Why Disney is the happiest place on earth and the church isn’t.

5 reasons why Disney is the happiest place on earth and the church isn’t.

People say, “We are judgmental, critical, and everyone is going to hell we have we don’t love people, we stereotype everyone as bad.”

Our goal as the church should be to keep customers coming back not just attracting them.

About 70% of Disney’s customers are repeat visitors. Amazing accomplishment.

1.  Disney understands first impressions may be last impressions.

“Research shows that people who are visiting a church for the first time make up their mind in the first 12 minutes whether they will be back.” Biblical records New Journal, February 2003

In her book, The Four-Minute Sell, Janet Elsea says you have just 7 to 15 seconds to make a good first impression.

5 First Impression Touch Points

1. How you dress.

2. Your body language. 55% of what you say is through body language.

3. Facial expressions.

4. What you say and how you say it.

5. Appropriate physical contact.

2. Disney is clear on who their competition is.

“Your competition is anyone who raises customer expectations, because if someone else satisfies customers better than you, no matter what type of business, you suffer by comparison. Disney gets thousands of calls everyday. Many of them are the same people who also call FedEx and count on their responsiveness and reliability.”
Inside the Magic Kingdom, by Tom Connellan

Matt.5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

 This doesn’t cost us a dime!

3. Disney pays fantastic attention to small things.

•     The high wear points on the 37 horse-head hitching posts on Main Street in Disney World are stripped down and repainted every night.

•     How many custodians does Disney World in Orlando employ? You might guess 300-400. The answer is actually 45,000! Why? From the CEO to the manager of Frontierland to Mickey Mouse himself, nobody walks past a piece of trash without picking it up. It’s policy.

Matthew 25:23 "The master said, `Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'

4. Disney puts on their mouse ears everyday.

•     There is a reason why God gave us twice as many ears as He did tongues.

•     Be listening posts.

Proverbs 18:15 “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.”

Churches and ministries don’t grow and do better unless leaders have the knowledge to make necessary changes and adjustments.

•     We might not like the feedback, it might even hurt our feelings but we must make those hard and difficult decisions to become relevant and effective. Make the necessary adjustments that we can grow and reach others.

Ways you can help your leadership:

1. Notice distinctive impressions people have of the church.

2. Solicit people/others for their thoughts and impressions.

3. Never make promises that you can’t fulfill.

4. Thank people for constructive input and tell them you will forward the information.

5. Diffuse any philosophical or doctrinal differences with a soft answer.

Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

              6. Pass on in writing or e-mail information deemed worthy of consideration to your leadership.

5. Disney excels at making every one-on-one contact a magical moment.

1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God has appointed these in the church:

…. helps,”

The Ministry of Helps is one of the most valuable spiritual giftings in the Body of Christ. 

When God appoints you to help, He also anoints you to help.

The helps ministry prepares every person to hear the Word of God in an environment charged with the peace and love of God.

Here’s how to help the church to be “THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH.”

HELLO

Make a practice of boldly greeting people you come into contact with.

Sample greetings to try:

“Hi there!”

“Good Morning, Good evening etc.”

“How are you doing today?”

“We’re glad you’re here!”

 ENGAGE

If time permits, ask them a simple question to identify possible assistance opportunities.

Sample questions to try:

“Are you a guest with us today?”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Have you heard about our ____?____ ministry?” (Visually identify area.)

“What is your name?”

LEARN

As you receive responses from your engaging questions, be perceptive to ways you can help them take the next step for them in church life.

Do they need to go through discipleship? Is there a ministry function they would enjoy?

POINT

Point them in the direction they need with specific information is both simple and helpful.

Disney teaches their employees to use two fingers, not one when pointing

SMILE

A smile communicates warmth, love, and acceptance.

Research has proven it takes twice as many muscles to frown as it does to smile

Put a “smile sandwich” on every contact you make.

Growth Barriers

1. When it comes to moving a church forward, being proactive is the name of the game. You have to make a decision right now not to let your church or ministry get stuck at any point. 
a. We must learn to adjust when needed so we can move through growth barriers.

2. We must ask ourselves the right questions to stay on course.
a. In his book, “The Purpose Driven Church”, Rick Warren explains the right and wrong questions to ask in dealing with growth.
i. The wrong question:  How do I get my church or ministry to grow?  Starting with this question can lead to wrong, even dangerous, conclusions.  Here is a tip that will take a lot of pressure off of you.  

1. You are not supposed to grow your ministry.  You make bad decisions when you think that the growth is completely dependent on what you do or don’t do. Such a mind-set often leads to trying to grow a church at any cost.  If you find yourself slipping into that kind of thinking, re-examine your priorities. Remember why you became a minister.

ii. The Right Question:  What is keeping the church or ministry from growing?  

1. Healthy organisms grow, and that includes our church.

2. If there is stagnation setting in, our job is to identify the barriers and remove them.

3. The question is supported by making two important decisions.
a. First, God wants to grow our church.  

Matthew 16:18 we must know without a doubt that it is God’s will for us to continue to grow, thereby expanding his kingdom.

i. 2 Peter 3:9 God is being patient for mans sake.  He doesn’t want any to perish.
ii. God is on our side.
iii. As we grow criticism will come. “Jealously."

b. Second decision is that we want to see our church and ministries grow.
i. If thinking about the next phase drains you, be encouraged!  God will not give us vision without supplying what we need to fulfill it. 
ii. We are not to give out before his job is completed.

c. As a leader I am saying, “Whatever it takes!” Whatever it takes within God’s will.
i. That’s why He called us!
ii. Knowing in our hearts that both God and us want the church to grow, nothing can stop us.

4. Some barriers we must contend with.
a. Space:  (share space)
i. We just can’t keep packing them in. 
b. Self-development.
i. A ministry or church cannot outgrow its leader.
ii. In the book "21 irrefutable laws of leadership", John Maxwell defines the Law of the Lid.
iii. When the lead pastor isn’t growing.

1. The church stops growing, when ministry gets stale, and/or the staff and volunteers stop growing.  The passion for ministry wanes.
iv. Have a plan for praying, studying the word, reading good books, attending conferences, and having great friends to call upon.
v. Become the best possible leader you can be.

Young Guns Jacob/Esau/John the Baptist

Young Guns Jacob/Esau John the Baptist

This series takes on such a cool feel to me for when you begin to talk about young leaders who are dangerous to hell, dangerous to the Devil, dangerous to everything evil and destructive that fires me up like no other.

Genesis 25:27-34 (NLT)

"As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. [28] Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. [29] One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. [30] Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew!" [31] "All right," Jacob replied, "but trade me your rights as the firstborn son." [32] "Look, I'm dying of starvation!" said Esau. "What good is my birthright to me now?" [33] But Jacob said, "First you must swear that your birthright is mine." So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. [34] Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn."

• A birthright was a special honor given to the firstborn son.
• It included a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honor of one day becoming the family's leader.
• The oldest son could sell his birthright or give it away if he chose, but in so doing, he would lose both material goods and his leadership position.
• By trading his birthright, Esau showed complete disregard for the blessings that would have come his way if he had kept it.
• Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food.
• Esau exaggerated his hunger. "I'm dying of starvation!" he said.
• The pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent.
• He acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without considering the long-range consequences.
• We can fall into the same trap.
• When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it and we can exaggerate its importance in the moment.
• We can avoid making Esau's mistake by comparing the short-term satisfaction with the long-range consequences.
• We often experience pressures like Esau did.
• For example, when we feel sexual temptation, a purity vow, a marriage vow may seem unimportant.
• Maybe you haven't prepared for a big test and cheating seems like now the only option you got, resisting that urge builds character, cheating destroys it.
• Maybe you choose to do things feeling as if no one is looking, no one is paying a attention, no one cares.
• When I begin hearing that voice immediately I rebuke it knowing that I will know, I will see, I will experience the pain, shame and guilt of doing wrong and that it will disappoint my God.
• Perspective is everything.
• Your attitude and the way you regard life, your calling, your relationships, and others is everything.
• Getting through that short, pressure-filled moment is often the most difficult part of overcoming temptation.
• Ask God to help you see life from His perspective and to help you resist making Esau-like choices.
•  Instead of selling our birthright we need to embrace it.
• Embrace that God has called, destined, and designed you for this purpose. 
•  It's choice not chance that determines your destiny in life.
• My birthright is what God has planned for me.
• It's what He has designed, blueprinted, and planed for me.
• This is so special to me.
• This is something I will protect even if it were to cost my life, my birthright.
• My freedoms, God's exceptional purpose through me.

 

Illustrate here: Blue Prints. 

• God has constructed me in such a manner and He built everyone of us with great thought, with great design, with greatness deposited inside of each area of our lives.
• Why would I ever disregard, dismantle, or destroy that?
• I wouldn't trade that for anything this world would ever have to offer.

 
Speaking of that another Young Gun comes to mind named John the Baptist.
 
Luke 1:8-17 (NLT)
"One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. [9] As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. [10] While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. [11] While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. [12] Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. [13] But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. [14] You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15] for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. [16] And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. [17] He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly."

• Filled with the Holy Spirit within his mothers womb God had a plan for this Young Gun.
• While Zechariah was in the "House of God" representing and serving the people of God an angel came and spoke to him about his family.
• God is personal, His design is personal, His plan is personal, His presence is personal, His dream and mission for you is personal.

 
John 1:6,7 (NLT)
"God sent a man, John the Baptist, [7] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony."
 

• You talk about being blueprinted, the scripture stated that "God sent a man" I love this God sent, John went.
• We need to have this mindset built into our psyche that we will hear from God, then do what He says.
• Don't make excuses, don't waste time, don't procrastinate, just execute.
• Execute His plan for us.

 
John 1:17,32-37 (NLT)
"[17] For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. [32] Then John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. [33] I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' [34] I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God." [35] The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. [36] As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" [37] When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus."
 

• A great leader of God will always point all to Jesus.

Next month at Youthrock: