Fresno Seminar with Larry Osborne: Advocate vs Attendee
In a recent post, I referenced a seminar with Larry Osborne. Several of us from the College Church spent most a of day with 250 of our closest "friends" at a workshop. This was on the campus of Fresno's major Christian university, Fresno Pacific.
If you want to dig into what Osborne really thinks and believes, you should read a couple of his books. He's a great communicator and organizer. I wouldn't describe him as revolutionary or avant garde. He seems pragmatic, intelligent and a stickler for details.
One interesting thought was his comparison of Advocate versus Attendee. He described an Attendee as someone who attends your church. This may be a person who is deeply involved and really feels that this is their church. On the surface, most churches try to make people into Attendees. We as church leaders usually view ourselves as successful if we get a new person to commit and become an Attendee.
Osborne encouraged us to set a different target. He suggested that we want people who are Advocates, not just Attendees. What's the difference? An Advocate is someone who will spread the word about their church rather than just attending. They feel such a sense of excitement and ownership that they naturally say, "You should check out my church."
He compared it to an individual who has an insurance agent. Let's say the agent is your acquaintance or has had your business for years. You feel some loyalty to that agent, even though their phone manners aren't that great or they don't always get back to you very quickly. That kind of person is like an Attendee in Osborne's example. If anyone asks you about insurance, you won't recommend your agent or will give only faint (read "damning") praise.
Most church members are actually Attendees, Osborne argued. They attend but only out of sense of duty or obligation or because it's the only church they know. They are not excited enough about their church to invite anyone, even the most genuine seeker.
He went on to say that North Coast Church, where he is the senior pastor, has grown from 200 to 8,000 because most of their folks became Advocates. He wasn't satisfied getting people to attend. He wanted new members to feel a genuine sense of belonging, participation and ownership, and the Lord blessed them in this. He claims they have not grown through the typical "attractional" strategies employed by some churches. Osborne says that the members of North Coast are truly Advocates and naturally bring people with them. Some of these were transfers from other churches. Some didn't previously attend any church.
I'll try to react to this in a coming post. Needless to say, I find it a simple but intriguing distinction. I have a question or two, but for now I'll leave it at that.
One interesting thought was his comparison of Advocate versus Attendee. He described an Attendee as someone who attends your church. This may be a person who is deeply involved and really feels that this is their church. On the surface, most churches try to make people into Attendees. We as church leaders usually view ourselves as successful if we get a new person to commit and become an Attendee.
Osborne encouraged us to set a different target. He suggested that we want people who are Advocates, not just Attendees. What's the difference? An Advocate is someone who will spread the word about their church rather than just attending. They feel such a sense of excitement and ownership that they naturally say, "You should check out my church."
He compared it to an individual who has an insurance agent. Let's say the agent is your acquaintance or has had your business for years. You feel some loyalty to that agent, even though their phone manners aren't that great or they don't always get back to you very quickly. That kind of person is like an Attendee in Osborne's example. If anyone asks you about insurance, you won't recommend your agent or will give only faint (read "damning") praise.
Most church members are actually Attendees, Osborne argued. They attend but only out of sense of duty or obligation or because it's the only church they know. They are not excited enough about their church to invite anyone, even the most genuine seeker.
He went on to say that North Coast Church, where he is the senior pastor, has grown from 200 to 8,000 because most of their folks became Advocates. He wasn't satisfied getting people to attend. He wanted new members to feel a genuine sense of belonging, participation and ownership, and the Lord blessed them in this. He claims they have not grown through the typical "attractional" strategies employed by some churches. Osborne says that the members of North Coast are truly Advocates and naturally bring people with them. Some of these were transfers from other churches. Some didn't previously attend any church.
I'll try to react to this in a coming post. Needless to say, I find it a simple but intriguing distinction. I have a question or two, but for now I'll leave it at that.
Comments