We Don't Want to Be a Tail

I just finished reading some highlights from Mark Cuban's keynote address at Blogworld.  He was asked about the future of blogging - what can change it? What can take over?  In his response, he said something that caught my attention regarding our church.  He was talking about his dislike for YouTube and he said, 

"Whenever it is easier to create everybody does. The longer and longer the tail becomes...It's gonna be hard to have more than just the ultra long tail. Viewers or readership impact. Look at the music industry. It's so easy to create a song right now, everybody does. It's harder to stand out. It will come down to content is king, with marketing being a major part of it."

In light of planting churches, the same might be said.  Whenever it's easier to plant a church everybody does.  Everywhere you look there are new churches or new campuses of old churches popping up.  If you have the cash, you can start a church (we may even be proving that you can do so without the cash!).  Find a good speaker, some good musicians and a room big enough to hold some people and wham! you've got yourself a church.  How will The Springs stand out amidst the sea of new church plants?  Should we "stand out"?  What makes our offering different than the church in the school, or the shopping mall, or the brick building with the steeple?

Just as Cuban said, "it will come down to content."  We have to be so intentional about what we offer to people that it is noticeable the difference that it is making in our lives and the people who venture into our community of Christ-followers.  It will take more work, no doubt.  It will take more time, certainly.  It will even take more resources for a while.  But throughout the process we are committed to refining the content of the local church to meet the needs and challenges of our culture on the western edge of League City.  And it's going to be a great ride.