In November of 2003, Business 2.0 released their hot list of “10 Technologies to Watch in 2004.” Here we are in August, nearly two-thirds of the way through the year and maybe half of them are somewhat mainstream ideas. Most are still not realities.
I understand why magazines run stories like this. They need to sell magazines, readers like to be in the loop on the cool stuff ahead, and top ten lists have been getting audiences for years and years.
One of the things I do like about guesswork features like these is the forward thinking it causes me to do in my own life. What are top 10 things to watch for in my family, ministry, and job in the coming year?
What would happen if you applied this “hot list” thinking to your church? In the next couple months, before the holiday season is upon us, what would it look like for your church to create a list of 10 things to watch for in 2005?
- A community who understand your church’s place in it
- A Sunday morning service at the poorest place in the community
- Free carnival in the church parking lot or at the local school
- More help for single parents
- A missions trip to ______________
- More opportunities for spiritual depth
- Neighborhood kids put on a show for the community
- Free wireless internet within a 300-foot radius of the church
- Teens who care and act
If you identify targets that can be easily measured, do a survey before the year and after the year to compare the results.
These should not be New Year’s resolutions. We’re talking simple targets that can be talked about and even distributed (like the magazines do). A list that gets people saying “Wouldn’t that be cool!”
What would happen if you even let your church’s hot list get out to the community?
Get people talking about your hot list. And oh yeah, try and make them happen.
