The Hook

What does it take to catch people's attention these days? And I'm talking about those who are already attending church, albeit not every week, and certainly not on Wednesdays. Why such a blase attitude towards the things of the Bible? Does every event have to be extreme, daring and out of the box in order to entice their presence?

Advertisers, politicians and more are always looking for a "hook" that catches their audience's attention. There are so many distractions out there that it has become a necessity. Just like we have to entertain kids all the time, many under-40 adults seem to need it, too. So here goes...

I'm planning a small group after Christmas that uses the "Drive Through History" DVDs. The host takes you to all the NT locations where Christianity began. And here's my hook: I'm going to buy virtual reality goggles, so people can take turns "walking" through the same locations.

Does anybody out there know of/use hooks that work?

Food for thought:

Why is it that the public school system seems to do a "great" job at turning teenagers into committed social justice activists who carry out their mission for years to come, and churches seem to do a woefully inadequate job at turning teenagers into committed servants of Jesus who carry out their calling for even a season? Is it strictly a time investment/exposure?

Chew on that and please give me your thoughts.

joecool wrote: I'm planning a small group after Christmas that uses the "Drive Through History" DVDs. The host takes you to all the NT locations where Christianity began. And here's my hook: I'm going to buy virtual reality goggles, so people can take turns "walking" through the same locations.

Goggles are in hand, having bought the last one in town. I've downloaded the "Wander" app ($10), which allows you to go anywhere in the world (or at least where their Google photographers have gone). A bit of a learning curve, but I'm getting the hang of it. And outside views aren't the only thing that's available. I've gone inside Alcatraz prison and the USS Constitution museum. You can move around and read exhibit placards, too. All those places that the Navy (or my checkbook) didn't take me? They're available now.

Brought my elderly Mom over for breakfast this morning and put the goggles on her without any explanation beforehand. She was absolutely stunned, recognizing the state school she grew up in 70 years ago.

Think of the potential ministry applications, whether with kids or adults. Time to start researching all the other apps. Yeah, it's a hook for sure.

joecool wrote: Why is it that the public school system seems to do a "great" job at turning teenagers into committed social justice activists who carry out their mission for years to come, and churches seem to do a woefully inadequate job at turning teenagers into committed servants of Jesus who carry out their calling for even a season? Is it strictly a time investment/exposure?

There's a ministry out there called Summit whose calling is to toughen up teens spiritually and mentally so they can stand for Christ when they're out there on their own. One of the things they do is offer a 2-week student conference that immerses them in the Truth. It's a bit pricey, but I want to send 2 of my older grandchildren to it. I just found out that they have a live online version that's one week long and a whole lot cheaper. And that's when I had a thought.

For the same price of sending 2, I can rent a local retreat center for a week AND sponsor 10 young people. I've asked Summit about the possibility of doing that.

joecool wrote: What does it take to catch people's attention these days? I'm planning a small group...

Last night was supposed to be the first night of a short small group series to get us up to the Christmas break. I was ready and had all the materials there for it. But a couple of days ago, the Lord put something in my heart to share instead. So I had another stack of materials ready to go for that. I gave a short teaser for each, adding that the "substitute" had the potential to challenge and maybe offend them. They chose the substitute.

I passed out paper and pens, and asked them to take notes and write down their thoughts. Which is good, because I used up all the time in laying out my thoughts. I have no idea how its going to go next week. The challenged will return, and the offended will likely stay home. But one thing I do know - we can't continue to do small groups like we do. The choir doesn't need it. The faithful already have enough knowledge. When we're in Heaven, we'll have eternity to read the Word, ask questions, fellowship and eat brownies. And there won't be a single unsaved person in sight.

We need to focus on the unsaved right now, while we're still here. The world has changed so much in just the last decade. What worked before doesn't seem to work anymore, at least in America. Do we brainstorm futuristic ideas to try to get ahead of the curve? Or do we go retro? Do we stay in the church/fort and keep the doors/gate open, or do we send patrols out looking for needs to meet? We need the Holy Spirit's help in figuring it out.