Germa
n goldsmith, Johanne Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1436. Church leaders moved from hand-copied manuscripts to the first print run of the Bible in Latin. It took three years to print around 200 copies!
Legend has it that in the month of October, 1517, priest and scholar Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He mailed his point of view to the archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, Albert of Brandenburg.
In the 1520s, Martin Luther’s use of technology brought a significant increase in the number of printing businesses. Luther even brought the experiencedprinter Melchior Lotther from Leipzig to Wittenberg to establish a printing shop. Church leaders today are posting their point of view on social channels. Instead of mailing, we are engaged with emails as a way of direct marketing.
Recently, I took some time to read an article from Bill George (author of “Discover Your True North”) that was published in The Wall Street Journal as the economic effects of the global financial crisis was being felt in March 2009. Here are the seven rules that Bill presented:
- Leaders must face reality.
- No matter how bad things are, things will get worse.
- Build a mountain of cash.
- Get the world off your shoulders – you need the help of your best people.
- Before asking for others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself.
- Never waste a crisis.
- Be aggressive in the marketplace – every crisis is also an opportunity.
In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about nine questions for church leaders.
- Do They Know You?
- Can They Find You?
- Do They Trust You?
- Do They Like You?
- Will They Permit You?
- Will They Grow With You?
- Are You Their First Choice?
- Will They Remain Loyal?
- How Will You Provide Value?
We are Phygital (physical merging with digital) Church leaders. Just like Martin Luther, all leaders should use the best of technology that is available to us. Let’s navigate this together.