OMNIPRESENT! The SAVN.tv Story (1)

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OMNIPRESENT

Shrinking Globe, Shrinking Gospel

The SAVN.TV Story

(An eBook in the Making)

(A Work in Progress)

God Incarnate! The omnipotent and omniscient triangulated and shrunk into the form of a vulnerable flesh and blood human being, ten fingers, ten toes, five senses and all - the first Cyberspace transmission of compassion in action. Heretofore, unconditional love was an emotion unknown unto men.

The mind cannot conceive, what the senses cannot perceive.

Jesus embodies compassion in action, his behavior exasperating traditional, legalistic skeptics: "We've never done it this way before!"

Love Triumphs Law

Cynicism Erupts

"Blasphemy!"

Jesus communicates the Gospel visually: compassion in visual action. He understands the power of story, scripting His message into parables (painting verbal pictures) and object lessons, always leaving his audience wanting more:

An Adulteress Protected and Forgiven

Feeding the Hungry Five Thousand

Lepers Touched and Healed

Compassion In Action!

The message is not confined, liturgically, within the temples; it goes viral throughout the land, mouth to ear, ear to mouth, all flocking to hear, see and touch however, whenever and wherever Jesus is.

"In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories" (Matthew 13).

No Microphone

No Internet

No Media

The shoreline: taking the Gospel to wherever people are to be got at.

The water: natural sound wave amplifier.

The boat: innovative use of resources.

Using modern techniques to reach the greatest number of people instantaneously and visually with 'The Story.' Compassion in visual action!

From 12 disciples to 1 million Christians by the end of the 1st Century, an amazing increase in number considering the primitive means of communication and transportation at their disposal. By the time the Industrial Revolution rolls around (early 1800's), the global population has ballooned to 1 billion with an estimated 23% claiming to be Christians (the definition having broadened considerably in scope). Industrial innovation ushers in the beginnings of a modern phenomenon - a rapidly shrinking planet.

One century later (1930) the population doubles to 2 billion with 35% now claiming to be Christians. By 2012 growth more than triples to 7 billion, phenomenally fast by comparison, 33% (2% less) now professing Christianity. This rapidity in growth creates social chaos and upheaval heretofore unimaginable. The traditional "missionary sending" method cannot keep up with it.

In the midst of this population explosion, enter the Informational Revolution. The computer and Internet, et al, gives instant access to the global masses. The resulting culture clash is mind-boggling, leading to a diminishing Christian population, percentage wise (2% = 140 million souls) - a declining trend in the midst of instant, omnipresent access to the Gospel.

The church is slow to adapt

Shrinking Globe, Shrinking Gospel!

No means no

As the old saying goes, "No means no."  In truth, the saying should be rephrased to say, "No means 'I'm afraid to take chances and commit to something at which I (or you) may fail, regardless of the fact that we'll likely succeed'."

On the whole, people trend toward "NO" as a knee jerk response to both simple and complex requests.  Why?  Simple... POWER.  This short, simple, two-letter word carries more power than any other word in the English language (with the exception, of course, of "love").  "NO" possesses the ability to shut down progress, disable hope, cripple change, and side-step risk.  It's a word wielded by bullies and coveted by cowards.  It is a safe word, devoid of risk.  "If we don't take risks, we can't fail! Maintain the status quo!  Bury our talents and wallow in mediocrity!  Let someone else say 'yes.'  THAT'S the safe path!  After all, we may not succeed, but at least we won't fail."

The opposite of success is not failure.  Every successful man in history can attribute his success to the failures that made him stronger.  Failure becomes an inevitable companion to success.  The opposite of success is mediocrity; the failure to even attempt at succeeding.

Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney, was quoted as saying, "To punish failure is to encourage mediocrity... failure is not a death sentence."   If failure is not a death sentence, what is?  In a word... complacency.

Eisner also said, "If it's not growing, it's going to die." Life dictates movement in one direction or another.  If we don't go forward, we must go back.  Nature does not abide stagnancy. An organism must either age and mature or whither and die.  There is no in between.

And so it goes with an organization. The fear of failure envelopes the Movement and slowly suffocates it into hibernation.  In this stasis, it ceases to grow and invariably withers and dies.

So let us champion risk!  Rally around our leaders and pray for the growth that will stay our demise!  Let us encourage our brothers to dig up their talents, abandon fear, throw caution to the wind and say "YES."

Creativity Takes Courage

Preach it, brother Phil!  Preach it!

http://philcooke.com/real-creativity-takes-courage/

Welcome!

SAVN.tv is thrilled to welcome visitors from all over the globe!  We still officially dwell in the "open beta" phase of our launch as we have yet to concentrate our efforts toward any sort of marketing campaign.  Not to fear... a BIG push looms just over the horizon.

That said, we still boast regular visits from our brothers and sister all over the globe. 6 of the 7 continents have made regular appearances to date (we have yet to hear from Antarctica, but we're keeping our fingers crossed!).  So far our biggest supporters have been Australia, UK, Canada, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Sweden.

The list doesn't end there!  We've also had the pleasure of welcoming friends from Central and South America (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chili, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Jamaica), Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco), Middle East (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan), Asia (Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines), Europe (Spain, Italy, Germany, Norway, Portugal, France, Croatia, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Estonia), and Russia.

We're so happy to have you all with us and pray that you continue to support our mission and spread the word!

Blessings.

Remembering 9/11

Let's pause for a moment in the midst of all the political campaign rhetoric.

The eleventh anniversary of 9/11 is almost upon us. In order to keep the memory going, please share this film - http://savn.tv/campaign/view/34 - with those in your social media network and ask them to share it forward without breaking the chain - take it viral. And all donations will go to recent disasters occurring. Click Share. Click Donate.

A Crusade!

SAVN.tv spent the last two days participating in Harvest America - an amazing evangelism campaign founded by Greg Laurie (the next Billy Graham to my mind).

Allow me to set the stage ... imagine, if you will, a large baseball stadium (Angel Stadium to be exact) filled to capacity with 45,000 believers and seekers all gathered together for the same purpose... evangelism.  Some were there to be evangelists, others were there to receive evangelism.  All were there to be blessed.

Bands like Mercy Me and Jeremy Camp (who sat down for an interview with SAVN) rocked out on the massive stage which encompassed half the infield.  TV Networks, radio stations, and bloggers blasted the event over the airways and internet, nationwide. 1500 churches across America tuned in and volunteered, aiding in the execution of this massive effort.

Both evenings concluded with a "call to seekers" where Pastor Greg invited people down to the field to accept the Lord.  Are you ready for this?  ... 10,000 PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THE CALL.  Each night, 5000 seekers crammed the outfield and were greeted by volunteers who helped them make a decision for Christ.  From there, contact information was taken and disseminated to churches in the area for follow up.  To be clear ... the follow up with these new Believers does not come by way of Pastor Greg's church.  It's done by ANY church that expresses an interest in attracting new converts.

On average, every church choosing to participate in follow up typically gains 8 new church members per Crusade.  Harvest does all the work, spends all the money, brings them in, gets them saved ... then GIVES them away!  "One Savior, One Mission, One Church." It's all about Salvation.  Nothing else matters.

I stood in the outfield, surrounded by this enormous ministry, watching thousands of new souls enter the Kingdom simultaneously.  Clearly, these Harvest guys have figured it out.

Here's the amazing part:  They didn't NEED us!  Their mission is not dependant on any single ministry in order to succeed.  The place was crawling with TV networks (TBN and CTN) and ministries from all over Southern California... the last thing they needed was SAVN.tv running around, getting in their way.

Did they close the door on us?  Did they look down their noses, push us aside, and insist we stay out of their way?  NO!  On the contrary, this enormous evangelistic crusade went out of its way to welcome The Salvation Army in and make us feel like one of the family... the family of God.  They were kind, humble, compassionate, and patient.  When we asked to be carried a mile, they carried us two.  When we asked for their robe, they gave us their tunic as well.  Not once did they ask for a single thing in return. They simply wanted to help another ministry spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The members of Team SAVN were blessed to be involved in this incredible outreach.  Be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming series, "Harvest Daze."  You're sure to be blessed as well.

If you would like to get your corps or church involved in this outreach, visit www.harvest.org and click on "Crusades" (there's another Crusade around the corner).  I promise, you'll never forget the experience!

Transformational and Inspirational!

SAVN.TV (Salvation Army Vision Network) and our website design partners have been totally immersed this summer in streamlining the website (our virtual street corner). The final design touches in phase one will be completed in September. Immediately following, we plan to launch an aggressive social media networking marketing campaign, along with a "How To" video that will walk the user through steps on setting up and implementing his/her own personal Mission Station page.

Meanwhile, the production team has been busy creating and filming new campaigns and shows, one of them being The Salvation Army Oxnard California Medical and Dental clinic (http://savn.tv/campaign/view/49), as one example (bottom video on right). This is exciting, inspirational and transformational stuff, one of many life changing ministries that need to be shared far and wide.

This is how it works. 1) Go to SAVN.TV and click on "Edit Profile." This will take you to what will become your "Mission Station" page. 2) Register as required (the "How To" video will be forthcoming should you require it). 3) In the meantime, go to "Missions" under "Media," and on page 2, you will find a Mission Outreach category. 4) Click on that and at the bottom you will see the Medical and Dental Clinic video. 5) Watch it, and if it resonates with you, add it to your profile and then share it with your social media congregation (Facebook, twitter, Email, etc.). 6) Make a donation to this particular mission campaign and asks those within your social media family to make a donation, likewise - 7) and encourage them to keep it going forward. Your profile page will track all donations and the number who have been impacted (views) as a result of your sharing of the Gospel message. Think of it this way: You will have your own virtual congregation and someone else will take care of compiling the statistics for you.

Take note of the gentleman introducing this "Clinic" video. His is a miraculously transformational and inspirational testimony - a modern day Trophy of Grace. The world needs to hear his story and have the opportunity of donating (getting involved) in this exciting mission expression. Let's take it viral though our social media networks.

For a visual culture and cause-oriented generation, SAVN.TV is a unique integration of a video-driven website and social action network. Users will be given the opportunity to get involved, physically, financially, spiritually in a ministry or cause of their choosing through social media networking.

Most importantly, it’s a powerful tool for evangelism.  It not only shows the work, but invites people into global conversations about why the work is happening.  It will allow an entire generation to share their faith – a faith that is changing the world.

SAVN.TV  

The intersection of technology and ministry. 

The “virtual mission station.”

The “digital street corner.”

The future of evangelism…

Update

Today officially marks SAVN's two month anniversary since our "open beta" launch at The Gathering.  With no branding, advertising, or marketing, our limited opening has seen 11,000 hits (5K unique) and 55,000 page views.  These numbers FAR exceeded our expectations.  From an 'online corps' perspective, we're thrilled!

But that was just the first big drop on the SAVN roller coaster ride.  Phase 2 plans will bring many more exciting features.  Our future plans include apps, interactive gaming, and a branding strategy that will make SAVN.tv the "Social Action" hub of the World Wide Web (to name just a few).

We're also teaming up with Territories and ministries all over the world in order to create a global meeting place for people of all walks, believers and nonbelievers alike, to congregate and "do the most good."

And last, but definitely not least, we're on the verge of unleashing our secret weapon - Mr. Phil Cooke.  A best selling author with a PhD in Theology, Phil comes to SAVN with an impressive resume and unparalleled background in Christian media, marketing and branding.  We can't unveil the "Phase 2" projects that Phil and his team will be championing just yet, but rest assured it will be monumental.  I guarantee you will not want to miss out!

So, fasten your seat belts and keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle ... the ride has just begun!

New Features!

Great news!  SAVN.tv is moving forward and expanding our technology in cyberspace.  A few new features...

• HD button - We now have the option to play videos in "high" or "standard" quality, allowing you to optimize download time in order to provide the best viewing experience possible.  You can now also view fullscreen on all videos!
• FaceBook Functionality - When you share a video on FB, the viewer has the ability to immediately get involved by sharing, donating, or creating their own profile on SAVN.tv
• 99 cents Donation - It's even easier to donate now with our 99 cents Donation button.  Every penny helps!
• My Shares - This is one of the most nifty features yet!  Your personal profile page now allows you to track your own "sphere of influence" in real time.  Your Mission Station page displays all views and donations inspired by you via your sharing efforts through Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Google or email.  Let's tell the world about the great work we're doing around the world.  Pick a cause and share, share, SHARE!
• Email and Pintrest - If you haven't yet noticed, there's a couple of new "share" options.  Connect with your friends on Pintrest or share some videos via email.
• "Get Involved" button COMING SOON!  This feature will allow instant access to The Salvation Army programs and volunteer opportunities within the viewer's immediate area.  Whether they live in Los Angeles or the Congo, the ability to "get involved" will be a mouse-click away!

Finally, we're very excited to announce a new pilot partnership with the Pasadena ARC.  SAVN.tv is pumping out media, specifically designed for our Thrift Stores, to be broadcast throughout the stores during business hours.  If all goes well, we hope to implement this great new program throughout the Western Territory.


Keep the prayers coming and stay tuned!

One Big Thing

Our good friend Phil Cooke (who also happens to be SAVN's "Marketing and Branding" consultant) just released his newest book "One Big Thing," which encourages people to find the one thing they are called by God to do.

See his interview on the "Today Show":  philcooke.com/one-big-thing-on-the-today-show-3/

SAVN has already discovered its one big thing:  To win the world for Christ.

Do you know yours?

In the beginning... there was chaos!

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a waste and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen. 1:1-2 ERV)

Bible.com defines the meaning of this passage:

"ובהוּ תהוּ tohû vābohû, 'a waste and a void.'  The two terms denote kindred ideas, and their combination marks emphasis.  Besides the present passage בהוּ bohû occurs in only two others - Isaiah 34:11, Jeremiah 4:23, and always in conjunction with תהוּ tohû.  If we may distinguish the two words, בהוּ bohû refers to matter, and תהוּ tohû refers to form, and therefore the phrase combining the two denotes a state of utter confusion and desolation..."

In essence, this passage can be translated as saying, "In the beginning... there was CHAOS!"

To quote Deepak Chopra, "All great changes are preceded by Chaos."  Granted, I may not agree with Deepak's practices, but his sentiment lands directly on the nose.

Think about it for a moment... every great change in society has been preceded by chaos:  The Civil Rights movement was preceded by the chaos of racism.  The Reformation was preceded by the chaos of the Dark Ages.  Christ shook the foundations of the temple, was crucified, His disciples scattered to the four corners of the Middle East.  Chaos.  What followed?  The beginnings of the Church as we know it today.  Great change.

The Old Testament is rife with chaos - God's people consistently rebelling, thrown into chaos, returning to Him, only to repeat the process over and over again through hundreds of generations.  He saved them from slavery.  They rebelled.  He gave them judges.  They rebelled.  He gave them kings.  They rebelled.  He gave them prophets.  They rebelled.  Chaos.  What followed?  The New Testament. Great change.

Since its inception, SAVN.tv has not been immune to the "chaos factor."  The SAVN team is not just about video production, but ministry.  When belief systems come into the mix, passion follows in short order.  Strong opinions fly and soapboxes give rise to lengthy filibusters.  It's the nature of the beast.


In our first year we have experienced a wondrous roller coaster ride of ups and downs, bumps and dips, explosions and implosions, three steps forward and two steps back.  Passion vs. compassion, mission vs. ministry, direction vs. need, plot vs. message, and form vs. function have all tumbled around in a creative wrestling match to the point of the proverbial dislocated hip.


To coin a phrase, "Creative Chaos" has run amuck.


And we're okay with that.  


We understand that great change is preceded by chaos. The greater the chaos, the greater the change. There are those (even on our team) who will never grasp this concept.  That's okay, too.  Those who "get it" will be key in helping us change the world.  If it's good enough for the Creator, it's good enough for SAVN!

Come with us.  Break a few eggs.  This is going to be a good omelet. ;)

Big Things Have Small Beginnings...

My wife and I went and saw Prometheus last night.  One of the lines from the film stuck with me for hours afterward.  David, an android, stares at a virus on the tip of his finger and states, "Big things have small beginnings."  A resounding truth.

The success of any new undertaking relies largely on perspective. For instance...

In our first week after the launch SAVN had 800 registered users, 4000 visitors, 2400 unique visitors, and 26,000 page views.  From an "overall Internet" perspective, these numbers were minimal.  From an "open beta" perspective, these numbers were respectable.  From an "online corps" perspective, these numbers were HUGE.

From any perspective, these numbers are more than satisfactory.  Did we expect SAVN to be a "run away train" straight from the gate?  Not by a long shot.  The SAVN team is thrilled with our roll-out numbers.  The revolution has begun!

Big things have small beginnings.

A mighty oak tree grows from a tiny seed.  An atomic explosion begins with the splitting of the smallest known particle: an atom.  FaceBook, 800 million members strong, was started by a 20 year old kid in a college dorm room.  The salvation of all mankind came in the form of a baby, born in a manger.

Big things have small beginnings.

Does an oak tree grow over night?  Was the atom bomb invented in a day?  Did Zuckerberg accumulate millions of members in his first week? (point of fact, he had little over half the number of registrations in his first week as did SAVN)  Was Christ's mission accomplished in the first few years of his life?  No, no, no, and NO!

Big things have small beginnings... and take time to develop and grow into BIG things.

SAVN.tv will be no exception.  Our beginnings are modest, as expected.  With God's blessing, we will grow into a mighty oak and win the world!

Be sure to join us on this amazing journey.  Don't miss out!

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." Zechariah 4:10

Time to Cooke!

It became apparent that those of us "on the inside," that is to say, we Salvationists, were standing a bit too close to the beast.  In our attempts to see the forest through the trees, we were rapidly losing sight of the big picture.  The time arrived for a fresh, "outsiders" perspective,  someone who had nothing invested in The Salvation Army's mission.  We needed someone creative, a Believer experienced in media, a man who would deliver the unfiltered truth about the relevance of our ministry and a direction in which to steer it.

We needed Phil Cooke.

An internationally known writer and speaker, Phil Cooke has actually produced media programming in more than 40 countries around the world.  According to former CNN journalist Paula Zahn, Phil is rare – a working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology. He’s appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, and his work has been profiled in the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has worked for such clients as Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Joel Osteen, and Robert Schuller. Cooke produced Billy Graham's most-seen program, Starting Over, which reached around 1.5 billion people in 200 countries in one day.


His book: "Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-Profits Impact the Culture and Others Don't" is changing the way nonprofit and religious organizations use the media to tell their story.  And his new book "Jolt!: Get the Jump on a World That's Constantly Changing." shares his secrets of making today's culture of disruption and change work for you.


Could you think of a better advisor to help launch a Christian Media website?  We couldn't.


Phil and his team came in and we went to work.  They were astounded at the footprint of The Salvation Army on the global stage.  Daniel Temple, owner of Sermon Spice, kept repeating, "I can't believe how much the Army does.  I had no idea!" over and over again.  Phil, Daniel, and the rest of the team were ecstatic about the potential of SAVN.tv.  They got it.  They really got it.


Once again, I found myself in the midst of an innovative battlefield, creative crossfire flashing back and forth across the boardroom table.  When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, the most prevalent question seemed to be, "What do you want to communicate?  What is the Army's mission?"


"Well... we help people."


"That's it!  Helping people!  The Salvation Army is a world leader in Social Action issues.  People from every walk of life, all over the world, have one thing in common: They want to feel good about themselves.  So let's give them that opportunity.  SAVN will open the door for users, believers and nonbelievers alike, to do good things for others.  This will be the first 'Social Action Website'!" 


Using a common ground via media to unite people through good deeds while introducing the Gospel.  Brilliant.

We interrupt our program...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for this important announcement...

SAVN.tv IS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED!

For those of you who didn't tune in, we had an amazing first weekend!  The Cyber Cafe was a smash, resulting in hundreds of new members signed up on the site.  SAVN Live hit it's stride by the weekend, averaging 1200 views per day.  We couldn't have asked for a more successful start!

The Gathering went off without a hitch and the SAVN Team did our Territory proud.

Thanks to all who have supported and believed in this dream.  We could not have done it without you.  We look forward to working with you in delivering the Gospel message to the world by way of social networking and the internet!

GOD IS GOOD!

Life (and death) Cycle of an Organization

Our new found direction inspired us to gather all of the most creative minds from the four corners of the Western Territory into a "Creative Caucus."  We locked these unfortunate souls in a room and commanded them to create.  The Caucus members put their noses to the grindstone and diligently whittled away.

Truthfully, the officers and soldiers who made up the Creative Caucus were in attendance of their own accord.  They volunteered their time with the sincere desire to help form a revolutionary new ministry.  The original ideas that flowed from that gathering of minds gave us new hope.  These folks were outstanding!

At one point, in the midst of the creative chaos, I had a wonderfully random "Eureka!" moment.  It came at the hands of our dear friend, Terry Camsey, who stood in front of the group and laid the truth at our feet.

"Throughout history..." he began.  "Every government, organization, and movement has followed the same life-cycle."  He sauntered over to the white-board and drew an upward sloping line, "Each movement, born of an original idea, quickly slopes up into Revolution.  A revolutionary, ground-breaking, new concept that attracts the masses.  Hordes of people flock to the movement, clamoring to be a part of radical change.  Steam builds and the movement experiences the lion-share of its overall growth during this beginning stage. Until..."

At the top of the sloping "revolution" line, Terry drew a horizontal line and pointed at it.  "Institution," he said. "The inevitable plateau.  Growth tapers as tradition and protocol begin to bog down the system.  The Movement stalls."

"As with aerodynamics, a stall will always be followed by the inevitable plunge..."  Terry's pen drew a swooping downward line, "Into Museum.  In every major movement, this downward spiral marks the beginning-of-the-end.  What follows soon after is..." In one final act of penmanship, Terry scrawled the word "DEATH" across the board.

"There is only one way for a movement to cheat death." He continued, "...through REVOLUTION."  The group sat silent.  "CHANGE is the only known antidote to organizational oblivion.  A system must adapt and evolve if it is to survive the long haul.  A movement on the verge of death must be reinvented and reborn or it will surely dissolve and fade away."

Terry studied the room.  "Now you must ask yourself... Do you want to be involved in The Salvation Army's death?  Or do you want to be involved in its rebirth?  I believe SAVN to be the first step in our great Army's movement to reinvent itself.  I'm on board because I choose 'rebirth.'  What you choose is up to you."  And with that, Terry took his seat.

"Eureka!" I thought.  "That's EXACTLY what our Army needs.  Rebirth!  This man's a genius!"  I felt renewed and refreshed, something akin to what Skywalker must have felt sitting at the knee of Obi-Wan.  Time to go out and start the Revolution!

A few months passed.  My father ran into Terry at a friend's retirement party.  During the Caucus, Terry had taken extensive notes and spent the last few months organizing them.  He told dad that he had just crossed the last "t" and dotted the last "i" that very day and was going to turn his opus over to SAVN.

Two days later, Terry was Promoted to Glory.  It was a tragic blow and great loss to our Army.  He was a great man.  Though his passing was grievous, it gave me a wonderful peace.  The SAVN caucus was the last bit of work that God had for Terry before taking him home.  It was an amazing confirmation that this ministry has truly been ordained by God.  Coincidence?  You'll never convince me of that.

We'll miss you and see you in Glory, Terry.  God speed, my friend.  God speed.

Good question, Ralph.

Commissioner Knaggs explained his vision to me: "I was sitting at home with Carolyn," he began.  "We were flipping through Netflix shows and suddenly it dawned me... Why can't we do this?  Why can't we reach the world by way of the internet?"

In as such, Commissioner Knaggs’ vision encompassed a “Netflix” model for SAVN.  Essentially, the vision was to create a streaming video site that played original Christian content.  Without delay, SAVN began developing original video content to share the Gospel with the world.  The vision was tight and concise.

Shortly thereafter, a few of our key team members sat down to lunch with Ralph Winter (producer of Fantastic 4, X Men, and Wolverine).  Ralph sat across the table and politely listened as we outlined our brilliant "Christian Netflix" model.  At the conclusion of our pitch, we sat in silence, staring at Ralph, awaiting a much anticipated standing ovation from this critically acclaimed Hollywood mogul.  Instead of applause, Ralph gave a simple response that was to completely change the course of our ministry, "There are thousands of Christian media sites out there.  What's going to make yours different?  What's going to set it apart from the others?  As a consumer, why am I going to choose your ministry over all the rest?"

Good question, Ralph.

What's going to make our media more compelling than the sea of Christian videos already out there?  Moreover, how can we expect to win souls for the Kingdom by duplicating the same old faith-based media that has saturated the web?  We had to come up with something fresh, something new, something that had never been attempted before.  Back to the drawing board.  

The team came together and brainstormed more creative ideas and concepts for “winning the world."  It was amazing!  Creative thought ran wild. Fresh and original concepts too fantastic to ignore flew across the boardroom table in an ingenious flurry.  A massive vision evolved.  A vision so enormous... it became impossibly unfocused.  This gargantuan precept now loomed over us, blotting out the sun, with no determinable starting point. We had unwittingly created Frankenstein's monster and were rapidly losing control of our creation.  SAVN was becoming that which we had been trying so hard to avoid -  "all things to all men."

We collapsed into our chairs, perplexed and confused. We couldn't possibly present this amorphous blob to the Territorial Commander.  What to do?

Time to seek a fresh perspective...

Win the World!

Over the past year, I have been confronted with the same question time and time again, "What is SAVN.tv?"  It's a great question... and difficult to answer.

It's not difficult to answer because we don't know what SAVN is, but because nothing like this has ever been attempted.  This is an entirely unique experience and difficult to define in words.  You have to see it.

To put it in perspective, I'm sure the first time Henry Ford tried to explain the automobile, people probably said, "A horseless carriage?  That don't make no sense!  A carriage can't go nowhere without a horse!" It wasn't until they finally saw it, put their hands on it, looked under the hood, and sat behind the wheel that the light bulb finally illuminated.  "Aha!" they said, "A horseless carriage!"

SAVN is much the same sort of animal (no pun intended).  During the next few posts, I will do my best to explain this strange and magnificent beast we so affectionately refer to as "SAVN.tv".  If you don't get it, not to worry.  Once you put your hands on it, look under the hood, and sit behind the wheel, you too will have that "Aha!" moment.

The first question that must be addressed is, “What is SAVN’s purpose?”  The easy answer – “To win the world for Christ.”  However, “The World” is a big place.  If we attempt to become all things to all men, we become nothing to no one.

I have the pleasure of working as a Screenwriting Professor at a local filmschool here in Los Angeles.  Last semester, I decided to run a little experiment with my students.  I asked them to take out a piece of paper and answer two questions: "Do you believe in God?" and "If so, why?  If not, why not?"

I was surprised by two things:  First, most of the students actually had a pen and paper (very rare in this digital age).  Second, 75% of those polled admitted to believing in God, 15% weren't sure (agnostic), and only 10% firmly stood on the belief that God did not exist (atheist).  However, only 25% admitted to participating in an active spiritual relationship with The Creator.

I was stunned.  A small minority of my students were Christians, but the vast majority of them wanted to believe.  They were seeking the Savior and primed for the Gospel!  If my class were an accurate representation of the population, 90% of the world is searching for God!  This begged the question, "How do we do it?  How do we reach a generation who views the Church as an outdated, archaic model of their parents' belief systems?  What form of the Gospel will they find relevant?"

The answer to my questions came shortly after, in the form of a phone call from the Territorial Commander.  "Guy..." said Commissioner Knaggs, "What would you think about media website designed to win the world for Christ?"

And so it began...