The 'Long Tail' of planting missional churches

by Chad Canipe

The 'Long Tail' of planting missional churches

In a recent post to his blog, marketing guru Seth Godin, riffs about "the long tail" theory and how it plays into success in just about any venture, whether it be building a small business, making it as a musician, or spreading an important idea. It spurred my thinking that we might add to this list: planting missional churches.

While it may be clear that the corporate/business mentality has seeped into the warp and woof of evangelical church culture, particularly its leadership ethos and its definitions of "success," there is thankfully a corrective, grassroots revolution brewing. I'm not talking about macro-level issues in the church; this is about you and me on the micro-level. My relational network is interwoven with folks who are trying to live out the missional nature of the Kingdom of God within the context of their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, "third places," and so on.

We are finding that when you swim upstream it can be slow-going and tiring. That's why we need each other, why we need to remind one another that we are not completely off our rocker. And that is why we need to understand the concept of The Long Tail...I've assembled a few Long Tail links for you to explore, but before you do, read these excerpts from Seth Godin's blog and see if you aren't encouraged by how his words are so applicable for planting missional churches: more