28 Feb, 2012 Quality and Creativity (a Core Value)
Resource development update
The last few weeks I’ve been giving some time to edits on the graphics of a series of tracts I’ve written. The design work is coming together, and I feel excited at seeing the envisaged ‘product’ coming together with the feel I’ve desired these fresh resources to have,
How that relates to this core value
I put ‘quality and creativity’ as one of the core values of this Christian ministry because they are so important in our day and age.
With all the technological development of past decades, expectations have changed. If our materials and resources are not ‘up to standard’ in their presentation, as well as the clarity and conciseness of their writing, their effectiveness is greatly hindered because people don’t have the same patience for ‘promotional materials’ as they use to.
Consider the number of ‘promotions’ or ‘adds’ the average person might see in a day. We may struggle to remember any in our day – because we actually see so many. Where at one time one might have seen an occasional billboard, today our streets are plastered with signs and our letterboxes full of promotions. There are additional ads in our newspapers, on the radio and on television. Ads are even found in the content of some movies, where the visible use of particular products is actually occurring because that is a ‘paid for’ advertisement!
Sifting through all these attempts to gain our attention has made us very discerning. We live in an age where a pamphlet can be discarded as irrelevant on the basis of its colour and design, without a single word being read. As such quality, creativity and ‘cleverness’ in strategy and approach have become more than relevant to Christian witness. If we seek to gain an audience, a level of quality and creativity are not really optional!
An example:
Consider a pastor I know who planted a church, starting with 2 staff (himself as senior pastor, with the other as a worship and small group pastor).
He came to a point of being able to employ a third staff. What portfolio would you give that third staff?
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–Pastoral care worker?
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–Community outreach coordinator?
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–Someone to share the preaching, or start a second / evening service?
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–Or what about youth pastor, or children’s pastor?
He chose to employ someone to do graphics and web design.
While many of us would not make the same decision, it is a reflection of our changing times!
The result…
If resources once had to look good – they do now more than ever.
If websites had to look professional and be well laid out… – they do now more than ever.
In fact, if a website is ever to be viewed by many people, it probably needs a marketing strategy! (Did you know we now pay money to have our websites made easier to find through, eg, google searches. Economics play an increasing part in determining what website we get referred to first when we do our google search!).
And if we are going to run events that proclaim the gospel, hoping to attract a crowd of strangers with our promotions and programs – the standard will have to be higher than even just 20 years ago.
These are the times we are living in.
So this is a core value for this ministry!
The need for a high standard in graphics and content is a cultural reality for us, if we are to be effective.
Right now…
…I am attempting to produce tracts, booklets and websites that will engage non-believers such that they’d look twice, and would be drawn in to engage with the content.
Faced with a thousand promotions per day, people are ruthless scrutinisers.
By God’s grace, we’ll be able to create resources that will get the second look!
