Want to create something viral? Create something real.
My church recently held a creative worship night. It was a night filled with dancing, music, painting and other artsy fartsy things I usually don’t enjoy. But one particular piece got my attention.
As the Gungor song, “Beautiful Things,” played through the system, people emerged from backstage carrying hand-written stories on poster boards. “I was going to get life without parole, but God intervened.” “I struggled with feelings of inferiority, but God loves me so much.” They were well-crafted stories. I assumed they found them on the Internet.
But as more people emerged, I saw people I knew carrying stories that sounded remarkably familiar. Wait! These were actually their stories! The stories and emotion were real. They were baring their souls on this stage.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
After the program ended, something bubbled inside me. I had to tell people about this! I struck up conversations with everyone I passed about those amazing stories. Could you believe they were real?! That night went viral for me.
Hollywood blockbusters can’t compete with that. Their special effects and perfectly crafted stories don’t go viral.
Videos shot on webcams that reflect honesty and truth go viral.
We live in an increasingly phony world filled with Photoshop and special effects. People are more clever at faking things. And we spend a lot of emotional energy trying to separate the fake from the real.
Look at the comment stream below a viral video or incredible photo. “Photoshopped!” “This is so fake.” “Actors.” People are trying to find truth.
So while we’re spending more and more money in churches—mimicking Hollywood blockbusters—let’s never forget that the greatest thing we can do is tell a true story. True stories go viral. Openness and honesty go viral. We have a viral message—the gospel. Let’s present it as honestly as possible. 
After Jonathan graduated he worked full-time at his church. The church was small. He was 21. He had tons of energy. So he led worship, designed graphics and websites, built stages, led the production team, and tried his hand at video production. It’s tough being a one-man team.
He began blogging his angst in 2008. He posted his church’s stage design. It got lots of response. So he realized there might be a big need for stage design ideas. Thus he started Church Stage Design Ideas.
Around that time I met an amazing Argentine girl. We got married. I love it.
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