I had a “eureka moment” this morning. We brainstormed names and ideas for the conference we want to do next year. We came up with some fun and crazy and creative names, but nothing really resonated. We wanted a word a word that encapsulates our convictions. We wanted a word with a little pizzazz. Nothing seemed to stick. Then this morning I thought of one word that is fun and self-explanatory and not too over-used: buzz.

That’s the name of our conference.

We wanted a word that would create some buzz. So Buzz it is. Pun intended

This is totally off topic, but I love Buzz Lightyear and I’ve always been afraid of getting a buzz cut. Anywho…

I think the word buzz is a great fit with our conviction that the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. And no one was better at buzz than Jesus. Even when he told people not to tell anyone about what he had done he couldn’t keep them quiet. His “buzz factor” was off the charts!

I don’t think anything in the history of humankind has been as “buzzable” as the gospel. It’s something so good that you can’t not talk about. Isn’t that what Peter and John said in Acts 4:20? “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

It boils down to this: is your church boring or buzzing? Great churches buzz. They have a high “buzz factor.” Our conference will revolve around three convictions: 1) the church ought to be the most creative place on the planet; 2) the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing; and 3) the church belongs in the middle of the marketplace.

For what it’s worth, I came up with a simple formula that I think is the key to creating buzz:

Originality + Authenticity + Creativity = Buzz

Our brains are wired in a way that we notice things that are different. That’s why you notice when someone gets a haircut or rearranges their furniture. Too many churches are too predictable. That’s where originality comes into play. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. I think too many churches look too much alike. I love the way Seth Godin says it in his book, Purple Cow. If you’ve seen one brown cow you’ve seen them all. But a purple cow? That’d get your attention wouldn’t it. We need some purple churches!

Anything less than authenticity is a gimmick. We’ve got to do the right things for the right reasons. At the end of the day, I think postmodern apologetics boils down to authenticity. Jesus was the real deal. His authenticity was magnetic. In one sense, we don’t market the message. We are the message! Our level of authenticity will make us or break us. Things that are genuine and authentic create buzz!

Creativity is the way we package the message or brand our churches. It’s all about having the right wineskin. God is omni-creative. The more we become like Christ the more creative we become. Too many churches are too left-brained. I’m hoping this conference crosses the corpus collosum and unchains the right-brain of some pastors and church leaders.

The bottom line is this. Originality + Authenticity + Creativity adds up to BUZZ. There are no short-cuts. You have to work hard and work smart. But it’s about being “as shrewd as snakes.” It’s about “compelling them to come in” (Luke 14). The word compel means “to demand attention.” I think “buzz” is a fair interpretation.

So here’s what we’re going to try to do with our Buzz Conference. We’re going to help churches imagineer a church culture where they design:

Outreaches that buzz
Bulletins that buzz
Baptisms that buzz
Small Groups that buzz
Welcome packets that buzz
Message series that buzz
Videos that buzz

I think the Buzz Conference (BC) will help churches identify their unique churchprint or DNA. I’m hoping it’s one small step/one giant leap towards becoming more original, authentic, and creative. That’ll add up to churches reaching more people who are unchurched and dechurched. That’ll add up to more churches reaching emerging generations. And that’ll add up to more churches having more fun doing what their doing!

Let me just share one thing that drives me or drives me crazy Does it bother anyone else that Hollywood and Madison Avenue do a better job of marketing meaningless things than the church does marketing the good news? I think we need a sanctified competitive streak. I think the church needs to walk into the Aeropagus like Paul and compete in the marketplace of ideas! We need to stop cursing the darkness. We need to start beating at the world at their own game! One way to do that is for churches to stop competing with each other and start learning from each other. I think the buzz conference will produce creative fusion.

For what it’s worth, we’re thinking May 4, 5, & 6. It’d correspond with the National Day of Prayer (May 4) and we’d probably try to do an optional Capitol Tour with someone like David Barton. I think it’d be a cool perk. And May is a beautiful time of year in DC.