Jessop asked an interesting question,

Who is our target market.

Ok, here is my take on it, others feel free to add or correct.

1. Those who are dissastified with church as usual, and are looking for some relational participatory church life.

2. We are trying to present the essence of what we believe, without the baggage of form, IOW if people in regular churches want to do thing to foster relational church life, we would hope to be a resource for them, and to hear contributions from them.

3. What we want to avoid, .... the prophetic judgemental attitudes IOW we don't want to project that we are right, all other christians are wrong, and unless you do it our way, you are part of Babylon.

4. We want to be a resource and clearing house for any believers wherever they are, that are trying to do relational participatory church life.

Any thoughts from anyone else???

-- Barry Steinman (barry@discountchristian.com), March 14, 2000

Answers

Barry,

VERY interesting thoughts. It's funny, just before I hopped on the computer, I was taking a breather from work, and pondering Jessop's question.

I was thinking how much more I am concerning with what FILLS the wineskins rather than the wineskins, and thinking about how important it is to meet people where they are at. The Lord is faithful to meet each of us just where we are at in the journey, and He loves us and pours out His grace based on what we are able to receive.

I agree with everything you said Barry.

In particular, my heart is for the millions of believers out there who are hungry for the reality of living in Christ, eager to apprehend ALL for which we have been apprehended, but don't know why they cannot seem to grasp the reality.

In addition, all I can offer is a HUGE amen to what you said here: >> What we want to avoid, .... the prophetic judgemental attitudes IOW we don't want to project that we are right, all other christians are wrong, and unless you do it our way, you are part of Babylon. >>

Quite honestly I have been seeing more and more of 'babylon,' and dead religion in the mindsets of hc'ing Christians -- or at least as much -- as those stuck inside the brick and morter of a traditional church building. Those, eager to help free brethren from the bonds of 'unreality' and 'law' found in so much of hierarchical contemporary Christianity, have often become 're' stuck --- this time in the mud of trying to pattern a HC after specific words and deeds of Jesus and the Apostles. (ie. like Jesus spat on the ground, made mud and used it in healing, so we should too. Jesus turned over the tables of the moneychangers and called them blind guides, we should too, etc., etc., )

Instead, I'd like to see more of a dependence on the Living Lord, and the daily direction He is so willing to give if we seek Him. I'd like to see something (the webzine) be available to encourage and exhort others toward intimacy with Christ,... toward getting filled up to overflowing with the NEW WINE!!! :-)

Finally, I think there are countless believers out there who have a very close relationship with Jesus Christ but have little or no revelation of Ephesians 1 -- the oneness of the Body with the Head. I hope that the webzine will be available to reach out to these brethren who love Him so much, but have for one reason or the other had 'the church' misrepresented to them.

Just some thoughts. Steph

-- Stephanie Bennett (Steffasong@aol.com), March 14, 2000.

The next question following on "What is our target market?" has to be "How do we get the webzine into the hands (onto the screens) of the target market?" How will they know that the webzine *exists for them* and that they should go to it? I know these are hard questions, but if we don't have some concept of an action plan for this, we can't get very far. I have discovered in all walks of life that 'marketing' becomes more important than 'production'.

The identification of the target market so far seems to be as under. We may have to narrow it down a bit.

Jessop.

-- jessop sutton (jessop@activeweb.co.za), March 15, 2000.