The ways in which we communicate are changing very, very fast. The pandemic has accelerated changes that would have taken years to take full effect and are now happening in a matter of months.

Much like you, I want the work I do to mean something. I want my efforts to produce fruit, and I want the people and organizations I help to thrive, not just survive.

I have a few predictions of what’s in store for those of us who want to reach people using marketing strategies and tactics. These have been trends I’ve seen growing in 2020 and some that have appeared in the past few days even, but can fundamentally change how we reach people.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m making a difference for my clients. Then there are days like yesterday. Recently I connected with a pastor I had done some strategic work several years ago. I remember our first meeting and how much work I knew it would take for his church to become an outwardly-focused, evangelistic congregation. This was not just cosmetic changes, but a fundamental shift in the way he did ministry. It was going to be costly, in terms of losing core people who liked the circle-up-the-wagons approach to ministry they had,  and costly in the terms of all the dollars that would walk out of the door along with those people. As we reconnected and he shared what God has done in his congregation since those days, I was blown away. I was right. It was a painful transition, and they did lose a lot of people, but I’m…

Every meeting has costs and benefits. Successful organizations realize that while meetings are important, they can also be a waste of time and with it, a waste of money. Sometimes a lot of money. Not long ago I found myself in an all-day meeting with a group of 10 senior staff members of a church. We were together for almost 8 hours. That was not necessary. The meeting should have lasted 3 hours, and they only needed 4 of the 10 people there. Then I did something I had never done before, even in all my years of ministry. I tried to figure out just how much that meeting had cost the church in salaries alone. By my estimates those 8 hours cost around $4,000, not including my fees as well as lunch. How would we conduct meetings if we had a “money clock” running with a total cost for…