Marketing pt 2

Mystery is taking a step in the marketing direction this fall advertising in Joplin's entertainment and arts magazine The Current. As a church in Joplin where religion comes before the gospel and church is more a buffet to fill ourselves on rather than commit ourselves to, we've struggled with how much we want to market Mystery. It's our hope that we would reach many people by word of mouth and through relationships built with people in our culture groups.
That said we are stepping into the advertising game. We decided to make ourselves accessible to people who might not normally check out a church. We are running at least 3 ads in The Current through August and into September aimed at poking fun at ourselves as Christians, addressing concerns non-Christians might have with church and trying to break the ice with unChurched people. We know it will ruffle some feathers, but it just might break down some barriers among people who we want to reach for Jesus. He hung out with the "wrong people" we hope we can too.
Here is the first of our three ads:

Marketing

"You can't market your church if your church isn't ready to sacrifice."
- churchmarketingsucks.com

A Community of Joy

Enjoy – The goal of man’s life is to bring glory to God. We glorify him most when we find our satisfaction, delight and joy in him. Mystery longs to be a joyous place. We are recipients of the greatest gift ever given and are entrusted with the greatest message the world has ever heard. God has rescued his people out of darkness and brought them into the light. He has saved his people from all our enemies (Satan, sin and death) and freed us to live a full life in him by His power and provision through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are confident in hope and certain in faith. In all things we rejoice, even in suffering and hardship. A full life is a happy life and happiness flows from knowing God’s sovereignty and salvation. Our joy will be expressed through worship of Jesus, fellowship with one another, service to the community and seeing others come to saving faith in Christ.

Ps 16:11 “You make known the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

John 16:22, 24 “…you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you…until know you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full”

Decline

“My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them...There is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ. I think the bottom line really is our own spiritual narcissism. There are methods and you can talk about style, structure and music, but in the end it really comes down to your heart and what you care about..."

-Erwin McManus

Chattering & Twittering Birds

"Believers love to bring others to the House of God because they wish to do good to them. Did you ever notice how the little birds, when they find a heap of corn, begin to chatter and twitter as if they would call all the other birds to come and feast, also? Grace is generous and is never akin to churlish Nabal. Misers would rather keep all their wealth to themselves, but a man who is rich in faith feels his happiness increased when others have faith, too! As soon as we drink of the Water of Life, a sacred instinct within us bids us cry, “Come.” “Ho, everyone that thirsts, come you to the waters.” He knows not the Grace of God who has no desire that others should know it, also. You will assuredly long for the souls of others if God has saved your soul. Natural humanity, let alone our alliance to the Divine Nature, leads us to bid others come to Christ. "
- From Charles Spurgeon's Sermon A Call to Worship

TheMissionofMystery- Wk 3 ENJOY

This week we are finishing our series on the Mission of Mystery. The Final of our three word mission as a church is "Enjoy". What exactly is the Joy of a Christian. Christians as defined as joyous. Dr. Martin Lyod Jones says we are called to joy and "we are failing in our Christian witness unless we are experiencing and manifesting it."Where does it come from? Why is it there? What does it accomplish? Join us this week as we look at The Joy of a Christian.

God's People and Prayer

"Moreover, the love which God’s people have for prayer shows their desire after heavenly things. Those who frequently meet together for importunate, wrestling prayer, practically show that they desire to see the Lord’s Kingdom come. They are not so taken up with their own business that they cannot afford time to think of God’s business. They are not so occupied with the world’s pleasures that they take no pleasure in the things of God. Believers in a right state of heart value the prosperity of the Church and, seeing that it can only be promoted by God’s own hand, they cry mightily unto the Lord of Hosts to stretch out His hand of mercy and to be favorable to His Church and cause."
- From Charles Spurgeon's Sermon A Call to Worship

Drinking From Toilets

“Might I suggest to you, that if you are thirsty for insight on theology, that you not drink from the toilet even though there is water there.”- Mark Driscoll

Community Group Sign Ups Begin this Week

The church as Family

The church is a family. In Christ we are sons and daughters of God.
The church should be a close family. The church should always be intimate, involved and caring.
The church should be an open family. The church should always be a home that is expecting guests.
The church is the bride of Christ.
We are sons, daughters and co-heirs of the kingdom in Christ.
Love the brotherhood...especially the household of faith.

TheMissionofMystery- Wk 2 LIVE

Our Series on our mission continues this week with The Life of a Christian. Join us in exploring how our Identity as Christ Followers is lived out at Mystery.

A Community of Love

Love – The greatest command is to love; to love God with all we are and to desire him as everything we need (Matt 22:37, Ps 73:25) and to love our neighbors through the sacrifice of ourselves for them ( Matt 22:39, Rom 12:3) All of the law is summed up in Love ( Rom 13:10, Gal 5:14) Jesus said that of all things Christians are to be known for they are to be known for their love (John 13:35). As a community of Christ followers Mystery wants to be known as a people who love. As a church we will seek to express love for God and for others through Community Groups by gathering weekly as family, serving the church, the city and visitors monthly. We will give our time, talents and treasures with glad hearts, in response to God’s saving grace in our lives (1 John 4:10,16), to meet needs and grow in grace.

Intelligent Trust

When you intelligently trust in Jesus as having suffered for you, then you discover the fact that God will never punish you for the same offense for which Jesus died.- Spurgeon