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In Episode 455 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Ed discuss how the 70/20/10 principle can be applied to Sunday morning worship services.
“I have a question in regards to the 70/20/10 adult learning principle. How do we make the church more practical? How do we make it split from that 70% to the 10%? Especially in regards to the actual service itself. Now the reason I am asking that question is I came from a blue-collar background. I’m a very practical person and a practical thinker. Now I’m pastoring a church in an area that is full of blue-collar workers. 8% of the population have college educations, so that means that 92% don’t. And these 92% are practical blue-collar workers who like to think, act, and serve with their hands more than they would like to meet up for coffee, that would terrify them. But if you asked them to go to a sporting event and talk with them shoulder-to-shoulder or even asked them to paint a house and you helped them, that would be the best way to have those conversations. However, when I look at the church service and getting someone to come along for that, it’s almost a complete offense in many ways. You start off by singing emotion-filled songs and the real manly-man doesn’t like to show their emotions, let alone sing love songs. And then you need to ask them to sit through a 30 minute talk that they haven’t done since high school. Then of course, the heart of it all is relationships face-to-face which terrify people in this particular demographic. How do we apply the 70/20/10 principle, especially in regards to the church service to make it a way that everyone can use their gifts and the blue-collar worker can come and serve practically, as well as to her and learn about Jesus in this church platform? Or is there really not a place for this, and it needs to be the focus throughout the week? If that’s the goal throughout the week, to lead people to Jesus through these relationships that are shoulder-to-shoulder, is the goal then to get them into the church service?”