1,000 True Fans

As I was putting together our fundraising stuff I began thinking that we should have a goal for how many prayer partners we'd like for our church plant.  The number that immediately came to mind was 1,000.  1,000!

At first I thought to myself, "1,000 is a bit high, maybe we should shoot for 500?"  500 would be more easily attainable, it makes more logical sense, and I almost have that many friends on Facebook.  But 500 wasn't the number that came to mind.

1,000 prayer partners it is.  1,000 would be a challenge.  1,000 isn't something we can attain all that easily.  1,000 doesn't make a lot of logical sense.  God would truly have to stir some hearts. But imagine if it worked.  Imagine if we had 1,000 people in prayer for a church planting movement.  What kind of impact could that have on a community, city, marriage, family, workplace, neighborhood, or school?  Imagining and Dreaming is exactly what we're doing and we hope that you will be one of the 1,000 who gets to be a part of joining Jesus in redeeming humanity!

Check out some more thoughts on the world of 1,000 true fans from Seth Godin's latest book,  "Tribes:"

In an article posted on his Technium Web site, Kevin Kelly brilliantly described the world of "1,000 True Fans."  A true fan, he argues, is a member of a tribe who cares deeply about you and your work.  That person will cross the street to buy from you or bring a friend to hear you or invest a little extra to support you.  An individual artist needs only a thousand fans in her tribe.  Its enough.

A true fan brings three friends to a John Mayer concert or to the opening of a Chuck Close exhibit.  A true fan pays extra to own the first edition, or buys the hardcover, instead of just browsing around on the Web site.  Most important, a true fan connects with other true fans and amplifies the noise the artist makes.

Too many organizations care about numbers, not fans.  They care about hits or turnstile clicks or media mentions.  What they're missing is the depth of commitment and interconnection that true fans deliver.  Instead of always being on the hunt for one more set of eyeballs, true leaders have figured out what that the real win is in turning a casual fan into a true one.

Fans, true fans, are hard to find and precious.  Just a few can change everything.  What they demand though is generosity and bravery.

Sounds kind of like the beginning of the Church doesn't it?