While Reading about the Apple iPhone 4 issues I found the following article from whatsbestnext.com. While refection the the Apple method of Business. I started to think of the way we have changed the approach to Missions over the years.

Lessons from Apple on Innovation
This is from my notes — I think I got these from an article a few years ago:
1. Innovation can come from without as well as within. Apple’s real skill lies in stitching together its own ideas with technologies from outside and then wrapping the results in elegant software and stylish design. Apple is an orchestrator and integrator of technologies, unafraid to bring in ideas from outside but always adding its own twists. This approach is known as network innovation.
2. Apple illustrates the importance of designing new products around the needs of the user, not the demands of the technology.
3. Apple teaches us that smart companies should sometimes ignore what the market says it wants today.
4. Fail wisely. Learn and try again.

Several items in this post rang true as I consider the function of the Church in Missions.
Lets start with Fail wisely. Learn and try again. When I was in college I worked for UPS. I was only a front line supervisor with 30 some employees, but one night I remember very specific as I cost UPS a few thousand dollars. I finished my work that evening and went to see my boss knowing full well I would be fired. When I entered his office I placed my ID on his desk and explained how I really had enjoyed working for the company. His response was priceless! Are you quitting? Well, Sir. I cost the company a lot of money tonight, I said. He responded, I would guess its not a mistake you are going to make again any time soon is it!
If we can learn from our mistakes our time and money invested are worth the effort. One idea that is currently a buzz is that of BAM (business as missions).
“business as mission is about being a follower of Jesus in the market place and seeing Christ revealed and God glorified among all peoples and nations”
I can personally speak to the experience of “failure” in this arena. I currently work as the president of a business that’s primary objective was to be established as profitable. While working to maintain opportunities to be in community and share the gospel. The business was established by a very gifted individual and set with a business plan to be self-supporting in 5 years.
The set objectives of our founders were only partly accomplished. We have established well in the community. We have many opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ. There are many opportunities to share stories that lead we hope will lead people to a clear understanding to the Gospel.
This is year 5 and we are not running a profitable business. The first question most would ask, is about the Goals. Were do we stand? What we have most certainly learned and are working to improve are some of our practices. While there are certainly some unseen setbacks in the business plan of the company for which I am working we are seeing some great opportunity in ministry.

Many right now are talking about the fall of Apple over this iPhone 4 reception issue. Will customers leave the over priced toys. Problems come and problems go, the laptops of the 90’s that caught fire didn’t break the company. I also dont think a few prideful Missionary types on the field using BAM will be the end all answer to the call of Christ and the Great Commission. We enjoy each day learning from our failure and growing in our relationship with Christ Jesus, and pray that we are in his will each step as we use BAM or any other form of ministry tool that helps us engage.

Would I be willing to faced persecution? If I am arrested beaten or treated like a servant will I respond in joy?

The men and women of the book of Acts considered it a privilege to be God’s representative of the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of Sin. They would preach teach, to the point of their own determinant. Today I think many of us (that includes myself) have lost sight of what God has called us to. The Jewish people were known to lose sight of what God had called them to. If you read the stories of the Old Testament carefully you will see the Nation of Israel forgot God and failed to fulfill their holy mission. The blessings they received brought no blessing to the nations around them. They closed themselves away from the world in order to escape temptation, and to not be polluted by the negative influences of false gods.

The Priest and leaders of the Nation of Isreal found themselves fixed in a rut of ceremonal action. In our daily ministry and actions how will we respond.

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.

You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

After premiering on September 30, 1982, it was nearly canceled during its first season when it ranked dead last in ratings. (This goes to dis-prove my theory of how Christian communities need to me more like Cheers, right?  Wrong.)  Cheers eventually became a highly rated television show in the United States, earning a top-ten rating during eight of its eleven seasons, including one season at #1. Why?

Think of the Cast: Sam, Diane, Norm, Cliff, Frasier… there was some one that you could identify with.

What if your Christian community were more like Cheers, where every one realizes they have issues and they just don’t want people to point fingers in judgment.  Rather, point a finger and say, “Man I have been there, and  dealt with that issue.”

The problem with most Christian communities has to do with the simple fact people are trying to be so perfect they simply can’t be friends, and talk for fear of some one realizing we are all sinners.

So how do we develop a community where every one knows your name, where people always wana go, casue they know we are all the same.

Facebook is now the largest social network in the world,—with 132 million unique visitors in June—it is also the fastest growing social network. 1

Facebook’s growth is different among regions:

• North America is still growing at a healthy 38 %
• Europe (with 35 million visitors a month) is growing nearly ten times as fast.
• Middle East and Africa 403% growth in the
• Asia Pacific 458% growth
• Latin America 10,555% growth

Much of these huge growth numbers come from the fact that Facebook had hardly no presence in many of these regions until recently when it started its major push to translate the site to other languages. One year ago, there were only one million monthly visits in all of Latin America, three million in the Middle East and Africa, and four million in all of Asia Pacific. 2

Facebook has adapted one of the key elements every missionary team needs to remember the language of the people. When people are seeking community they want what is comfortable for them. I have recently heard people say they speak a broken English well enough to understand me. Yes, but what language do they use when they tell jokes to their children.

When missionaries share the gospel in English, im not saying a seed isn’t planted. What I know to be true is when the gospel is shared in the persons heart language they understand and the % of response increases drastically.