What Makes Your Ministry Different?

Back in the early ’20s if you were shopping for an automobile, you only had one color choice, black. In fact, Henry Ford said, “Any customer can have a car in any color as long as it’s in black.” Today we are not limited by color, make, or style. We can choose from a host of options to fit anyone’s needs. Every year, car manufacturers add new features, trying to get ahead of the competition. This is called the differential advantage.  The differential advantage is a unique benefit or characteristic of a firm, product, or program that sets it apart and above its competitors in the customer’s viewpoint.

In ministry, there is a lesson to be learned from this business model.  The trend today is for ministries to be like everyone else.  This may be one of the reasons we find this world’s values creeping into our churches at an alarming rate. To show how the world is emerging in churches, consider the changes in terminology that ministries are using.  In fact, your terminology can tell a lot about the style and worship of your church.

Here are some noticeable changes:

• The platform is now called a stage
• The choir is now called a praise band
• The congregation is now called an audience
• The sound room is now called a projection booth
• The pastor is now called a speaker
• The song leader is now called worship leader
• The worship is now called a performance

Let’s not try to keep up with the latest trends in worship, while losing focus on the very thing that makes a ministry different. The differential advantage that is often overlooked by a ministry is the emphasis on old-fashioned Bible preaching, soul winning, and God-honoring music. With this advantage, a ministry will set itself apart from other “cookie-cutter” ministries.