Introduction to the LongTail

The Ministry LongTail explained via video...

(Watch a larger version of the video on Godtube)

First, let me give props to the people who introduced the world "The Long Tail" and then the guy who introduced the concept to me. The idea came from "Chris Anderson" and he has a website speaking more to the overall concept http://www.thelongtail.com/. "Buddy Williams of Cool Strategies www.coolstrategies.com gave me a whiteboard explanation and shared the idea of how to apply it to our ministry. This blog is created to further expand the "Long Tail in Christian Ministry."

The phrase The Long Tail was first coined by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article to describe the niche strategy of certain business such as Amazon.com or Netflix. The distribution and inventory costs of those business allow them to realize significant profit out of selling small volumes of hard-to-find items to many customers, instead of only selling large volumes of a reduced number of popular items. The group of persons that buy the hard-to-find or "non-hit" items is the customer demographic called the Long Tail.

You need to know the concept to know how this "truth" affects your ministry.

The Old Ways (New Technologies)

In the old world, pre-railroad, the pioneers had to rely on what the General Store was selling. Not a lot of choices. One brand of rice, one brand of beans, one selection of chocolate, one shovel. But then a major technological breakthrough... the railroad. This new cutting edge contraption caused major paradigm shifts. Along came Sears and Roebuck and a catalog. More choices. More chocolate. More dress patterns. More shovel sizes.

Pre-Internet. We watched movie in a theater. We listen to songs on the radio. We drove to the bookstore to buy books. Not any more.

Enter now. The Internet and database technology allows merchants to offer more choices, house them virtually or in a far way warehouse and offer them for less money. We are living in the long tail. More choices and more options. No more having to rely on what the Networks, Movie Studios, and Publishers are pushing. We read, watch, download, listen, consume what we want-when we want. The 20-30 generation was raised in the long tail. They never could go back to the old way. Its foreign to them.

The Details of the LongTail

The Old Ways - Transition Technologies - The Long Tail

Network TV - Cable - Tivo
Radio - Walkmans - iPods
Bookstore - Library/Resell - Amazon
Movie Theater - Blockbuster - Netflix
Phones - Pay phones - Cell Phones
Record Store - Napster - iTunes

Each old way generally goes through a transition phase, trying to get to the new way. Some transition phases can last 10+ years.

Notice that all the "Long Tail" technologies are "on demand." Consumers live in this world.

The Church and Biblical Long Tail

When researching this topic I thought a little about "is this a Biblical Truth?" I wondered if we could find this technology evolution in the Scriptures. It was literally in them. God used to speak through a bush or even to just one man. But through the Scriptures (database) He can speak to anyone on any subject at any time.
Jesus' ministry on this earth was limited too. Only those that could hear Him directly knew of His message. But He left specific instructions. "Go and make Disciples." Again the Long Tail. He knew that disciples making disciples would spread the Word fast and build relationships.
Enter the church. In an age of the consumer buying and functioning in an on-demand world, we are delivering "Church" in the old way. We evangelize on Sundays. We rely on the Pastor to do the work of the church. We dictate that one sit in our pews from 9:30 - 11am on Sunday mornings, dressed a certain way if you want to hear, learn, worship, or participate in "Christianity."
Sundays were created for Christians to Worship, Teach, Pray, and Fellowship. The seven days in a week were made to share the love of Christ with friends, neighbors, family and the world. We have created a system were we "invite" non-believers to our "church" and then create events not to offend them or run them off. We call it "seeker friendly." I believe a good model is living the Christian lifestyle throughout the week and sharing the good news in your actions and in your story. Instead of bringing people to church, bring church to the people.

We can't limit "Church" to Sunday mornings and expect post-modern seekers to walk in our doors.

We must share the gospel and build disciples in the long tail, every day, every way.