology – quite a lot of spiritualism.
Thanks for letting me know about those errors! I just fixed them! Interesting what you mention about his theology. I’ve just read one of his small books on outreach “101 Ways To Reach Your Community,” and it doesn’t get into theology stuff. I have “Conspiracy of Kindness” on my shelf, which I want to check out. Not sure if that one gets more into the funny theology.
Good post. On Feb 14th my church is having a “community day”. The focus of the Sabbath School and the sermon will be on non-members and ex-adventists. All guests will receive books and Cds. There will be a special lunch for our guests that day. We are sending out invites now and also inviting the community through our radio program. In the afternoon we will go out to distribute literature and do home visits but we do that every Saturday.
Anonymous,
That’s great! Sounds like you guys are doing some amazing things. Way to capitalize on valentine’s day!