How Do I Grow a Church with a Small Budget? – Ask Clay Anything

Audio Transcription

Get ready to enter the thrive time business podcasts show. What’s the factory special business podcasts show on your radio in the podcast download, podcast version? Yes, we have no longer have any restrictions of we can do whatever we want me to shackles, have been removed now. The thing is because we have pastor brian, gibson and pastor jesse brian our special guest. We do have to raise up a class a little bit. I know that’s, but in order to keep the show still salvageable for the you know, people. Classic myself eat with the story he was telling on the radio show that we now are going to hear the rest of the story. Now you know the rest of the story on the podcast version. He was sharing how he started his church by turning it by busy trying to go from a tavern to a tabernacle. Why don’t you go with the name? Pastor brian tabernacle tabernacle was good. What was less good brand that today asking what? What do you mean by you started with a tavern how that happened? While we were looking for a building, we’ve been meeting in a pizza shop and I was gaining so much weight. I had to go somewhere else, church planters will always fight for buildings, and so there was this bar that got busted downtown for dealing x & koch, the guy got, you know he lost his business and so on entrepreneur knock three times on the back door. If you know what I mean he was all about product placement, you know that building we said what an opportunity I love the idea of turning a tavern into a tabernacle and so are tavern into a temple. That’s kind of what I felt like god did in my life and index. What river city is always been about, we’re looking for people that are far from. So. We went in this old building downtown there, a lot of derelict bars down there. Then you downtown to classy and i. Want the brothers been. This discover, downtown movement exchange it now.

The back then I would like y’all to jesse at honey you’re, going to lay down some cover fire I’m going into the church, and it was like I was up. It was interesting that you moved into all. The bar was club 101, club 101 and in my office I had another bar in the back. That was called the, lizard lounge and that’s where my office was the tabernacle. You don’t come in for a shot of something good come on now. How old were you two lovebirds when you guys moved into this club? 101 brian was 26 and I was 23 i, don’t know why people came to our church. We did everything we. If there was a festival in our town, we were there and we were giving away free hot cocoa and at the christmas parade we were giving away free water at the barbecue business podcasts festival because we’re the best and barbecue. So we do that, and people come from all over the world to come to that festival, but the whole of owensboro in the surrounding region come out, so we would make sure we were there and we would provide believe it or not clean bathrooms at our church and they would be like clean bathrooms and we would literally clean bathrooms from 8 in the morning until 2 in the morning, and we would have people in and we would put on, we are shameless will do anything will put in a game again, so we would put a bull mechanical bull in for them to ride and we would give away free things if you’d open up our clean bathrooms. Actually one of our pastors today came the first time he saw our church was because he is a germaphobe and wouldn’t go to the bathroom anywhere else.

Besides, our church I want to make this really actionable for missing out there who might be up pastor or business owner i. Think of you too, this is this is what I think of you are very resourceful. It’s not about the resources. It’s about the resource from the kind of people that you could leave these busy before the show gilligan’s island. Oh yes, what are he’s ever going to get back off the island back to the mainland and for some reason the professor? Can you like a nuclear reactor was like two coconuts, but he couldn’t figure out how to go about i. Think i! Think! That’s that’s why I didn’t want to be I want to start with with you pastor jason witten. Your take on this pastor brian was listening to this church was smaller budget right and there are specific things that they could do to reach the people there I want to get your take on this pastor, jesse, pastor, brian and z for the entrepreneurs out there I want to have you come share. Some guerilla marketing moves that they could use to bring in the people. So I’m going to start here with pastor jesse custer I don’t want up or she is your business podcasts wife. So whatever you try to make sure, don’t don’t do that? Hold it so easy to one-up you go first, so she can one up user brian. What are some ways that I could use if I’m a church out there listening to bring in new people into my church? While he’s talking, you were talking about somebody to just started that has a small budget for less and less say, you’re a hundred people. What you got to do right now is you have to create a culture that invites you have to. You have to model that you have somebody that, so you need to be everywhere. Your job, if you’re at church of 100, is to get everywhere weathers people and invite them to church, and you have to learn to be shameless about it, and you got to learn to work with what you have.

A lot of people are always Saying:i’ll do this when I have this much money, but that day is never going to come until you hustle today, I remember early on, we got some vans given to us right, and these are the worst bands in the world they’re like minivans they’re falling apart they’re like cash for trash kind of think. So we decided we have these things. What a blessing. So what we did is, we said:hey we’re going to hold drunks home from the bar for free if they vomit in these nasty bands, this band of the vomit by it already so we started doing that. We would go to bars. Advertise drop around a card, so you need a sober ride home. So you don’t kill you or somebody else. Call us and I get 50 or 60 rides home on a friday night as the church, something that makes you stand out. They don’t that’ll, get you favor with your community fast. Now you got to think about safety in that situation, cuz it gets sporty at night, I’d like to take cole out with me. If I was doing that, you know just ask the muscle in the car that man that was dressed like a woman and he had that person. He was smoking. You said you can’t get in the van if you’re smoking, because we don’t have any smokey and the bandit he’s like no problem, but he puts his cigarette in his person. Then we’re in the van driving and it just starts getting caught fire person to ever. Have a cross dresser with a combustible purse in there man it was awesome and great to talk about on business podcasts. Oh yeah I did not do that. I did not put it in yet I want to ask. This is trying to 100 people or less and you’re trying to mark it out there to the families. Do you say I will pick up a homeless people drunk. Do you all do that move I’m going to go places where there’s over a hundred people? What are some ways to reach? Maybe the soccer moms. Yes, if your, let me see his ministering to people who are down and out or jesus talk about ministry to the port, the anointings upon you to preach the gospel to pour. We always do that and we do it unto jesus, but a lot of times. That’s a long-term ministry playwright people have a lot of problems after overcome, so you can’t just minister. There are my past I mean it’s like that, so you can’t just minister there. You also have to minister to the fam, and so we’re going to have to create a great environment for families, because that’s what jesse be great talk about that cancer pastor jesse are the best ways that if I’m listening, I’m a pastor or minister I got a hundred people or less in my church. I just really want to be distant, guerilla, marketing and the community. How do I do it so at a hundred or last one I would do, and what I did do was gather up my 5 girlfriends that were soccer moms or had small children in that age group, and we would hit every place that had something for small children, and so we would go to the museum and, while we’re at the museum I’m, not just there to talk to my friends while we’re at the museum in all of our kids are playing.

We are literally intentionally going around the room and making friends with these women I went to the kindermusik I’ve been to every soccer game and softball gaming and t-ball game and I stuck my kids and every league that I can possibly get them in and the whole time i. Don’t just sit there and watch my kid:i don’t just drink. My tea I am in those bleachers and I am working. Every single person find out who is unchurched or unsaved. They are not my friend and I’m going to be their friend have a conversation with them. Invite them out to do things, have coffee until I make sure that they know that I have a church that they’re invited to one of your church, 500 people or more. So this is kind of where we’re getting into your room existing business. It’s over a million dollars of revenue give a church over 500 people that are attending what what are the moves? Pastor brian, that you people could use to go out. There really am baxter community to impact our business podcasts community is 500. They got more resources, they have a little more to work with and so I think they got to focus a couple of things. Number one they’re going to focus on getting some big and bright days to get people through the doors of the church and to get their people moving to do it and I think a great thing that does this:if you’re in one location is an illustrated sermon, we would do things like at that size where it’s like we’re preaching off of the wizard of oz, and so you have all these characters that look like the wizard of oz rights got the 10-man. You got the lion and the tin man needs a heart come on. You need you to do the flying, monkeys, cuz, hope asking we had flying monkeys next time. I’ll have some monkey I feel better, but you send those characters into the restaurants on a friday or saturday night, when it’s packed dressed up like the witch, the 10-man, the lion and people will line up now to take picture and you’re saying y’all take a picture with you just just when you posted hashtag, river, city, church, three little pigs is massive rats come out of the woodwork in target. If your characters are in target walking around, they want the picture.

Now they have to do is hashtag at river city, church, little, pigs, the, wizard of oz. You have another one, then these are. These are ideas that aren’t just mine, I have eyes to plagiarize right right, so I’m I’m I’m getting these ideas everywhere. So you got three little pigs. You have wizard of oz. We used to do the eagles nest, where we would build this massive nest and you preach out of god. Want you to fly with the eagles, not live with the turkeys that kind of thing, and then you bring there’s this guy so I’m time your turkey is in the room, so we need him. After a man tunnel later is not a man, but the point is she:we’ve done star, wars stuff now everywhere worth of dick to massive every week. I, don’t want to do that because, after a while, the church does start to feel like a carnival. So you use those days to create big e attendance day. Super do like republicans only day. You know what I mean we invite you to the church at bright red, correct if you’re on that, if your right hand, if you know what I mean we welcome you to anything else-pastor jesse, you can think of that-would help me but I think a lot of people are so busy ministering. They are looking for a couple aha business podcasts moments. A couple moves that I could use to reach the community. I have 500. People are more number to get z’s take on ongoing marketing, so great one is t-shirts that we make and I won’t. Let them print up the t-shirts and less there’s river city church. Cc on the back, mainly because when people are sitting in sporting events, the person behind them has to stare at their back. The entire time, so, when they’re talking to you they’re, not talking to you they’re talking to your other series, has our website and it says helping people win or it says you know, church is phone or whatever our motto is for that year and that helps people be cut it. It’s just another girl in marketing kind of thing out in the community art, and we happen to be the top sports city in the in the in the state of kentucky for little league sports or people can a lot of time at ball games, and that was one of our ideas. This is what I see whether it’s a church or it’s a business. I see it says he play on words:lumina lie to your optometry clinic like it. Here’s what I see i, see, people that say things are going so well right now, i, don’t need to do anymore, I mean right now, things are things are doing so well, i, don’t do any marketing right. Things are doing so poorly. What is polarity of marketing up and down up and down? But you have been marketing your optometry clinic for 26 years. So How do you?

How do you do talk to me about consistency? Why does that matter? How do you do it remember when it matters, because there’s a high turnover rate in it pretty much any city people are moving in people are moving out. You may think everybody knows your mood. You may think everybody knows your business, but they don’t there’s a high turnover rate number 1 number 2 when people hear your ads in like for most business is only three to 5% in the mood to buy that thing. Right then shut home from the ultimate business podcasts sales machine agrees with you. Okay for a charlie munger is his partner. He says 3% $3, you got love your idea. Unlikely buyers are ready to buy today today, everybody else it’s like so every month it’s a new 3% of 97% of the people that aren’t interested me. Yes, you are, but you need to be consistent with you, because at 3% changes everyday and you need to keep your message out there. Keep it fresh now. What are the super moves? I would do is, but I will call michael jordan move the jordan slamming stuff, but they quit everything and michael jordan move is that was nike made his shoe and guess guess who wore his shoe? Spike lee? Well, yes, over commander and michael jordan wore it, and these are considered cool people. Things I would do is say, hey, listen. There are some cool people. You might not be able to afford spike lee. You may not be able to afford michael jordan coming to your place and do you know help advertise? Would you you know what every radio station has on your personalities right and they have been coming in people’s cars and their home for years? Pay the money to get on there and say how awesome your business is. Another word now it’s in someone’s, listen they they. They built up the the the trust bucket hats with doctors and continue to be the man who’s. The coolest things about you. That did sound wrong to say about yourself. I’m kind of a big deal. I didn’t say that, but you can have an all your purse. I say he’s kind of a big deal and that okay, that’s good, you can have someone endorse you so that that get your trust back. If they trust them, they know them. They believe them you they don’t know. You are new. You are unknown, so you get someone to endorse. Uie, wear your tennis shoes, i, either cool kid, and that helps give you instant swag. Now here is the next notable quotable want to have you guys, break down and I’ll be done harassing you, george washington, carver i, don’t go out there. Where was george washington carver guy, who was born a slave? He was born a slave. He didn’t actually know his name, he didn’t know it would either he was born.

He didn’t even know what he didn’t know, but he’s the guy who realized that the forms that the african americans were taking over we’re all depleted of the nutrients needed to actually produce a good good crops, and so he just began an obsession with the peanut and with a sweet potato, and he began to just obsess about the peanut in the sweet potato because a byproduct of sweet potatoes is it oxidizes, the soil dust making the soil returning the nutrients to the soil. He didn’t have a degree, didn’t have a mom and dad didn’t have a name didn’t have a birthday, but he did have. Was it notable quotable? He says 99% of the failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses. That is powerful statement from this I want to ask I want to ask you this pastor brian I want to ask pastor jesse and an inductor see this. If I’m listening to today’s podcast and I say church in a city, I’ve, never i, don’t have any connections here. I don’t have any money, I’m operating out of a cd bar. If I’m going to start this ministry I’m going to be starting with very limited resources, so the timing is just not right right now. What I got to do right now, cuz i, just can’t get started till I have more resources, I didn’t my excuse. I just i, don’t feel good. I got a sore left me, a headache. I don’t have the connections. What would what advice would you have for some others make an excuse because I can’t mark at my church I can market my business right now, because I have limited resources. What would you say to the pastor bryant? Well, if it’s not now, when is it? If it’s not you who’s going to do it, and if it’s not here where is it I’ll repeat that again, if it’s not now, when is it? If it’s not you who is it and if it’s not here, where is it so I think wholeheartedly? You got to start where you are with business podcasts what you have and you got to put one foot in front of the other and fight for it. The. First thing you have to have to create anything or to change anything in your life is you have to have the will to win in the will to win, overcomes i, lack of resources or any obstacle to put you on the spot, but you did go to highschool with a roberts university. There’s a bible of story, I’m thinking of here you know where god tells it was moses. He doesn’t take the staff you got to. You got to pick up the staff and he’s kind of like yeah i, don’t know, I don’t stay out of my busy. I got carpal tunnel. God I got a lot going on here and he said that story was making all of these excuses.. He says listen to i, stutter I’m, not eloquent. He stuttered he’s like I’m, not your guy i, don’t have anything. I don’t have what it takes and god speaks to him and tell him to pick up the staff, and then he tells him to throw it down the staff down and it becomes a serpent on the ground supernaturally. Then he tells moses to take your hand and put it in your shirt. Pulls it out his hand as leprous, and it itch to be a sign and a wonder to the egyptians and also to the israelites magic tricks.

How does a story, and is it just in there anything in your face, most used to giving them, and so does the same kind of signs wonders as a sign, so god was telling him you don’t have to have all your ducks in a row if I’m with you and if I’m here, and if this is what you’re cold to do. Then, if you’ll get after it’ll work sister about the guy who planning on the water he supposed to be supposed to walk out on the water he hydroplanes over the water, he stepped on the one who’s that guy that guy’s jesus and the sea of galilee and see what is god has control over the storms and the rest of that you’ll. Believe it keep your eyes on him, you can do great things and start with a small rock weapon. The old slingshot who you went to see all the rebels, who was that who was that guy’s name was it, was that it was king. David, wasn’t as a shepherd on the water going to pick up, a staff struggling to the scripture says 2 to not despise the day of small beginnings, don’t despise the day of small beginnings. It’s the whole idea of power in a seed write, a seed is such a small thing, god’s, giving you a cds, giving you an idea, giving you a a business idea. Give you an idea for a ministry. You have to take that seed and sell it, and it’s going to take time. It’s going to take cultivation. It’s going to take labor right, labor grow, something you sit here, all the time, jessie’s dad. Who is a pastor? You should say you spell ministry with forward work. It is work a lot of times, people think their spiritual people may think wow. This is all just going to happen because god is with us, but no god said put your hand to the plow and don’t look back got to get work brittle hands. You got to sow your seed, you got to fight for pastor jesse, george, washington carver says:there’s no shortcut to achievement. Life requires throw preparation, veneer isn’t worth anything, I mean for somebody out there listening who’s going to business podcasts things. I should be doing in the community, but real when I’m looking forward to make a facebook funnel that’s going to double my church tomorrow, I’m looking for a fact, you know that I wanted to buy mlm of church I want to get my pyramid going real fast here.

Would you say to somebody who wants to grow this mega ministry overnight and not put the hand to the plow? You say I would say be very afraid, because if you don’t get to do the work with the small and you don’t get to grow, it didn’t, even if you just walked in some which doesn’t happen, but if you just walked in somewhere miraculously and just took over this mega ministry thing, you just be terrified and run out crying cuz it. You would have no background to have the foundation for that. Bible says that god gives seed to the sower so i. Take that is until i, so something god doesn’t really count me as a so he’s not going to give me any more seed, but if whatever I have I just will use it do something with it work with it today got them. God will take it from somewhere else and give it to me if he has to, because he wants to give to person that’s going to work with it. Proverbs a1311 apparently agrees with you. I. Don’t know why it’s so weird the proverbs 13:11 reads:wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gains little by little will increase it. That you said, if you buy some circumstance you you ran into a big sum of money or a picture chore a big organization. You’d probably lose it right. Is that what you want? People I mean preachers:wii, u, no business podcasts men love to make money preachers. We love to get people because they’re sold and it’s kind of what we’re into so. You think that I’m going to do all of this and I’m going to end it just going to have it, but it’s got. People are god’s greatest resource, like literally, if there’s anything that god will defend fight for and keep out of the hands of the of the fool it’s his people. So if we don’t gain wisdom through time and through working through being work, brittle and being faithful, god will never trust his most precious and treasured resource with us. I have to wrap up today’s podcast. Okay, so number one. When you started your optometry clinic, did you come from wealth? Or how did you touch start that thing I mean? How did you did you start off with massive bank loans or rich uncle I mean cuz, we talked about being resourceful, but what was your moment of resourcefulness, alright? Well, I i, don’t show the lottery. Handgun is good at picking numbers. I was kind of number. Guy will win the lottery this week after week, and I had to have some pyramid schemes and ponzi scheme, and yes, I mean who doesn’t need another bottle of lotion. That’s a valid question, so ponzi schemes, lotteries and then, of course you know, I was really petty. Theft is always a good way to raise cash too. So you know I mean big. Stop you just coming in on scamming I had nothing is very few resources and day one I had a very small, very, very call ad in the newspaper and I put it in the the tv guide section. Cuz I figured that’s where they’re going to hang on to that all week, long and see. What’s on tv and I’ll, just use newspaper as I’m, better I know you hit the buttons on the cable to the cable box, was connected to your tv with a cord while you’re rich, and you know, I’ve got done making like by fives and tens or just come in at 5:20. To give me the 20 years, you’re pretty bad I do another ad or did I got it to full page and dominate.

Then I went to radio 901 radio station, then I added a second radio station at the third radio station and I just kept adding people on your niche might say to you the other people in your in distress. Why are you still advertising after all, these, years, bro, who, you, are, papa papa papa mind by and you got to keep a high turnover I want to turn it off and avenues of advertising I used to track it quite a bit back in the day. So did you come in from the end? It’s a like. Well know:i! Might the guy next to me in my cubicle, tell me about you, but I also have the coupon I got out of yellow pages and I want heard you on such-and-such radio station and you’re like I’ve, never called the elephant room, it is hilarious. Cuz she said how’d you hear about it. I think I’ve seen you on youtube and in facebook, but now it was google the signs, a friend of mine. It was just like it actually is a good thing over time. I met you, you said you would certain stresses that you were smaller, would have broken your head now back then, but now they’re they’re, very, very beneficial, for you can’t talk to me the high-water business podcasts mark and it’s not a whole lot of things that can really irritate you or stress you out anymore, and if they do you’re pretty good about that, how to happen below the surface shrek a duck paddling I watermark, because we talked about people who want to get rich immediately and they just crumble, emits the success. Success of england failure, number one that decided to do things that they shouldn’t be doing. Okay, so I’ve success is sometimes you know. Pride give me to get to anchorage. I got kind of a big deal. Evil girl who I am I’m, prides, never a good thing. But to answer your question about what was it again you’re right? So what happens? Is it brings wisdom and brings an understanding? You know when they say you know:that’s that’s manageable! I’ve had it worse than that.

That’s okay, I know how to deal with that. I’ve dealt with that. It’s going to be! Okay, everybody calm down, calm down, you know it’s why I think brings on just understanding and wisdom of how to number 1 how to deal with it. Do you know it’s not that big a deal number 3 you’ve dealt with it before, maybe in a larger sense, and so you know what I had some of those high water marks in my life is stress and things going wrong in your business and and the more of those you sort out in the more you understand that they are still available and that you can eat a elephant and that you can, you know, fix the problems. You know weird way, I hope you have a really awful week. Cuz I know it’ll improve your high water, mark. Thank you so much I really appreciate that, so that you can continue to be the supreme ruler of where you are the most humble man on on the radio for being here, pastor jesse, take for being here at the business podcasts studio and I’ll. Tell me about determining the average weekly donations per person in the business world translate 10 to determine the average revenue generated per person. So you can make a budget so drive time show on your radio and it’s always 3 to 1