This post was originally posted on the ROAR Blog.  There are great resources there on how churches, schools, and non-profits can leverage mobile apps and social media.  Here is the post:

This month IBM is celebrating its centennial anniversary.  One hundred years as a profitable business, especially in the sphere of technology, is nothing to sneeze at.  I recently read this article in The Economist magazine called “IBM’s centenary: The test of time” that gave some thoughts about how and why IBM made it that long.  The article speculates:

IBM’s secret is that it is built around an idea that transcends any particular product or technology… Building a company around an idea, rather than a specific technology, makes it easier to adapt when industry “platform shifts” occur.

The article goes on with the thought that based on this idea, they predict that Apple, Amazon, and Facebook are also poised to make it for the long haul, while Dell, Cisco, and Microsoft will probably fizzle out sooner rather than later.  It’s a great read, and some great food for thought.

However, I thought the idea was also very applicable to building churches or ministries to stand the test of time.  Do you want your church to still be in vital ministry in 100 years?  If so, you need to build it around an “idea,” not a “product.”  This means that you need to keep your focus on your faith principles, your mission statement, your purpose.  If you build your church on a product like a specific kind of worship, a really great preacher, or even the latest technology, it’s likely you’ll fizzle as time marches on.

If your church’s mission statement is something like “Love God, love people,” that could look a whole lot of different ways!  But if you get chained to one specific way of doing things, you’ll eventually stop being able to fulfill that mission because you’re no longer relevant to the people you’re trying to love.  I think another way to say this is just to BE FLEXIBLE.  Keep your eyes open to see how culture is changing around you, and adapt with it.  Keep your feet firmly planted on your purpose, and let the details change as time goes on.