WILLOW Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 1 What's The Big Idea? by Dave Ferguson How to crystallize your church’s message by staying away from the small ideas Let’s start with a typical Sunday and a family returning home from church. The question posed to the children is the same every week: “So, what did you learn today?” And the response is too often the same: (silence) “Ummm …” (more silence) “Ummm …” (still more silence) “Ummm …” Parents have tried to think of different ways to word the question for their kids, but it always comes out the same: “So, what did you learn today?” It’s not the most enticing question, but it is the question that gets asked millions of times every week in the car ride home from church. And the truth is, if our kids asked us, we might give them the same response: (silence) “Ummm …” (more silence) “Ummm …” (still more silence) “Ummm …” How is it possible that so many people — young and old — can respond with nothing but silence to such a simple question after spending an entire Sunday morning in church? Is it too little teaching? Is it too little Scripture? Is it too little application of Scripture in the teaching? What’s the problem? Well, let’s review a typical experience at church. Is it too little or maybe too much? I believe the average church-goer is bombarded and overloaded every week with scores of competing little ideas during just one trip to church. Let’s try to keep track. Little idea from clever message on the church sign as you pull onto the church campus. Little idea from all the announcements in the church program you are handed at the door. Little idea from the prelude music that is playing in the background as you take your seat. Little idea from the welcome by the worship leader. Little idea from the opening prayer. Little idea from song #1 during worship service. Little idea from the worship leader who reads a Scripture. Little idea from song #2 during worship service. Little idea from special music during worship service. Little idea from offering meditation during worship service. Little idea from announcements during worship service. Little idea from the first point of the sermon. Little idea from the second point of the sermon. Little idea from the third point of the sermon. Little idea from song #3 during worship service. Little idea from the closing prayer during worship service. Little idea from Sunday school lesson. Little idea from (at least one) tangent off of Sunday school lesson. Little idea from the prayer requests taken during Sunday school. Little idea from newsletter at Sunday school. Twenty and counting. Twenty different, competing, little ideas in just one trip to church. Easily! If a family has a couple of children in junior church and everyone attends their own Sunday school class, it is possible that we could quadruple the number of little ideas. So this one family could leave with more than 80 competing little ideas from one morning at church! And if we begin to add in youth group, small group, and a midweek service, it easily doubles again (at least) the number of competing little ideas. If you are reading the Bible and trying to have a quiet time with any kind of regularity, it might double again. Additionally, if this is a thoroughly churched family who listens to Christian radio in the car or watches Christian television at home, you could probably double that once more. It is conceivable and very possible that one little family is being bombarded with more than 1,000 little ideas every week explaining what it means to be a Christian. No wonder when they ask their kids, “So, what did you learn?” the answer was, (silence) “Ummm …” (more silence) “Ummm …” (still more silence) “Ummm …” COMPETING LITTLE IDEAS = LESS CLARITY & ACTION We have bombarded our people with too many competing, little ideas and the result is a church with more information and less clarity than perhaps ever before. Dr. Haddon Robinson in his classic book, Biblical Preaching, understood the simple truth that more is less and challenged teaching pastors to communicate with crystal clarity “a single idea.” It was Robinson who alerted us that, “People in the pew complain almost unanimously that the sermons often contain too many ideas.” Robinson is right on. And it is good news that people are complaining! Their complaints about too many ideas tell us people in the pew want clarity, direction, and guidance in how to live out the mission of Jesus Christ. Great! We can no longer afford to waste another Sunday allowing people to leave confused about what to do next. So, let the change begin! But this change cannot be relegated to the preaching alone. It must also happen in the teaching of children, students, adults, families and the overall experience in church life. How? The BIG IDEA. And it is one BIG IDEA at a time that brings clarity to the confusion that comes from too many little ideas. ONE BIG IDEA = MORE CLARITY AND ACTION Jesus did not confuse people with a lot of little ideas. Instead He presented them one BIG IDEA with a clear call to action. What was the BIG IDEA when Jesus met Peter and Andrew? “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:18-20) When Peter and Andrew met Jesus for the very first time, He challenged them with one BIG IDEA, “Follow me.” A BIG IDEA that was simple, but not easy. If Peter and Andrew were asked, “What did Jesus teach you today?” There is no way they would respond with: (silence) “Ummm …” (more silence) “Ummm …” (still more silence) “Ummm …” And if they did, it would not be because they were confused and didn’t understand, but because they were stunned at the boldness and size of Jesus’ request. This BIG IDEA was very clear and the call to action could not be misunderstood. The simplicity and clarity of that BIG IDEA, “Follow me,” was what catalyzed a movement of Christ followers into action. And these Christ followers knew what was expected of them and would do anything and everything, including trading their very lives, to accomplish the mission of Jesus. What about “deeper teaching?” That is what the rich young ruler wanted. He came to Jesus and began to explain how he already knew these commands: “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother …” (Mark 10:19) and that he had obeyed these commands since he was a boy. He wanted more. He wanted a midweek service. He wanted graduate-level teaching. With clarity and simplicity, Jesus challenged him with one BIG IDEA when he said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21) It was clear. It was a call to action. It was a BIG IDEA that was simple, but not easy. THE BIG IDEA CREATES MISSIONAL VELOCITY When you put speed and direction together you have velocity. And when a church puts the clear direction of The BIG IDEA along with the speedy obedience of The BIG IDEA application you get missional velocity. This is important because, for a Christ follower, the measure of maturity is determined by the speed of his/her obedience. The most mature person is not the person who has accumulated the most information about Jesus, but whose heart is the most transformed. And transformation is seen when a person hears God and responds with swift obedience. The redundancy of The BIG IDEA within celebration service and small groups — across all ages (adults, students, and kids) — and its emphasis on putting it into action is what brings about speedy obedience. THE BIG IDEA MOVES THE WHOLE FAMILY IN THE SAME DIRECTION Since the kids are experiencing the same BIG IDEA as the adults, it creates alignment at home. This parallel direction increases the chances of families having spiritual conversations. It also allows the parents to enter into a spiritual conversation with a greater level of confidence since they just spent an hour learning and experiencing the exact same BIG IDEA as their children. Then, when you give your parents a BIG IDEA family page with ideas for family activities and discussions, it all comes together to create missional velocity at home. THE BIG IDEA MOVES ALL SMALL GROUPS IN THE SAME DIRECTION The BIG IDEA you experienced in the weekend celebration service is also the same BIG IDEA you experience during the week at your small group. Small group members come more prepared and prepped for the conversation with a greater possibility that God’s Spirit is already working on them in this area of their life. The alignment between the large group experience and the small group experience comes together to create a powerful force called missional velocity. THE BIG IDEA MOVES THE WHOLE CHURCH IN THE SAME DIRECTION If all of our ministries (adults, students and kids) were having different experiences and each of our nine locations were all having differing experiences then it would be like a shotgun. But since every ministry and every site experiences the same BIG IDEA, it is a single bullet. With a shotgun you may hit more area, but you diffuse the impact. With a bullet there is a greater impact. When a church gives lots of little ideas they diffuse the energy, but with The BIG IDEA you create missional velocity and maximize the impact! When I think of speedy obedience and missional velocity I think about John, a guy who began following Jesus at Community Christian Church and, in a matter of months, not only became a leader and then a coach of leaders, but quit his high-paying job to join the staff of a church planting team headed for Denver, Colo. That is speedy obedience. Or there is Shawna who, also in a matter of months, was baptized as a new believer and quickly moved into leadership. When she felt God was leading her to join a team planting a church in Manhattan, NY, she left her job and friends behind and obeyed. Or there is Ellen who was baptized into Christ on Wednesday night and on Friday of the same week attended leadership training. The BIG IDEA creates speedy obedience in Christ followers and that creates missional velocity in a church. What would happen if you challenged people in the same way? What if you could give people one clear and simple BIG IDEA and asked them to put it into action? That is exactly what we have been attempting to do at Community Christian Church and throughout the NewThing Network for the last several years. Every week, we give all our people of every age (adults, students and children) and at every location one BIG IDEA and ask them to put it into action. The challenge is simple and clear, but never easy. That’s The BIG IDEA! Dave Ferguson is a Spiritual Entrepreneur and Lead Pastor of Community Christian Church in Naperville, Ill. The Big Idea: Focus the Message, Multiply the Impact Churches that bombard people with too many little ideas can miss the big idea. Ferguson’s Community Christian Church embraced the big idea and everything changed. The book helps readers creatively present one laser-focused theme each week to be discussed in families and small groups, and shows how to engage in a process of creative collaboration that brings people together and maximizes missional impact. The BIG IDEA Practicum May 5-6, 2008 in Washington DC. Hosted by National Community Church Ebenezers Coffeehouse 201 F Street NE Washington, DC 20002 Similar to the Multi-Site Practicum, this hands-on experience is designed for churches interested in developing a strategy to implement THE BIG IDEA in their own context. Learn how to creatively present one laser-focused theme each week to be presented in the weekly services, and discussed in families, children’s groups, student groups, and small groups. You will walk away from this practicum with a customized strategy to implement THE BIG IDEA in your church. Who Should Attend? The BIG IDEA Practicum is designed to help your staff formulate goals and action items to implement The BIG IDEA at your church. We recommend attending with your key staff leadership team including the Creative Arts/Worship Director and the Senior Pastor. To Register online go to www.communitychristian.org or www.newthing.org/bigideapracticum. For more information, call (630) 388-5205 Top