A question churches & new ventures often ask us is: Why should I focus on reaching one person as opposed to my whole community?

First, it’s easier for you to see one person. Studies show that when you tell me about a whole crowd, it’s hard for me to see it. That means it’s also hard for me to strategize and come up with ideas to reach a whole crowd. (In our Strategic Growth Process, we call it trying to “boil the ocean”.) But if I focus on one person, my strategies to reach that person get clearer. And when I go to test my idea to see if it is going to work or not, you have one type of person to “test” your idea on.

Number two, it aligns your resources – puts them all in the same field, you might say. And it creates momentum. It gets everything pulling together. We want to create momentum fast and furiously so people can celebrate as soon as possible when you have those little “wins”.

The third reason is for recruiting and fundraising. When you go to build a team, you’ve got to get people on the launch team for that new venture. When you share a passion for the same type of person, they’ll say, “Yeah, I want to join you.” That’s what you want. You want a narrowly focused team that really is sold out for this person.

This thought process works for fundraising and donors as well. When you can find individuals with a passion for helping you reach that particular person, and serve that specific person, everything gels really well.

So, those are the three reasons you want to focus on one person, rather than your whole community. 

Watch the interview here: