Posts

Posted on

How do I reach more people online?

One of the biggest reason for taking your church services online is you want to reach more people. At the same time, one of the biggest questions I hear from churches that I work with is, “Is our church online it’s own campus”? Yes and no. It can be. But should it be?

What is the goal of your church online?

I want to help you clarify this through 4 different experiences your church online can be. I gave this talk at CITN conference in 2017 but it’s more applicable now than it ever has been. With more and more churches taking their services online, it’s important to know what you’re doing in the online space. 

All 4 types of experiences have their own pros and cons. None are better or worse than the others. Read through this with open eyes and ask God what He wants to do through your church’s online experience.

The first type of online experience you can have is a Viewer. Imagine a one-way glass window. Simply a window in which someone can look through to see your services happening. There is no interaction with those watching. There’s no follow up, there’s really no way for them to connect with the church. But it’s ok, at the end of the day it’s not for connecting with the church. It is simply for people that call your church home to view a service when they’re not there physically. 

The second type of experience is an Outreach. In this experience, imagine an old fashion Saturday sidewalk kids outreach. You invest some money, some resources, and hope that a couple people loved it enough to check out your church the next morning. The return on investment (ROI) is very low. Your prayer is that through showing your services online, people in your area may find it, check out a few services, then come check out your church in person. 

The third type of experience is a Ministry. In a ministry, much like one in your physical church, there is a budget, goals, and a mission as to how you’re going to accomplish the goals. You may even have a review process to see if those goals are being met. A ministry ROI is higher than an outreach because you are putting a higher level of investment in to it. 

The fourth type of experience is a Campus. This is where many churches go straight to, and as the old saying goes, “too big, too fast”. With a campus, an online attender should be able to experience everything online that they could at a physical campus. Because this helps accomplish the Great Commission, it takes much more strategy, time, and resources than the other three.

I would love to walk with you and your church through these deeper. If you are interested in coaching, and learning to identify what your church may be capable of or taking the next step in the online experience you offer, visit the Contact page and fill out the Ministry Development form to start the conversation!

Advertisement
Posted on

Lessons from an Oscar winner.

This past Sunday was The Oscars. For so many people, they watch the show growing up longing to hear those famous words from the stage, “…and the Oscar goes to…” When winning an Oscar, it can be a life defining moment. Something that changes the entire course of your life. But you, nor I, am likely to ever win one. Despite night being a huge movie fan, or a big watcher of short films, I did have one drastic takeaway from Sunday night.

Graham Moore, who won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay made an incredible speech as he accepted. Now, I don’t agree with everything he says and does, but this speech was great. Moore said, “Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage like this and look out on all these disconcertingly attractive faces. And I do. And that’s the most unfair thing I think I’ve ever heard. And so in this brief time here what I want to use it to do is say this. When I was 16 years old I tried to kill myself, because I felt weird, and I felt different, and I felt like I did not belong. And now I’m standing here. And so I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere: Yes you do. I promise you do. Stay weird, and then when it’s your turn, and you are the one standing on this stage, please pass this message one.”

Graham could have and wanted to end his life because he didn’t fit in or because he was weird. That thought process is the in the minds of too many people. As I’ve dealt with people throughout church life, I’ve met so many that felt different and like they don’t belong, especially people in my generation.

The world needs people that don’t match up to the status quo. We need people that think differently than we do. I believe it to be true because one of the “weirdest” people in the Bible did some of the greatest feats.

In Mark chapter 1, we read about a guy named John the Baptist. He was far more weird that anyone else those people had seen. He lived in the wilderness, ate locusts and honey, and his clothes were made of camel hair. He was weird in every definition of the word.

John never allowed it to define his life for the bad. He continued to be him, even when he was with Jesus! If John can be himself in the presence of Jesus, you can be you in the presence of your peers.

As say all that to say this…BE WEIRD. BE YOU. There is no one else that can be you. You’re the only one that gets to be you. Don’t let not fitting in keep you from being a true you. If someone calls you weird, take it as a compliment.

Posted on

The least of these…

It has officially been ONE YEAR since I launched this website! It has been amazing to see how many thousands have read posts and stayed engaged with what I have put up here. Both here in America and other countries. The first year of the website I focused a lot on my writings and things I wanted to say. Although many have said they were great, I want to expand on that. In addition to my own writings, you’ll see guest posts from other writers and articles about others that are making a difference in the world.

To start off 2015, I want to do just that. Recognize someone that has had a huge impact on me and is making an impact on others. I want to recognize someone that I now watch from afar, but used to get the opportunity to watch up close.

When I was a student at Christ For the Nations, there was a fellow student that had an extreme impact on me. This guy was who you wanted to be friends with. He could have easily been the most popular guy in school (in some ways he was). This guy had cool points for days. He was funny, the ladies loved him, and you looked at him thinking, “I wanna be like that guy.” In addition to who he was, he had an incredible family that loved God and loved other people. His family always put other people before themselves.

I went to church with him for a season and we even worked at the same place of employment. So seeing him at school, church, and work I got to see many different ways and see him in many different arenas.

But I didn’t idolize him for  any of what I already listed though…

I admired him for WHO he spent his time with.

You would never find him hanging with what people considered “cool kids”. He was always with the people that nobody else wanted to hangout with. He was with the lonely, the hurting, and the different. He didn’t let language barriers get between him and foreign students. He didn’t allow peer pressure to keep him from hanging out with those that weren’t exactly the most popular. Most of all, even when earthly pain came his way in the form of losing his grandmother, his father, and his brother, it didn’t change who he was. He was still the same guy that had a HUGE heart for people.

Who am I talking about? Ryan Brewer.

Ryan is now a missionary in Thailand with his beautiful wife Randi and their two kids. It doesn’t surprise me at all and I would expect nothing less from him. The one that spent his time with the least is still doing it today. But Ryan doesn’t see them as the least, he sees them as the most. So as you go about your day, think about someone you can thank for their impact on your life.

You can follow the Brewers on Twitter: @brewermissions and also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.brewer.3979?fref=ts to see all that God is doing through them.

You can even support them financially here: 

http://www.gotonations.org/page.aspx?pid=278&tab=0&frsid=233&uppid=512R9x2Ddqp

Posted on

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

I’m so busy. My life never stops. I can’t get a day off. I work sun up to sun down.

The excuses go on and on in our head. If you haven’t noticed, it’s been three longs months since I’ve posted on here. Why? Because I haven’t made time for it. Despite not posting, 1,000 readers have been kind enough to read what has been posted in the past and for that, THANK YOU! You give me great encouragement.

Like myself, all readers and writers need a little encouragement now and again. I hope the following few lines are that for you. I’ve been thinking about why I haven’t posted here on my website. I thought, I’m so busy! But was I? Not really. I thought, my life never stops! But does it? Yes. So after delay after delay, self imposed I might add, I finally made time to get back here.

 

What does that have to do with you? Let me tell you.

We all have things we need to get around to do. Maybe it’s writing, maybe it’s reading, maybe it’s a home project, maybe it’s work, maybe it’s exercise. This list goes on and on, along with the excuses as to why you haven’t started.

Stop right now and think of two things that NEED your attention but you haven’t gotten around to it.

What are your two things? Now, say them out loud. …unless there’s someone in the room that thinks you already have that unfinished project done.

Now that I know them, how do I get them done?

1. Stop what you’re doing and do it. I was enjoying a Cardinals game on TV and stopped watching to grab my computer and sit down to write. …it probably helped that they were losing and it was boring. But sometimes you have to put away what you love, to do what it necessary. It will be worth it in the end. I promise.

2. Find someone to encourage you. Today I met a guy through Jon Acuff’s blog named Chandler. We exchanged a few messages on Twitter and he made me realize, I need to get back on track. Go check out Chandler’s story at http://www.ChandlerCrawford.com. Go get some encouragement from someone and get it your projects done!

Posted on

6 things I’ve learned from the first 6 months of marriage.

As of today, Julie and I have been married 6 months! It feels like we were just in Hawaii yesterday! But maybe that’s because I dream of being there right now. We don’t have the marriage thing down completely, but we have learned a couple things. Here’s 6 of my favorites that I’ve learned in the first six months:

1. My wife is the best.
She really is. She’s my cheerleader, my partner, and best friend. She’s there when no one else is and thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread. And we’ll leave it that way for now.

2. We don’t fight.
We really don’t. There’s nothing too big worth fighting for. I don’t demand anything be my-way-or-the-highway and Julie is the same way. If either of us find something worth fighting about, we stop and think, is this worth bringing up and ending in a possible quarrel? It’s probably not.

3. It isn’t 50/50 it’s 100/100.
I never look at Julie and say, “If I give this 50%, you have to give that 50%.” There is no giving only when the other one gives. I give no matter what she does. She gives no matter what I do. What happens when two people both give freely? Marriage ends up being 100/100. We freely give to each other, expecting nothing in return and no strings attached.

4. It’s a constant party.
There’s is NOTHING worth living in a constant pity party over! Life might deal you a tough hand of cards, but guess what? You still have cards. You could have none. There have been things that happened to me that I could be bitter over but it’s not worth it. Our marriage is a constant party that no one can crash!

5. Life is better together.
Single life was great. It really was. But marriage is even better. Yes, times will get tough, but I’d rather face it together than face it alone. I look at Julie as my helpmate, not my opposition. But most of the time, marriage is GREAT. So she’s there to party with me. TWO is better than ONE.

6. Marriage is easier than what people told me it would be.
Many people told me the things we’d fight over, the areas that would be tough, the challenges we would have to overcome. Honestly, we haven’t experienced them at all. Have they come up? Sure. But never have they been something we saw as a “challenge” or problem. Marriage is what you make of it, and we’ve made it great!

Posted on

I left that church…

“I didn’t agree with what the Pastor taught, that’s why I left that church.”

 

That’s an excuse I’ve heard from people in my generation more than I can count. Generation X, Screenagers, Mosaics, whatever you want to call them. This generation is getting more use out of that phrase than any other previously. I love this generation, I’m a part and a product of it. But we so easily get offended by those in spiritual authority and the words they preach. In using that excuse, here’s two issues that underly it:

1. You’re not going to agree with the next guy either.

2. The issue isn’t what he said, it’s who you are.

 

Let me explain. 

My wife and I belong to a gym. We pay monthly dues and it gives us access to weights, treadmills, etc. There’s also the option of getting a personal trainer. They are there to help you with form, nutrition, and overall health. These trainers are skilled, knowledgable and have your best interest in mind. I trust them because they know what they’re talking about.

When a trainer tells me, “Don’t eat that, eat this.” Or, Don’t lift like that, lift like this,” I listen. Why? Because they know something I don’t. We go to that gym to get more physically healthy and listen to someone who can help me better my life physically. I’ve never met someone who has left a gym because a trainer gave them “too strict” of a diet.

 

On the contrary, people leave the Church all the time because they say a church’s rules are “too strict” or the pastor is legalistic. Often, Pastors take abuse from people because they say, “Read the Bible more.” Or, “Stop sinning in this certain area.” All of a sudden the Pastor is now the one to blame. He simply is looking out for your spiritual health and now he is under attack by the very person he wants to help. The issue is not what he said. He spoke the truth. The issue is you enjoy what you’re doing and how you’re living, and what he has said does not mix with those choices.

Your pastor is not your enemy. He is not trying to cramp your lifestyle. He’s trying to help you. Your Pastor is your personal trainer, spiritually. Even if you don’t like what he says, try it. It’s probably good for you. This Sunday, hit the spiritual gym and thank your spiritual trainer. You may not be where you want to be, but you’re better that what you could be. Listen, he can help you get good results.

 

Posted on

The Third Tree

Many times in my journey of ministry in the first two years, I started asking myself questions like,

Why is this not like I expected?

Why do I feel like I don’t fit in?

Why do I feel like a black sheep?

Do I belong here?

Have you ever asked those questions? If so, hold on. I had been asking them for some time. This was the third step or “Third Tree” in my journey. (For proper context, read the last two posts).

I started to question what I was doing and how I was doing it. I had been with two churches and as great as they were, I just didn’t seem to fit like a glove. I took the next six months off and began to seek God to find out what was next. During that six months, I would meet a woman who would later become my wife!

Through that 6 months, I knew something great was brewing. After learning so many lesson in my “Second Tree” journey, my third journey took me to Carlsbad, Ca. I took the opportunity after an invite from Aaron Jayne to be the Intern Pastor at Coastline Church. This was the first time I felt like I FIT where I was. I stayed with a great family that was more than gracious to me during my stay.

Coastline Church has one of the greatest church cultures that I’ve ever been a part of.

images-10Every weekend it’s as if they are preparing for 30,000 people to attend even though they have less than 1,000. Tim Shaw and the worship team play like they’re recording a live album every Sunday. There’s never a weekend that goes by that passion, excellence, and creativity aren’t stretched. They always go above and beyond the week before to get better than they were previously.

Coastline also is extremely generous. The way Pastor Aaron speaks on tithing and giving is incredible. Pastors, if you want to learn how to clearly and effectively teach on both of those subjects, learn from the best in Aaron.

 

Throughout the seasons of not knowing why I did NOT fit and knowing there was somewhere that I DID fit, I stayed the course. Are you struggling with not fitting where you are? Don’t worry, the place you desire is coming. Don’t leave too fast! Learn the lessons you need to learn! There are things that you learn when are UNcomfortable that you cannot learn when you are in a place of comfort. Enjoy the places that are not comfortable, they’ll be your biggest seasons of learning who you are meant to be. When you don’t get your way, when things are done differently than what you want…those are the proving grounds.

I never would have enjoyed Coastline as much as I did, had I not gone through the previous seasons that I did. I’m forever grateful for the culture of Coastline Church and what it did for me.

To find out more about Coastline Church visit: http://www.CoastlineChurch.org

To learn more about their Senior Pastor on twitter: @aaronjayne

Posted on

The Second Tree

After graduating college, there’s ministry things you can only learn through real life situations. Being in Austin taught me a few of those, but there were a lot of things I hadn’t learned yet. There is always more to learn and can only be learned in different seasons and different places. The next step of my journey would be in Charlotte, NC.

I moved to Charlotte on October 1st. This was something completely new for me. New city, new house, new church, new youth ministry, new boss. I headed to Charlotte through the recommendation of a mutual friend of myself and the Senior Pastor. I’ve learned in ministry, opportunities often come through relationships. If you want to be successful, continue to cultivate relationships. People are doors through which your journey will pass. Relationships with the right people can open doors you could never open on your own.

I pastored at World Worship Church working with Momentum Youth.wwcnewlogo World Worship works with a lean staff, relying on key lay leaders to lead ministries. Through that structure, I learned valuable lessons in evangelism and outreach through lay leaders like Trip Critz.

World Worship is also very gifted in empowering business people to be examples of Christ in their workplace. That might seem simple, something every church does. Yes, every church should be emphasizing it and most churches do. But World Worship seemed to be special in their gifting for it. Many people I talked to on Sundays were incredibly successful in business and in the marketplace. Even with great success, they still knew it began with their faithfulness to Christ and World Worship Church.

With all the great successes I experienced there, learning valuable lessons, seeing youth saved, and building friendships that I still cherish today, one thing was for sure, I did not fit there. Does that mean I was wrong for going there? No. Were they wrong for hiring me? No. To find out where you do fit, you also have to find out where you do not fit.

The culture and DNA that I had in me was not the same they had in them. The way I was accustomed to doing ministry, the models and methods, were not the same that they were accustomed to. Is there a perfect “way” to do ministry? No. Everywhere is different, every pot has a lid. There were many times we didn’t see eye to eye, there were many times we did not agree. But no matter what, there were many lessons I learned there, that I could ONLY learn there and not anywhere else.

Sometimes you’re going to be in situations that you don’t understand and you don’t agree with how things should be done. That does not mean you need to REBEL to show how your way is right. Power and freedom come through submission. Submission to authority figures that you don’t even see eye to eye with. Only there will you learn what you need to learn and grow in areas you need to grow in.

To find out more about World Worship Church visit their website: www.worldworshipchurch.org

To find out more about their Senior Pastor on Twitter: @LloydBustard

Posted on

The First Tree

The next few articles on davidurzi.com will be a sort of my tale of three trees. It has been my journey in ministry and the three places God has taken me. You see, this website isn’t just about me or what I have to say, it’s about honoring those that have given me a chance.

I once wanted a job at a high level steakhouse in Texas. I had no waiter experience and I certainly didn’t belong here for my first go around. I was graced enough to be given a face to face interview with the hiring manager. At the end of the somewhat awkward interview, he asked, “Why should I hire you? You have nothing to offer.” I replied, “I simply want someone to take a chance on me.”

 

These next three articles are honoring the churches that have taken a chance on me and allowed me to grow in my gifts. It is for you to hear about them and know what God is doing through them.

My journey in local church ministry began in Austin, TX. After graduating college Chris Gilkey asked me to join him and his team to plant Reach Church. Planting that church has been one of the greatest experiences of my life thus far. You’ve never known a faith journey until you’ve told someone you go to a church that doesn’t yet exist. We arrived in Austin knowing God had brought us there, but yet at the same time, not knowing what exactly the future would hold.

I was given the opportunity to build a youth ministry from the ground up. Wait, how do I convince teens to come hang out when there’s no one else there? It all started with 5 students that I convinced to come over for pizza. Free food, it works every time. Those humble beginnings grew to 40 or so teens every week in a humble house in Cedar Park. Is it because of what I did? Not really. Did I work my butt off? Yes. But none of it would have been possible without Pastor Chris and his desire for God to do something in the greater Austin area.

God has continued to use Reach Church over the last three years.reach-church-logo Hundreds of people committing their lives to Christ. Hundreds baptized. Miracle prayers answered. All of that because a few people were crazy enough to believe God that they could be used to do something great in a city that had no idea who they were.

 

To find out more about Reach Church, visit their website at http://www.ReachChurch.com.

Also, here’s a great short story of the Tale of Three Trees: http://www.inver.org/ceantar/Learning_Circle/folkflorida.htm

Posted on

We go together like peanut butter and Julie.

In my life, I have worked my butt off…or have I?

IMG_2966

I’ll let you be the judge. Not really, but I’ll let you think you’re judging me. I’ve had 26 jobs since I turned 16 and just started my 27th. Now granted, nearly all of those being simple part time jobs. Some people would say I can’t hold down a job, I lack commitment, or in Author Jon Acuff’s words, I’m a serial quitter. I tend to think of myself rather, a learner. I learn something then move on. Though when I say move on, I mean actually MOVE. I have moved 7,092 miles since graduating college in May, 2010. I’ve lived on opposite coasts (West Coast, Best Coast!), the midwest, and the deep south (Better than both coasts). I’m actually a serial mover, not serial quitter.

I’ve never been one to sit still, I’m fidgety. I don’t have ADHD or ADD but some days I like to think of myself as a middle schooler trapped in an adult’s body. Besides, immature is just a word boring people use to describe fun people. Can I get an amen? I have loved every move and would do it all again.

But as “fun” as I think I am, and as much as I have moved around, I married a still sitter. Although she has moved, it’s been well thought out. My moves? Not so much. I married an attorney that is a thinker and a processor that decides something and sticks to it. I could never have found someone more opposite than me. Why marry her? Why marry someone like that? Why? One word, BALANCE. She gives me what I don’t have. What I lack in thought process, she makes up for, in detail. Balance, I did need it, I do need it, and I always will need it.

Some people told me in my single days, “Marry someone just like you! It’s more fun that way!” Well, if I married someone just like me, we would be broke, in a random city, wondering where to go next, or what to do next. In our case, opposites attract. But not just opposites attract, but opposites fulfill. That’s the big idea that I want you to see.

God doesn’t just want to give you someone that you’re attracted to, but someone that will fulfill what you don’t have. So can I say my wife completes me? Maybe. Are there still areas that she can’t fulfill? Of course. She’s human. Only God can fully fulfill me.

Whether you are dating, engaged, or married, look for those areas that you’re not gifted in and see if your mate compliments you. I hope they do. Don’t just leave it there though, see how you can complete your spouse. If your mate isn’t good in a certain area, try it out! You might be their answer to what they need.