matt mckee live

I know what you are thinking. That is not a sign and this is Sign Wednesday. If you thought this then you are correct. This is not a sign but it is the secret weapon to sign making. This is called a plotter or a large format printer. Now that the introduction has been made you don't have to be afraid anymore. The one above is the one sitting in our church office and I use it every week. It prints up to 42 inches wide and I have printed up to 18 feet long images on it. If your church, ministry, or business does not have one you should get one. I mean this with everything in me.

But it is to much, right? I don't know how to use it... What programs do I use? Where do I get supplies? Won't this take me away from real ministry or business? What is the point of having one?

These are all of the standard questions. Believe me when I say that I have heard them all. I have done more research and crunched more numbers than most people in the printing industry. I have been to more print expos than I have Children's Ministry conference. I told you I was a sign geek. I know these machines. I have even walked into a local print shop and showed the owner of the company how to use his new DisplayMaker 98 inch flatbed UV printer. Before I left Fellowship Church I did tons of work to getting this machine pictured below:

This is a Zund UVjet 215 plus. This thing is so cool that it is on the church tour. It will print on anything, wood, glass, metal, paper, foam board, up to 2 inches thick and 7 feet wide. Just for fun I put a piece of corrugated metal through it so that I could say I was the first one to do so. You don't want to know how much this one cost.

So let me go ahead and answer your questions.

1. Where do I start? If you are really considering buying one, and you should be, then start off with a HP printer. They are the standard and will get you use to all of the other printers. Buy one that is a Post Script printer to start off with. This means you can plug it into your network at church or business and print to it like you do right now to your copier. Basically no extra hardware needed. HP is running a deal right now on their 5500 series which has been the best for years because they just came out with a newer, faster model. Either the 5500 or their new Z6100 series is going to be great. Remember this is a start and you will want to upgrade in 3 to 5 years after you see what these will do for you.

2. How much? You can get a refurbished HP 5500 with a one year warranty for $6400. A new Z6100 you can get for $13,000 for the 42 inch and $17,000 for the 60 inch. Inks are going to be about $225 per color and their are 6 colors. The ink last me about 7-8 months and I use mine like crazy. It comes out to be about $0.48 per square foot for ink. The paper, vinyl, polyester, canvas, magnets, and other material will come to you priced per square foot as well. That way you know how much a sign will cost you to print. For example, a 4' X 8' sign printed on paper and mounted to foam board would cost me $485 if I got it at Kinko's or if I printed it on my plotter it would cost me $37. No that is not a misprint. Now you see if you do any printing what so ever you will pay for the printer in no time.

3. Where do I get the printer/supplies? Don't get them from Kinko's. Get them from companies like Global Imaging or Queen City Reprographics. Both are companies I use and highly recommend. No I don't get kick backs.

4. What programs do I use? The easiest programs to use with this machine are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, or Macromedia Freehand. Believe or not though, one of the guys here in the office uses Microsoft Publisher but I wouldn't recommend it.

5. What about real ministry or business? If you couldn't tell, I believe marketing works. I believe people want real ministries and real businesses to be as professional as possible. What is the best way to convert someone into a customer or tell them about Jesus Christ? That would be one on one conversations. What is the best way to show that what you are doing matters? The way your business or ministry looks and feels. Both are very important.

I know you have more questions. I know you I have talked over your heads on some stuff. Here is the deal. These printers are not hard to use. They will save you money if you are outsourcing your signs right now. If you aren't doing signs now then you will have to spend more money. I want you to care about how your area looks. I want you to care about how other people see your area. I want to stop mediocrity in this area. If you want help you can e-mail me.

I had breakfast yesterday with a very good friend. We do this once a week and push each other to be better husbands, dads, and Christians. I know that I am totally blessed to have this type of person in my life and I thank God often because of it. We are doing our normal deal when my friend notices that one of his co-workers is sitting by himself in the restaurant. My friend calls him over to eat with us. I thought this was great. I didn't know the guy and he has only lived in Cincinnati for 6 weeks. I went with the first question that every guy asks, "What do you do?" Typical sizing each other up alpha male type of stuff. Nothing fancy and very standard. The guy goes on to say he is a Merchant Banker. I didn't know what that was and I was to afraid to ask. I didn't want to seem inferior. For those of you like me... It means that he is basically a Venture Capitalist or someone who buys and sells companies. Then he asked me the same question. My response is always simple. I am a Pastor. I love the looks that I get when I say this. I love the way people pause for a second and go through everything they have said up to the point of finding out that I am a Pastor. But that is not the point... The point is that my friend stopped me. He said that it is not fair to call me just a Pastor. Then my friend goes on to give me one of the best titles and compliments that I am soon going to put on a business card. My friend says that I am a.... Drum Roll Please....

Entrepreneur Marketing Technology Guy who happens to be a Pastor.

If you are like my friend who has a CFO, CEO, or another C(something)O after your name then when you see my business card that says Matt McKee EMTGP then you will know what it stands for.

So if you friends were to give you a title, what would it be? What do you do? Do you even like what you do? If not, change the initials after your name. You should do what you love.

Overall the first day was very good. The biggest highlight of the day was the drop off. It was very intentional and thought through. They stop you early and ask what church you are with so that they can make you a Welcome Sign. Nice touch for the sign geek in me. Then you are stopped by the camp pastor who prays with the van about the week and introduces himself. Then you make it to the place where you are to register and the staff "kidnaps" the kids and let the adults go through the ever popular paper work portion. The kids are playing games and signing up for track times. The staff is plenty prepared for how long it takes you to go through the orientation process, which by the way, was one of the most painless I have been through. Believe me when I say it started everything off on the right foot. The rest of the time was good. I will say that I hate mediocre sound during large group times and we were close on many occasions. Other than this little bit of my obsessive compulsive side of programming it was a very big hit with my students. Until tomorrow when camp really begins...

Side note... Anybody else out there go to Centri-kid this year? What were you thoughts?

The dip, a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick) is a must read for everyone. I don't care if you are the CEO of a company or a household you need to read this book. It is only 75 pages and it even has very clever illustrations, just right for us Children's Pastors but I digress. The point of this book is very simple: If you are not the best in the world and there is no way that you are going to be then you should quit as soon as possible. Seth Godin is one of my favorite people in the world and I haven't met him face to face. His writing makes him feel very approachable and down to earth but at the same time seem so much smarter than you. So go buy the book and quit whatever is getting in your way at being the best in the world.

Over the last 10 and maybe 15 years the environments of Children's Ministry spaces have really changed for the better. Churches have put major amounts of money into decorating these spaces to attract young families with kids and to show that they believe in Children's Ministry. First off, let me say that I am exceedingly glad that this change has occurred. I can't stand walking into a church and seeing beige walls with tiny signs and little to no effort put into the space for children, and then you go to the adult space it is all decked out with eye pleasing graphics and banners. If you are at a church like this you are basically telling everyone who walks in the door that you don't care about their kids. You are also probably wondering why more kids are not coming but that is not the point of this post. The point of this post is talk about what I think would be the best use of the environment and space that you have for your Children's Ministry. So here goes...

Roger Fields has put together a great list of churches who have very good environments for their kids. Here is the link. These churches have hired companies like Wacky World, Worlds of Wow, Creative for Kids, and others to do the decorating for them. I believe this was a good first step in the process but I don't believe this is the best use. Don't get me wrong. I think Bruce Barry is a genius and his animations and art are incredible, but I don't think it is the best use of $100,000 to $1,000,000 to decorate your space. No I didn't add to many zeros and I will explain why I think this later in the post.

The second step in the process came when churches like Fellowship and others decided to buy a large format printer or plotter and started creating their own environments. This step is much more cost effective and gives churches more flexibility, and I even have a HP5500 42 inch plotter downstairs in our office space as I type. In fact it is printing right now a piece for this weekend. By the way, I got this printer for $3,200 and use it like crazy. I print off all of my own sets, backdrops, signs, and props that change every 6 to 8 weeks and print off a new environment for our children's space at least twice a year. If you are at a church with neutral walls please at least look at buying a used plotter and start decorating your space. It doesn't take that long to learn how to use it and it will change your image overnight. It maybe the best change that you make in your ministry over the next year. After saying all of this, I don't think that having a plotter and doing everything yourself is the best use of resources. It maybe the best option right now but still not the best use.

Why don't I like the 2 things above? I don't like the second option because you have amateurs doing what professionals can do a lot better. You are also having your ministers take all of their time and are having them worry about the environment and less about people. Ministry is truly about people isn't it. It is also very taxing on the staff and very taxing on the volunteers who you con into joining you to spend the night at the church while you put your heart and soul into the space. I believe excellence is the key and having amateurs and ministers doing it is not the best option. It is a good option but not the best option.

I don't believe the first option works because our environments have to change at least once a year. I mean think about it this way. Grocery stores change where things are in their store so that you notice new stuff that they want you to buy. Billboards change advertisements on them not because someone new bought the space but because if it didn't change you would quit looking and not notice it anymore. Even Disney, Six Flags, and all other theme parks change rides, attractions, and shows every year so that you keep coming back. This is not to mention that our culture is going to change every 5 to 7 years and this means our kids are changing and our families are changing. Why in the world would you invest $500,000 into something that doesn't change. Believe me, if you paid Wacky World that kind of money and then went to your pastor in 4 years and said I think we need to change all of this and get a new environment because none of our people notice it anymore and we need another $500,000 to make that change, you would be shot, hung, and then fired. Think about it. People come to your church every week or every other week and don't notice the signs you do have up or the bulletin board that you changed because they have been their since 1950. Now the first option is the most professional way to get a great looking space but you have spent way to much up front and the upkeep is going to kill you to keep it looking fresh.

So what do I think would be the best use of our resources? So what is the solution? What is the challenge? If you couldn't tell, I have some passion on this subject. I believe the answer is this. Wacky World, Worlds of Wow, and others, I challenge you to come up with a way to make my space change every year. Come up with a system of decorations that churches could buy for a yearly fee and let those churches trade with one another. You basically need to develop 8-10 different themes that could be incorporated into many different spaces. Charge us like a company who says you pay for what you want and you get to pick and choose what fits your space. Instead of charging me $500,000 for a one time deal, charge me $25,000 a year and give me a new look every year. Come ON... Start letting the professionals do the work for the environments and the pastors minister to the families and have excellence in both areas. It shouldn't be an either/or but it should be a both/and. If you could figure this out then you would have 500 churches knocking on your door and I hope that would be enough profit to get the thing done. I do understand that professionals run businesses and it has to make money, but if I told you of a business plan that had 500 accounts off the bat and once you showed that you could be trusted and your product was excellent that the potential for 50,000. I would have many Venture Capitalist calling me wanting to know how to invest. I am not suggesting a hand out. I am suggesting that we work together for the best environment for our kids and the best relationship building for our families. Let's get this done.

Seth Godin is my favorite blogger. He is a marketing genius and has many ideas and inspirations that the church can take and better itself. He is one of the few marketing guys who you read and feel that he is being real with you. Seth has a new book coming out this May. It is called "The Dip, a little book that teaches you when to quit and when to stick." You can pre-order it at amazon.com. Seth even has a blog just for this book, which by the way is very smart marketing. In this blog he has asked for quitters who have gone on to be the best in the world at something else. Of course there are famous people who have made the top ten. Now, I know there are some of you out there who have quit your secular job and have gone into ministry. I also know that there are some of you who have done the opposite. There are some days that I wonder if I am following my passion or if I am settling for something that I am good at and enjoy. Other days I couldn't think about doing anything else. I expect this book to challenge me, the blog already has done just that. I hope my honesty hasn't scared you and that you take some time to read this book when it comes out and honestly evaluate yourself and your situation. Now I know that full time ministry is a calling but would you be better for the ministry if you quit working for the church and started working in the secular world? Ministry is still going to happen in both places and so where is your passion? Don't settle working in an area where God hasn't given you a passion. Life is to short and you could be waisting the real ministry God has for you.

This past Friday I went to the Auto Expo here in Cincinnati. It was a great deal because they had a 2 for 1 special for adults and kids got in free if you got there on Friday before 6:00pm. We ended up going with another couple and their kids and kids they were babysitting. All in all there were 4 adults and 7 kids under the age of 4. Not the perfect recipe for success but I am a Children's Minister so I thought I had everything under control. It took us forever to get in with all the kids but we made it and I was totally underwhelmed. Now I am a car guy and I love going to car shows because they are known for their creativity and innovation. Normally there are concept cars all over the place and other out of this world cars that I may never afford. This was like going to a local indoor car lot and I had to give them $10 to look around. Now don't get me wrong. There were two concept cars there. One was the Chrysler Imperial. Here is a photo:

This was a sharp car but it came out as a concept last year. At least they had it spinning on a platform. The second concept car was the Dodge Kahuna. Here are 2 photos:

They didn't even have it spinning. Of course they came out with this back in 2003. I can tell you right now that the auto industry is hurting. Why do I say that? The environment of the expo stunk. It was lousy. So what did I learn from the Auto Expo. If my environment stinks then people are going to think that my ministry is lacking. Believe me when I say that is the last thing I want.

Tuesday of this week I went to a local elementary school and saw a show put on by Jack Hanna. He is the animal guy who shows up on David Letterman and brings 18 animals on stage at once. Here is a photo:

I got to talk to Jack before the show and ask him some questions. I asked him how long he had been doing his job. He quickly came back with, "Since 1969 when the only people working at the zoo were prison inmates." He went on to say that when he started his T.V. show that he was only 1 of 2 shows about animals on the air. Today there are channels dedicated to animals. He also said that if there was an unpaid intership opening at the local zoo that they would get 500 applications today and back then no one cared. Then it was time for the show and I went out to help bring the animals in from a van. Now I will say this...Jack is passionate about animals. He is a bit on the goofy side but he still has the passion. That passion is what made him start when no one else was doing it. That same passion is what keeps him going today. What did I learn from Jack Hanna? Sometimes you don't have to be the best to make a huge impact. Sometimes you have to be willing to do what others won't and stick with it because you are passionate about it.

Believe it or not, but I think these are 2 of the biggest struggles for Children's Ministry across the nation. I hate going to churches that don't do squat in their ministry areas. The lack of attention to the environment is showing parents that your ministry is lacking in general. The second struggle is a lack of leadership from Children's Ministers that are passionate about what they do. Don't get me wrong. There are maybe a handful out there that are good leaders but most see Children's Ministry as the work that no one else wants to do. How do I know this? Because most churches are handing this off to the youth minister who doesn't care about it. Who blames them? No one because they are stuck in a basement or across the street from the main building trying not to drown and actually get students in the doors. So here are my suggestions for all the Senior Pastors out there.

1. Pay attention to all environments in your church, especially your children's area. Young families will give more and grow your church faster than anything else you do.

2. Hire the most passionate person you can find in every area. Pay them the way you want to get paid and get out of there way. Then maybe if you have an opening you too will get 500 applications to fill an intern position.

Friday night my wife and I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise. At first glance you would say that it is a themed restaurant and it will probably not have the best food but you will enjoy something different in the atmosphere. I mean come on, I like mine with lettuce and tomato... I will let you finish the song. When we pulled up we noticed the crowd. A wait was about to happen, but is it going to be worth it? Now I will say that a wait is worth it only when the food is great. With the number of restaurants that are out there waiting should only be a necessity for the best. So, when the hostess told me 40 minutes, I am hoping and praying for the best burger in Cincinnati. I do understand this is a chain and the best normally does not come from a chain, but I had hope. We waited. We checked out everyone as they came through the door. Made fun of the ladies in the pink hat society. Yes, it was pink and not red, they are starting their own movement. We laughed at old people on their first dates. We were amused by drunk people at the bar. These are all normal things to do while you wait. Then we sat down at a table. The menu was simple. The drink menu was more complex. I just wanted good lemonade and I got it. We both ordered burgers. My wife got the "mini's" with a toss salad and I got the "not so precise" with fries. The tossed salad came out and it was not typical. You know the typical, lettuce, carrots, one cucumber slice, and one cherry tomato with dressing on the side. This was far from typical. It was a real salad. Different types of lettuce, crumbled blue cheese, asparagus, and all around goodness. So far so good… The burgers come out and they are delicious. I will have to say the best burgers in Cincinnati. There was a salsa ketchup on my burger that was incredible. The mini's were juicy, again not typical for a mini burger. Cheeseburger in Paradise is batting 2 for 2. We look back at the menu and notice that they had something different for desert. There before us was the phrase Chocolate Nachos. Living in Texas for 5 years we knew about nachos, but not about chocolate ones. So we tried them. It was awesome. Here came a plate of homemade nacho chips that had chocolate in the batter. On top of the chips were strawberries, sprinkles, and a heavy chocolate sauce. Don't picture Hershey's, picture almost hot fudge. Next to the chips is a bowl of Ben and Jerry's for dipping. Three different flavors of ice cream for us to enjoy. Boy did we ever enjoy. We stuffed our faces to the point of no return. It should have been shared with 4 but with persistence on our side we finished it. Cheeseburger in Paradise hit a homerun for $25. Not bad for a themed chain.

I think as churches we could learn a lot from the restaurant business. I believe people will only stick around if you are serving the best. I also believe people should get more than what they expect from church. People should be blown away. They should be writing blogs about you and your ministry the same way I write about Cheeseburger in Paradise. Serve the best in town and I bet they will be. Don’t let your children’s ministry settle for second. Your menu should be that of excellence, quality, and something special that is not expected. You have more than just kids coming… You have customers, critiques, and yes even sometimes you have parents.