This week I would like to give you some examples of companies taking advantage of this strategy.

First, my church, Elim Gospel Church is just getting started with this, but we’ve already added a couple of real easy upgrades.

Here is an example of an Athletic Store on Facebook

This tire company has a cool Facebook page, complete with web cams in their store you can watch.

Here is a restaurant promoting their menu and features in Facebook.

As you can see there are several applications of regular churches and businesses using Facebook as a way to link their web content inside the Facebook world.

This isn’t true anymore.

Of the six previews I watched, five of them didn’t have a dedicated webpage.  Instead, they offered a Facebook page as a way to connect to their content.

I thought this was really fascinating.  It felt like I was watching a shift in how companies promote and interact with the public right in front of my eyes!  I know that movies and other companies have been using Facebook for a while now to interact with people and this is part of their “social media strategy”.

It now appears that social media is the strategy.

I talked with a marketing executive this week at Show Case Marketing and she told me that some companies are dumping their entire websites and they are moving their products, information and sales to a dedicated Facebook page. There is a trend of organizations and events landing on facebook vs. dot com address.

This has got me thinking. Should our churches make it so that their first online connection with the public is through their Facebook page instead of through the traditional website? This is something that we are going to be trying out.  Right after Easter we are going to be doing a church-wide teaching series that is going to have a big push for people to visit or invite their friends to EGC.  We’re going to have a billboard up and it won’t have our web address on it.  Instead, it will direct people to our Facebook page.

Let me add a couple of more thoughts here.

First, this is most likely not a permanent strategy for connecting with people online.  Digital and social media trends are changing rapidly.  What works today might not work three months from now.  But the point is, it seems to be working right now.  Second, using Facebook to interact with people is not as simple as putting up the link to your Facebook page.  It’s important to think about with that experience will be like when they get there.  Having content on the page for them to interact with, posting discussion questions and investing into having our page designed professionally are important to utilizing this as a strategy to connect people to your event or organization.

Sharon and I have been leading a family prayer session in the Oasis Prayer room on Wednesday’s.  Tonight is our last night and we’ve really liked involving our kids in a corporate prayer time with other families.  This is something we hope to do again soon!

Everything is ending with a HUGE 24-hour finale.  This will be non-stop, powerhouse prayer in the oasis prayer room.  Different pastors and leaders will be leading 2-hour sessions, each with a different focus.

Here’s the line up:

Friday 7pm:                 Prayer for Healing
Friday 9pm:                 Prayer for the Nations
Friday 11pm:               Prayer for Creativity and the Worship Culture

Saturday 1am:             Prayer for Area Youth and Education
Saturday 3am:             Prayer for Young Adults and Colleges
Saturday 5am:             Worship & the Word
Saturday 7am:             Prayer for Area Transformation
Saturday 9am:             Prayer for Area Children and Education
Saturday 11am:           Worship & the Word
Saturday 1pm:             Prayer for Care Needs
Saturday 3pm:             Prayer for Healing
Saturday 5pm:             Prayer for Spiritual Transformation

Which one of these sessions will you go to?

That being said, feedback is an important part of leadership.  We all have blindspots, and we need other people to be able to see them.  The most courageous leaders will ask for feedback.  Not because they love being criticized, but because they know they need it in order to grow.  Here are 3 ways to get feedback from the people you lead.

Ask for it.
This is probably my favorite way to get feedback. It builds relational capital between you and the people you lead.  It shows that you are vulnerable and that you want to hear from them.  This type of feedback might not get you the most honest responses right away, but it will build the relationships you need to get the best feedback.

Give permission.
Most people assume they shouldn’t criticize their leaders methods, character or practices.  I recommend at the very least to give two or three people who are close to you permission to speak into your life.  These people should be people that you are leading and not people who already have permission to speak into your life (like people who lead you).  If you’re really brave, give a wider circle of people permission to give you feedback.

Do something with it.
What do you do when you get feedback?  I’d like to suggest that you have a system to process feedback.  When you get feedback here are some basic steps to consider:

1. Take it to prayer – dont react, don’t just brush it off; take it to God.
2. Take it to a trusted person – ask someone who knows you well about the feedback and get their perspective.
3. Action step – if the feedback was accurate, then take action and take a step that can be accomplished in the next 2-4 weeks
4. Follow-up – If you had an action step; go back to the person and let them know what you  have done – this is very honoring

Feedback can be an incredible way to advance your personal leadership gift.  If feedback is avoided it can become a serious lid to growth.

We are kicking off a new year at EGC by focusing on who we’re supposed to BE and not what we’re supposed to do.  The best way to get in tune with who we’re supposed to BE is to be rely less on our own nourishment and more on God’s.  This is why we’re starting the new year with a 21-day fast.  Here we can take the first step as a human BE-ing.

I will be fasting a few things that will help me rely more on God:

1. Soda (if you are familiar with a sugary caffeine addiction, then you know this is a big thing)
2. Breads & Pastas (I want to take away a comfort food and rely more on God for comfort)
3. Refined Sugars (this is another comfort food that I’m trusting God with)

You may decide to do another type of fast (there are lots of them out there).  I would like to encourage you to do something that will make you weak, so that God can BE strong.  I believe that this is a great way to start up the year.

Don’t forget to check out the details of EGC’s fast (January 8th-28th)

www.elimgospel.org/oasisinjanuary