It's easy to settle. Status quo is comfortable. The problem is it's status quo... less impacting. Status quo limits missional success.

We're at the start of the New Year, so we want to challenge you, just like our team is challenging one another. Collectively, we can do better and achieve greater impact with how we communicate the message of Christ.

I love this quote from Henry Ford that attacks the status quo... He said, "If I'd have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me 'A faster horse.'" Their vantage point was limited by what they've always known. Henry, that was well said.

If you are reading this post, you are somehow tied to how your organization communicates its message and its brand. Preacher, Admin, Dir. of Communications, Designer, Minister, Volunteer, Congregational Leader... you're likely a stake holder in how your organization communicates within and beyond your walls.

Here's why we can't settle for status quo when it comes to the message behind your mission:

+ Millenials (under 30's) have incredibly high expectations. They expect everything to be creative and of highest quality. They make quick conclusions based on the strength of an organization's presentation, visual communication and overall brand appeal. We did a focus group of various demographics for a church client of ours. The Millenials were the most vocal and opinionated about their design quality expectations. If you want to start connecting with younger audiences, it's time to prioritize how you speak their language.

+ Digital Noise. We all know there is a proliferation of noise, junk, and mediocrity across the internet and social divide. Consumers are very quick to dismiss anything that presents itself as average. To your audience, average gets dumped in the useless bucket of digital noise. If it's not done well and with relevance, it's more noise that's quickly discarded. Commit to eliminating the noise by taking pride in how your organization communicates its mission. 

+ Called to Excellence. If you care about it others will too. We've seen it time and time over with our clients. Leadership, staff, congregants... they all respond favorably to excellence. It's not enough to have a web site or do a blog if you or know one else values it. Apple doesn't produce phones, that's not good enough. Their goal is to produce phones that people love. This means their solutions have to be extraordinary. That's the bench mark they have established, and it's why they are so highly regarded across the world. This year, have greater impact by regarding your mission as sacred more than you ever have before.

+ Think Beyond. Great organizations continually evaluate what they do and the impact they're creating. They understand that status quo creates organizational inertia. Inertia stymies mission advancement. Brainstorm possibilities for greater missional advancement by thinking way beyond your current level of execution... who knows what big ideas God will bring as a result.

+ Recommit to Your Mission. You're in the people business. You have a special calling and play a part in making a difference in people's lives for Christ. What a calling! The opportunities and challenges are great. It's not an easy race to run, is it? But, what if we prioritized our mission with more focus, passion, sacrifice, and urgency? Mission with passion and purpose conquers the limitations of status quo every time.

This may sound a bit like a prayer (hope it does!). This year, may everything you do, advance the mission God has placed before you. Joy and peace to you as you pursue it with more vigor and vitality than ever before.

Dream bigger in 2012. You have our commitment to do the same.