Our Strategy Document

We are an online church for those that might not see the point of church. A place to find answers to live a meaningful life.

In the UK, 11% of the population attending a church, of which there are an estimated 2 million evangelical Christians. Our society is growing further away from the church, more secular and more agnostic. They are unsure about God but increasingly sure that church is not the answer. Yet over two-thirds of the population are on Social Media and over 90% are connected to the Internet, so our aim is simple: to be an online church for those that might not see the point of church. To be a place that helps folks find answers to live a meaningful life.

Currently, CROWD is a Digital Church that streams live on Facebook & YouTube -> The Digital Space.

And it's through the Digital Space that we help people rediscover Jesus for who He truly is. We help them realise that He's absolutely lovely and that He is absolutely relevant to their daily life.

We've broken people down into two key groups: their age group and also their faith journey status to identify the key area of focus for CROWD. The group that we have our strongest sense of relevance with are folks in their mid-30s that are on their way towards a healthier place.

They are logical. They're smart, practical people trying to live better lives. They possibly run their own business and have experienced some 'success'. Maybe they've heard of God in the past. Maybe they've been intrigued. Maybe they went to church, at some point in their life, maybe God's knocking on their heart.

The Four Journey Stages

When we look at the Gospels, we see separate and distinct places mentioned:

1. TOWNS & VILLAGES. This is symbolic of all the people in our area of reach. Most of them are not interested in Christ at this time.
   1. They need an inkling of hope to move to the next stage - "I hope it is worth my time".
   2. We measure this by reach.
2. THE CROWD. The crowd is those that hear about Jesus and have a level of intrigue and interest in finding out more.
   1. They finally agree to the invites of their friends to go and find out more about Jesus.
   2. They stand at the back, and they don't really know that much about what is going on.
   3. But something happens, Jesus does something or says something that intrigues you.
   4. You agree to come back.
   5. Those in the crowd need inspiration and challenge to move to the next stage of the journey.
   6. We measure this by engagement.
3. THE ROAD. This is where we start to walk with Christ.
   1. Over time you have become more committed.
   2. You start to walk with others that are also committed.
   3. You ask questions.
   4. Jesus ministers to you personally.
   5. You start to understand how this all works.
   6. Those on the road ned to be taught what it really means to walk with Jesus. This is where teaching plays an important role.
4. PRIVATE PLACE. This is where we start to get intimate with Christ, and it's in this place that we get the courage to serve Christ.
   1. They start to wrestle out and ask questions of Christ that deepen their faith.
   2. In this stage of the journey, people need training that is interactive and makes someone better.

Who are we reaching?

We are aiming at those in the crowds, who are in their mid 30's who are smart, practical people. We want to be a church for those that don't really do church.

As we reach this group of folks, our impact will grow and expand.

The big dilemma that they don't see the point of church, they don't need church:

• A growing portion of Millennial Christians believes that they can 'find God elsewhere' (they don't need to go to church to meet with God). Many of the Christians, and non-Christians in their mid-30s thinking that the church is boring and not relevant to them.
• They like the idea of mission (especially if it is social), but not necessarily being missional. In the 2019 Barna report Reviving Evangelism, they found that almost half of practising Christian Millennials (47%) say evangelism is wrong.

But Why?

• They see church as a bit of a paradox. On the one hand, it has proved to be judgemental, hypocritical, anti-homosexual and insensitive. But on the other hand, most recognise it as a community that is vibrant and positive.

They are looking for:

• A community, a place they can contribute and grow. They want TED-style talks that are inspiring and address real-world issues, especially during this time of COVID, racism and injustice. They want authentic, transparent leaders who tell stories, inspire them and challenge the system. They want to learn more about God and think the church should be "A place to find answers to live a meaningful life ".

How do we communicate and do church in a way that overcomes people's barriers and reach the Crowds?

ONE: Gather the CROWDS

The CROWD is not a uniform shape with Jesus at the centre. It is organic and changes shape, with some people closer to Christ, and others further away.

1. INVITE. Those that have been invited by someone to CROWD are much closer to having an encounter with Christ.
   1. Creating a Livestream & Content that is consistent and accessible will make it easier for our members to invite folks along to CROWD.
   2. Invite is still the most powerful way to help someone have an encounter with Christ.
2. WORD OF MOUTH. Within the digital space, word of mouth becomes straightforward as it is easy to share the Livestream and Content. Sharing is not a direct invite, but it is telling people about what is happening.
   1. They are more likely to have an encounter with Christ than SEARCH or ADS but probably less likely than INVITE.
   2. We measure this by Shares.
3. SEARCH. People are searching for answers online all of the time. We are constantly asking questions in search engines or on social media. Our aim is to be found when people search.
   1. We will use up-to-date SEO practices and strategies around the content we create.
   2. These folks will be in various states of their journey with Christ.
   3. We can be great at answering these questions.
   4. This is a medium to long-term strategy.
4. ADS. Leveraging the power of Social Media and Ads, we can promote CROWD church and content
   1. This gives us instant, wide reach.
   2. These folks are the least likely to have an encounter with Christ as they are not being invited or searching for Church.
   3. Creating content that is engaging and intriguing will help connect with folks, especially content that tackles their biggest barriers.

The way we feel like God has given this to us is as per the diagram above. Search and Ads have the biggest reach but will have the lowest engagement. Invite and Word of Mouth is dependent on members promoting CROWD. This gives us a smaller group, but much more likely to have an encounter with Jesus. We will work on all four ways to gather the CROWDS.

TWO: Create conversations about the Gospel

• Jesus taught the crowds. This was inspirational, transformational & practical. It is easy to understand teaching that connected with people and transformed lives.
• When the crowds gathered, Jesus also gave space for people to ask questions, He invited people to share their stories (for example, the woman with the issue of blood) and He would even debate with people. It wasn't just one way. Conversation happened.
• Our job is to inspire people about who Jesus is.
• Our communication will be a combination of smart, caring and simple.
• We will find ways to make conversations happen.
• "There was something about the way you talked about Jesus that was so disarming, and made him so likeable and attractive that I went, I don't know if I've ever heard anyone do a better job. And I listen to church people for a living."

THREE: Demonstrate the Gospel

• Our desire is to see God confirm His word with signs and wonders. We will do this through the opportunity for prayer.
• We've added the TRY PRAYER page to the website, following conversations with Chris Kent.

FOUR: Be motivated by compassion

• Our motivation for doing what we do.
• People are scattered. This is what happens to sheep when you leave them to their own devices. Everyone goes their own way. They aren’t even aware that they are in the wrong place. They are being led by something that is not a good leader.

FIVE: Believe that God is building the church

• Jesus told us that the harvest is plentiful.
• We believe that God will build His church, and that there are crowds of people (the harvest), that God wants us to connect with.
• “I think that's really the secret, honestly, to winning people is believing that God's already at work in them.”

SIX: Pray for the growth of the team

• Jesus said, "How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!" So we will do just that.
• We understand that the team, the workers are more than just the traditional Leadership of CROWD. It includes all of those who are active in building God's Kingdom - those who teach, who invite, who pray for people, who create content, who contribute, who serve, who pray, who support.
• The bigger the team, the more people who will encounter Jesus.

Stylescape Link

Design wise, our demographic like simple clean design with bold colours and organic materials. They tend to dress in a smart casual way, preferring dark blue jeans with a T Shirt, sweater or open shirt and jacket. Fonts tend to be sans serif, spaced and simple. Furniture involves organic materials, including wood mixed with light industrial (they are not as rustic or industrial as hipster or Gen Z). It's around this age that our Crowds start to marry, have children and buy their first house. Geometric shapes are popular, especially with strong contrasting colours, but the shapes are simple and not complex or over bearing. They are professional, often working from home (especially during the pandemic). The furniture is simple and clutter free, and colours usually come from cushions, rugs, throws, books, plants etc. Popular colours include a deep blue, a pastel pink (especially when aimed specifically at women), natural colours that resemble wood and plants as well as colours that are off-white, and off-black.