Needed: An Outward Awareness

John P. Kotter in A Sense of Urgency (2008) offers several tactics to build the emotional and mental readiness to get things done. He writes about profit and not-for-profit organizations needing to look beyond themselves to accomplish this. His first tactic is "bring the outside in."

Allow me to list these as Kotter has expressed them then restate them in language of communications as to what churches need to do. The words in bold are Kotter's strategies. The rest are my attempt at re-stating.

1. Listen to customer-interfacing employees. Church leaders and members should get to know well the newest members and youngest Christians who have joined the church - as soon as possible after they join. Too many of us lose our awareness of the "real world" over a short time, opting to live in a Christian "bubble" unconnected with our non-Christian neighbors.
2. Use the Power of Video. No, we can't count on Hollywood to give us an accurate description of the real world,but we can use our own videos - or the videos of those who have "captured" some of the real world. "Person on the Street" videos by Christian parachurch organizations are available. Listen closely to the persons being interviewed - both their words and body language.
3. Don't always shield people from troubling data.  Music styles, languages, and style of dress have changed in the real world. Do we expect to make connections if we only offer people music styles of the middle 20th century (or earlier), use Bible translations in English of 400 years ago, or demand attire that even stores don't sell many of anymore (e.g. men's suites). Shielding people can also take the form of silence. Does the pastor, do small groups, does Sunday School ever present the harsh realities present in all communities (even among church members) such as domestic violence, chemical addiction (including alcoholism), children in poverty, need for parenting skills, divorce...?
4. Redecorate. People are visual, so present pictures and other media that will contain images of needs of the communities your church serves. Put up pictures of your members meeting those needs. Creative presentations that are changed/replaced on a regular schedule are needed - on bulletin boards, newsletters, projection on screen, and web spaces (sites, blogs, etc). 
5. Send people out. This should be a "no-brainer" for the church, but as Kotter has written, success creates an inward focus which kills a sense of urgency (67). Kotter suggests organizations send out "scouts."  Churches ought to have lay people and their pastors intentionally and proactively always be looking for needs in the community so as to communicate these to the whole church.
6. Bring people in. A church could "import" people such as civic leaders to address groups of the church or the church as a whole as to community needs. Invite school administrators to share what volunteers of the church could do with some minimum training (e.g. tutoring program).
7. Bring "data" in, but in the right way. Relevant stories, not statistics. Using the example of what tutoring can do, tell the story of a student - what were that student's realities before and after experience with a committed tutor. Then relate how overall the reading/math/other skill proficiencies increased as a direct result. 

Telling connections are made...opportunities to witness in deed and word.
Telling connections need to focus outwardly to connect.