Trinity Lutheran Church in Wyandotte, Michigan was looking for ways to help the neighborhood kids increase their activity levels and also their literacy skills. With the help of FiveTwo coaching and courseware — and an army of volunteers! — they’ve done both.
The pastor of Trinity Lutheran, Greyson Grenz, and his team knew a large portion of kids in their community schools were struggling with reading according to state tests and standards. At the same time, amid a childhood inactivity crisis, the church was looking for ways to engage with kids so they could build relationships and also encourage physical activity.
The team launched and scaled, and Greyson has reflected on lessons learned through his experience of launching a faith-based venture.
3 Best Practices Captured by One Faith-based Venture
1. Build your best team.
The first piece of advice Greyson shares with other leaders is to recruit a great team to walk alongside them.
Working through the FiveTwo Activation Module with an impassioned team not only means there are more people to carry the load of implementation, but there’s an undeniable synergy that happens within groups. As a result, valuable innovation subsequently occurs.
TIPS FOR TEAM RECRUITMENT
It may be tempting to go it alone, but while ideation begins with you, executing and bringing your idea to life most likely will require a team.
- Pray for discernment
- Recruit leaders of integrity
- Invite them into your “why”
It helps to gather people with whom you enjoy spending time and feel a natural connection to, as well. After all, you’ll be in the trenches together before you know it.
Do you need to build a team? Check out 14 Tips on Recruiting and Building a Great Team
2. Get coaching and instruction.
For anyone on the fence about taking the step to launch, Greyson encourages others to pursue coaching and training. To explain why, he says:
“In a rapidly changing world, the church must adapt and use all available avenues to share the gospel.”
In a time of waning church membership and attendance, believers have the unique opportunity to utilize entrepreneurship to impact their community.
For many, it begins with taking the necessary steps to understand and know the customer. At FiveTwo, we have a proven model that will help.
UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMER
It may sound overly simplistic to encourage you to know and understand your customer, but this is foundational to the FiveTwo Methodology. Because if your product is for everyone, then it is for no one.
During coaching, you’ll be challenged to articulate —
Who is your customer?
Who are you being asked to serve?
Trinity Lutheran knew their customer and tailored their venture accordingly.
3. Know your value proposition.
Greyson reflects on the FiveTwo Coaching experience with gratitude.
“The FiveTwo Business Canvas was invaluable. It opened my eyes to a different way that the church can operate in today’s society, not freebies, but providing value.”
A value proposition is the value you promise to deliver to your marketplace. This is a statement of intent that tells the public who you are, what you offer, and why you deserve their attention, their business, and their loyalty.
Every faith-based venture should start by asking this question: What problem will your venture solve for the target community?
Read more: 3 Proven Ways to Secure Community Partnerships for Your Venture
4. Refine and refresh your vision.
The last pillar of the FiveTwo Activation module teaches teams how to continually refine and refresh their vision. The WHY remains the same, but the HOW has to adapt to changing times.
Here’s a pro tip our coaches present to leaders and entrepreneurs:
Circle back to exactly what you are offering and adjust your approach and make it more effective. The results will be startling.
As for the team at Trinity Lutheran, their approach has been successful and impactful and the only tweaking needed it to expand their reach. They plan to offer a science program for the local youth and the hope is to keep developing more options every couple years.
The ultimate goal? To “become a hub of activity” in the community and bring hope and love to those in the church’s neighborhood.
CELEBRATE SUCCESS
Greyson and his team now celebrate continued contact with more than 100 families who signed up for the church’s “events” mailing list. Also, they’re thankful for the increased commitment to outreach within their small congregation and a desire to do more.
About the relationships being developed, Greyson reports:
“The volunteers have been very blessed working with the children.”
It’s always a celebration when not only the team uses their gifts to launch a venture, but also the servants and other players who leverage their unique gifting to advance the Kingdom.
