When it comes to church, I’m used to a lot of “bells and whistles:” Multi-talented band and vocalists whose chops rival the rich and famous of the music industry; cool staging effects and multimedia that are on a par with – and often surpass – what any TV network could manage; my pastor in Nashville is from the south, but looks like he just washed up on a California beach (with hipper, drier clothes).

The church I visited in Atlanta Sunday (my old home church) had none of that. Traditional Baptist Church. And by traditional, I mean organ, choir, sermon … much more subdued. The executive pastor who delivered the Sunday sermon is what you might expect: Older, suit & tie … looks like, well, a Baptist preacher.

But for all the differences, the ultra-hip contemporary cutting-edge Cross Point Community Church and its antithesis, John’s Creek Baptist, had one important thing in common.

The message.

At the heart of Cross Point is great teaching. So I found at John’s Creek. The message was simple but powerful: Use your uniqueness to draw people to God.

The important point here – as so aptly illustrated by these two contrasting churches – is that to succeed at whatever you do in business, the core message you communicate to your customers – via Websites, social media, etc. – is a VITAL key to that success. Because, I can tell you, from personal experience, that your business can have all the peripheral bells and marketing whistles money can buy, but if you don’t have a core message that resonates with your customers, then brothers and sisters, you ain’t got nothin’ …