In my post on Action Plans in the series on Strategic Ministry Planning, I mentioned one piece of advice. That advice was to make sure there was at least one action step you could take starting the next day! Rather than focusing all of your attention on planning, I recommended taking action! I also told you in my last post (Are You Living The Story?) that I was committing to living the story more, rather than just telling it!
Taking Action
Well, in an effort to live out what I am blogging about, our team has made the decision to start taking action and move forward on an idea that has been lingering around here for quite a while. While this idea will not change the world, it may change just one life…and that’s enough, isn’t it?
If you remember, in my post on the Brainstorm Session in Strategic Ministry Planning I mentioned how the Buck Knives Company inserts a simple message from Al Buck in the box with every knife they sell. This message talks about how their company views God as their Senior Partner and encourages the reader to seek God for themselves. I think this is a great idea!
As an automobile dealership group, we retail and wholesale roughly 2,000 – 2,600 new and used vehicles every year. As our team looked for ministry opportunities (similar to that of Buck Knives) that would leverage this volume, we came across one idea that is very simple and cost effective.
Owner’s Manual For Life
Beginning now, we are going to start placing a copy of the New Testament in the glovebox of every vehicle we retail or wholesale. The unique thing about this New Testament is the cover (shown below). As you can see, each one is titled, “Owner’s Manual For Life.” That is perfect for a glovebox, right?
We are still working on documenting the process for every employee involved, but I know this much: Each one will have a sticker inside the cover with a message from me to the reader, stating that I believe this book to be the most important book they will ever encounter. I will have a couple of phone numbers for them to call if they want help understanding what they are reading. These numbers will ring straight to my office phone or our corporate chaplain.
Sowing Seeds
These New Testaments will go to all of our retail customers. They will also go to other dealers who trade new cars with us for the purpose of meeting a customers request for color or equipment change. In addition, we will include a copy in the glovebox of every used vehicle we wholesale to another dealer for sale on their lot. The eventual audience will be widely varied and God only knows when and how the books will actually be found! It is our responsibility to sow the seeds.
We do not plan to review the presence of this book with the customers or the dealers. The New Testament will simply be placed in every vehicle during the prep process prior to going on the lot. The cost of these New Testaments is only $1.50 a piece! I think this is a phenomenal opportunity to literally spread God’s Word!
What do you think?
Is there a similar action you can commit to take today?
What are you waiting for?
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