For years I thought the ideal church would be one I founded. I'd envisioned every detail: we'd publicize our services, meet in rented space until we could afford to build, and finally construct a beautiful, functional building. It would be a dream come true.

Then one day it happened; I founded a church that met in the Marriott Hotel ballroom in Greensboro. As Toyota says, "Who could ask for anything more?"

I could.

We didn't attract new people like I'd hoped. The first few weeks, we explained our lack of visitors by saying it would take time for word to get around. But after almost two months, even our most optimistic members were beginning to wonder, "Will we ever attract newcomers?"

In my enthusiasm, I'd failed to ask an important question: Who are we going after? What's our target constituency, our "market"? Everybody wasn't a good answer. We began with a core of about forty families; our money and man-hours were limited. We needed to use resources where they would do the most good if we ...