Maurilio Amorim

Author: Maurilio Amorim

Churches and the Dangers of Line Extension

Churches cannot grow strong using a side-door strategy. Side doors are everything else a church does besides teaching the gospel and helping people grow in their faith. Somehow along the way, church leaders have decided that music concerts, recreation programs, cafeterias, schools, bookstores and even quilting groups were church-worthy pursuits and a proliferation of side-door ministries began to show up in large churches. At the end of the day, none of them, I’m convinced, can grow and keep a church healthy. If the world of marketing, we call this problem, line extension, or the adding of products and services to a brand until it’s diluted and ineffective.

A while back I visited a church that reminded me of the dangers of line extension. What started as an outreach ministry of the church years ago, suddenly began to take a life of its own and became a huge resource and energy drain–so much so that the very thing that drove it into existence, evangelism, is no longer the focus. The ‘performance” became its own means and end. It now lives to self perpetuate.

I appreciate Thom Rainer’s book Simple Church and its efforts to help churches do what they can do best: reach people for Christ, help them grow in their faith and equip them for ministry. When other things, albeit good things, get added into this mix, the main thing seems to weaken with the passing of time.

Xerox learned the line extension lesson years ago when it decided that since it was so popular in its copier business, it should go into the computer business. Their logic was simple: we are the best-selling copier maker in the world. Since a copier is a machine and so is the computer, the people who bough our copiers will also buy our computers. Wrong. People did not want to buy computers from their copier maker. Several years into the PC venture and several millions of dollars later, Xerox finally got it: people want to buy copiers from us and nothing else. I hope churches are learning that lesson.

I’m not saying that all churches that have multiple ministries and diverse outreach are guilty of line extension. I know and work with some of the most dynamic churches in the world with multiple ministries who reach far and wide and are able to mobilize people and resources to make a difference for the kingdom. I don’t consider that line extension because they are successful reaching people for Christ. The ultimate test for a church lies not in the style of ministry but in the effectiveness it has in transforming lives and community impact.

Difficult financial times, however, force us to look very strategically at our resource allocation. There are a lot of “good” things a church can do, but there’s one main thing it must do: make disciples of all nations. It’s easy for a church to fall victim of line extension in order to do more instead of be more. This is the perfect example of how the “good” is the enemy of the “best.”

What’s your take on my line extension theory in churches?

October 17, 2011
Fall to Winter Looks for Guys

Some of you have asked me lately what are some looks that can easily transition from Fall to Winter. I have put together options that would work for most men and are not too “out there.” While these are expensive name brands, you can find similar options most any place. Just take the inspiration from the designers and go hunt for a bargain. If you look hard, you’d be surprise of the stuff you can find at places like T.J.Maxx and Stein Mart.

This chunky D&G navy and white turtleneck makes a bold statement. If you're carrying extra pounds, you might want to stay away from bold horizontal stripes.

Add a jolt to your black coats by wearing a bright scarf. This bright orange Louis Vuitton scarf brings life to an otherwise dull coat.

You don't have to be doing an impression of Mr. Rogers to don a cardigan. The D&G shetland yellow stripped cardigan looks great with a skinny tie and spread-collar shirt

I'm a big fan of the subtle plaid suits.They make a statement without being too trendy. This Hermes has a great cut and will look good for several years to come.

never mind the neon orange pants. Great skinny tie and sport jacket combination.

Every guy needs at least one leather jacket during the cold months. But nothing makes you look more like a tough guy than a great motocross jacket, even if you don't ride. This Trussardi is killer.

I'm a Paul Smith fan. Putting together jeans, a sweater and a tux jacket, you can "dress up casual." Don't be afraid to mix some of your formal and casual wear. After all, how often do you wear a tuxedo?

What’s your favorite look in this collection?

October 14, 2011
The Authenticity Trap

Authenticity is the new oratory device of the day for Christians. Self disclosure and complete openness have never been so popular among evangelicals. The days of leaders who spoke from a strong tower of knowledge, holiness, and utter discipline seem to be numbered. Over the past decade I have seen a communication shift that takes speakers and authors from a place of strength and knowledge alone and puts them in a more honest, imperfectly human dialogue context with their audience.

I have personally enjoyed this shift. It resonates with my fallen nature and helps me to know that even those whom I admire struggle like I do. Lately I have been concerned with the inevitable abuse of the authenticity device. As the pendulum swings from the bully pulpit of years past into the self-disclosing conversational approach of our social-media rich environment, it continues past center into what I call the “permissive confession.”

In short, this type of confession is not designed to right wrongs or to make amends. It’s often used to find sympathy and grace from your audience without having to do the hard work of repenting, changing your ways and paying retribution. The “I have made a mess of things” disclosure without a change in behavior is the permissive confession that elicits support for the unrepentant.

I need grace and forgiveness more than most. I truly do. But I hope we are not creating a culture that encourages people to be authentic about their sins but excuses them from doing the hard work of making things right. After all, shouldn’t we expect our friends and leaders to change the very thinking and actions that landed them in such a mess to begin with?

Have you seen this authenticity trend of permissive confession?

October 12, 2011
Google and Search Engines are Ruining our Lives

Google and search engines are ruining our lives. I’m convinced of it. Sure, we can now find everything we want to know about any given subject by typing a word and hitting search. Now wait. We don’t even have to finish typing the word. Magical internet search engine elves anticipate our search criteria and fill in the rest of word or phrase for us, most of the time with eerily accuracy. What’s so wrong about that? Well, the instant retrieval of exactly the information we search for is convenient for sure, but it is doing away with a part of my past I wish I could still have: serendipitous discovery.

I remember looking through the card catalog and pouring through stacks of books in my college library in search of a book and finding authors and titles that were not even on my radar, but due to the “analog” nature of my search, our paths crossed and the tome I was not looking for ended up changing my life. Those opportunities are rare in the efficient world of the search engine.

The digital assumption is that we know exactly what we want and all we need is help finding it. But do we really? How will we ever discover a better alternative to our limited assumption if we take away the wonder of the unexpected? How will we ever meet the more interesting, exotic and surprisingly fun girl if the only dates we are matched with are based on our Barbie-like profile preference? Darn search engine meta-tags. You are the nemesis of serendipity.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that knowledge is no longer a differentiator. These days a head full of facts is a waste of brain power. Who needs to memorize trivia when you can access the world’s knowledge in your cell phone in 30 seconds or less? But I miss the random encounters with facts, writing, music, and people that my old analog world forced me to experience. It was in those moments that I ran across an obscure Shakespearean sonnet, that I discovered the music of Basha, that I met the woman who would become my wife.

Now I can find exactly what I want. But is that what I really need?

Have I lost it? Am I completely off base here?

October 11, 2011
Looking Sharp in a Vest

For today’s Fashion Friday we are talking about a trend in men’s fashion that has made a strong come back in the past few years: the vest.

The suit vest has some very distinct characteristics. For one, vests, are almost always full back, unlike the standard tuxedo vest which has an open back design. They also have two main style options, being buttons and pockets. They can come with as few as three buttons to as many as nine, although the standard for a men’s suit vest is five or six. And also pockets, which can come in a rounded style or as welt pockets, which only show a fold of fabric at the opening.

You should never button the last button on a vest, sometimes you might opt to not button the last two, even if it’s casual wear.

The vest should fit snug but not so tight that it pulls the buttons apart. Too much material and you’ll look disheveled. Too tight and you’ll look like a sausage trying to break out of its casing.

A fun option is to wear a vest with an untucked shirt and lose tie. That’s a good look specially if the vest has design elements that set it apart from traditional suit vests, such as embroidery, or as in the case bellow, two row of buttons. Note that he has the bottom buttons fastened, but I think it’s because someone snapped the photo before a stylist could get to him.

Guys have you ventured out in wear a vest with an untucked shirt? Ladies, how do you feel about the resurgence of men’s vests?

October 7, 2011
My Bad Parking Lot Experience: Why First Impressions Matter

It’s hard to overcome a negative first impression. Your first gut reaction about a church, a business or even a person, will determine how you feel about that institution or individual for a long time. A while back I visited a well-known, fast growing congregation in Florida. I was not doing a secret shopper visit or a communication audit (some might find it shocking that I attend church without getting paid for), but I felt compelled to share with a staff member some of my impressions, specifically my run in with a parking lot attendant.

I was cutting it close to get to the church by 8:30 for their first Sunday morning service. As I tried to follow the serpentine of cones that led me around the back of the property and again back to the front, I realized that the cones were not there for the sake of the early crowd, since there were not too many of us. They were put down for the bigger crowds of the 10 a.m. service.

When I finally found a “first-time-guest” parking spot on the front row, I was happy to park near the door and run in for the beginning of the service. But as I close the doors and began walking away from the car, a parking lot attendant, whom I hope was a overzealous volunteer, yelled from 20 feet away, “hey man, you’ve got to move your car two rows back.” “Why?” I asked. “Because this row is for first-time visitors only,” he quickly added. “This is my first time,” I rebutted. “You’re ok then,” he replied and turned and walked away.

A better greeting should have been, “Is this your first time with us?” I would have said, yes and he would have had the opportunity to be the first one to welcome me to the church. Had I said, “no, I’ve been coming here for a while,” he politely could have said, “that’s great, but we reserve these spots for first time guests so they’ll have an easy way to get in on time and hopefully have a great experience today.”

Instead, I spent the first ten minutes of the service thinking, “that guy yelled at me from across the parking lot and didn’t even say hello.” Ok. Maybe I’m a bit sensitive to these issues, but if you going to serve people, the parking lot is the place where it starts!

What’s your experience vising a new church or business? How was your parking lot experience?

October 6, 2011
3 Reasons to Fire a Client

Sometimes you have to fire your clients. That sounds almost wrong until you give it some thought. Early in entrepreneurial career, I would say “yes” to anyone willing to hire me. The reasoning was simple: I needed to eat and someone was willing to pay for what I had to offer. However, over the years I have lost a lot of money and opportunity courting and working with clients who were not strategically a good fit for my company. Until I realized the true cost of working outside my sweet spot, I continually jumped on every opportunity that came my way.

What I did not understand for a long time is that for every less-than-ideal client or project we pursued as a business and took on, we gave up the ability to find and work on the projects that were the most enjoyable, most profitable and, therefore, most successful. The allure of the sale-at-any-cost mindset actually cost us business and kept us from growing faster and stronger.

This frustration led us to develop the critical 3 P’s that we evaluate every ongoing and new opportunity that comes our way.

Profit
Some projects (even clients) are not profitable. In my experience the smaller the client, the more demanding and unprofitable they are. You usually spend the same amount of time and effort with less drama and more enjoyment on a larger project that’s much more lucrative. The best thing you can do for your business is fire unprofitable clients.

Partnership
It is important for us to be a partner and not just a vendor. A true partnership is critical during large, complex or ambitious projects. It implies a trust between two parties and if we feel we don’t have that report going in, we usually don’t take the job. Some of our most successful projects have been true collaborations where there was a healthy give and take that made the final product the best it could be.

Potential
Not all of our clients are large. Some are small but with the right tools and guidance they have the potential to grow and become very profitable for us. We love finding partnerships that have lots of potential and helping them grow. I rather partner with a client that has potential than with a large-budget client that’s not completely sold on the partnership. Enthusiasm infuses a lot of creative energy into any project.

Have you ever fired a client in your line of work? What happened?

October 4, 2011
How to Mix Patterns and Look Sharp

I remembering hearing “if you don’t want to look like a clown, don’t mix your patterns.” Most guys are comfortable putting together solid ties and striped shirts or pairing a patterned shirt with a solid tie. Forget what your mother told about the evils of mixing patterns and put aside your fear of looking like a clown. If you keep in mind a couple of simple rules, you can look sharp in a very dynamic combination of mixed patterns.

Before you decide to mix your patterns, remember this:

Opposites attract. If you have a dark shirt, then go for a lighter tie. Unless you’re going monochromatic, contrast is always a good thing

Decide who is boss. Two strong patterns together comes across more like a shouting match than beautiful dissonance. Look for dominant/subtle combinations. Much like good design, you should decide where your focus point is. When everything screams “look at me!” you create visual clutter. That’s how you get the clown effect.

Beyond silk. Silk ties are great, but find new textures and fresh expression in wool and cotton ties. These look great specially in a skinny tie. Don’t be afraid to go beyond the predictable.

How do you feel about mixing patterns? Do you like this look?

September 30, 2011
Bad Advice from Church Board Members
I’ve been in a lot of church board meetings. A LOT. For the first 15 years of my professional career, I was on the staff side of the table. Since I valued my job and wanted to keep it, most of the time, I often just sat there quietly as people disguised bad advice in spiritual terms. Well, mostly quietly anyway. For those of you who know me, you understand that I don’t do “quiet” very well.
There are a lot of great business men and women of faith in church boards that have inspired and mentored me throughout my career. And there are some who should never have been there in the first place. I’ve heard a lot of bad advice and theology dispensed by volunteer leaders cloaked in the guise of concern and spirituality. Here’s a short list of stuff I’ve heard through the years that have stuck with me and my translation of what they really said:
- “Surely we can’t expect our young couples to give 10% of their income. They don’t make that much money.” Translation: “How dare you expect me to give 10% of my income to this church. Do you have any idea of how much money that is?”
- “Based on historical giving data and market conditions, I believe that a zero increase in the budget is all we need to forecast.” Translation: “I have no faith in our people, the vision for the future and even less in God.”
- “We can’t just keep increasing the Pastor’s salary. It’s more than the average church member” Translation: “He’s about to make more money than me and I’m not happy about it.”
- “This is Jesus’ church and you don’t own it.” Translation: “This is my church and you don’t own it.
- “The Holy Spirit spoke to me last night and. . . ” Translation: “My wife spoke to me last night and. . . “
I’d love to hear some of your stories on bad church board advice, whether or not they were disguised or spiritualized.
September 28, 2011
Text Messaging and Your Business

Nothing has had a greater impact on how I do business than text messaging. Not long ago, I was on a conference call with someone in Texas, someone in Sao Paulo, Brazil and I was in a car driving through New York City. The conversation sounded clear in spite of the thousands of miles and time zones separating us. However, I believe nothing has revolutionized more the face of business in the last decade since the proliferation of email than text messaging.

Just a few years ago, text messaging was seeing as an annoyance designed for teens and not a serious tool for business professionals. But lately, I have seen a major shift in how my busiest clients want to communicate. Some, if not most, of my clients fit into the type A, let’s-get’em-done category. They value getting quickly to the bottom line. They prefer the succinct, and yet effective nature of the text message. I find myself texting more and emailing less. Most of my texts are couple of sentences, and I’m amazed of how much I’m able to communicate. Busy people love getting to the point without a lot of fuss.

Gone is the need for “how are you today,” and “I hope you had a great weekend, blah, blah, blah.” Welcome to, “visuals look great. Need another option without logo.” I also know that a text is instantly delivered to the recipient, and I don’t have to worry about waiting until he checks his inbox or sits at a terminal to get my message.

I’m not advocating that all communication should be this short, but text messaging forces us to get to the heart of the matter and be intentional in each word we use. After all, we only get a few (unless you’re the type who’s compelled to send out 8 text messages in a row on one subject. Yes, you know who you are). Even if I don’t abbreviate words, which I try not to do, texting helps me to say a lot quickly.

As a matter of fact, I’m considering posting this blog in text-messaging format from now on. How would I compose this entire post on my phone? I guess it would be something like,

“texting forces us to be intentional and focused. Goodbye verbosity.”

How have your text messages change the way you do business?

September 27, 2011