Spreading enthusiasm for what you are doing
Seth Godin had a great article recently where he talked about being a good salesman. Here is some of it.
One obvious application is for evangelism. If we only show up when we are asking people to join our movement, then we are using them and we are not doing God's work. True evangelism really cares about people. Evangelists make friends. Invest their lives. Walk through life and love those to whom they believe they are sent. They don't "just show up to make the sale".
It also applies to the church leadership task of getting others involved in ministry. I know people who are committed to a particular ministry. You see them show up everyone once in awhile in church to promote the passion that God has put on their heart. But what I've found is that if they ONLY show up to recruit volunteers or money, they get neither.
The really sad part is they then become frustrated and often accuse the church of not caring. Not wanting to be involved in whatever their passion is. What has actually happened is that people feel used when we only show up to sell them something.
Anyone can be a better disciple by applying this lesson as they reach out... to fellow church members to support a ministry and to their friends, co-workers and relatives who they'd like to see find a relationship with Jesus. Showing up is incredibly important.
I was thinking about how this relates to my life as a Christian.
If you only show up when you want something, we'll catch on.
If you only learn the minimum amount necessary to get over the next hurdle, you'll fall behind....
A professional salesperson refuses to engage in the short-cycle of cold call/sell/move on. An urgent plea from the boss before the end of the quarter isn't enough reason to abandon your consistent approach. That's because cold calls are painful and rarely lead to sales. The professional salesperson realizes that closing a sale and then moving on wastes an opportunity for both you and the person you're working with....
The politician who only shows up when it's time to raise money, probably won't.
We remember what you did when you didn't need us so urgently.
If you're going to make a career of it (and of course, if you want to excel, you will), that means taking the time to understand the texture of your field. It means investing, perhaps overinvesting, in relationships long before it's in your interest to do so.
One obvious application is for evangelism. If we only show up when we are asking people to join our movement, then we are using them and we are not doing God's work. True evangelism really cares about people. Evangelists make friends. Invest their lives. Walk through life and love those to whom they believe they are sent. They don't "just show up to make the sale".
It also applies to the church leadership task of getting others involved in ministry. I know people who are committed to a particular ministry. You see them show up everyone once in awhile in church to promote the passion that God has put on their heart. But what I've found is that if they ONLY show up to recruit volunteers or money, they get neither.
The really sad part is they then become frustrated and often accuse the church of not caring. Not wanting to be involved in whatever their passion is. What has actually happened is that people feel used when we only show up to sell them something.
Anyone can be a better disciple by applying this lesson as they reach out... to fellow church members to support a ministry and to their friends, co-workers and relatives who they'd like to see find a relationship with Jesus. Showing up is incredibly important.
