ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR A CHURCH! [Part 1 – more to follow…]

There is no seniority in a church!

Because you’ve been at a church for a long time doesn’t mean that you should have more say, power or influence than someone newer!

I know! This is kind of shocking! But healthy churches are unique, in that they want to be continually growing and expanding the Kingdom of God!

There are not grades of membership based on longevity, levels of involvement or amounts of financial support! When these very items ARE actively in place, the prognosis for growth is rendered hopeless!

THE GREAT CHALLENGE

The great challenge is in assimilating new people!  

Maintaining a growing, vibrant body of diverse believers requires the grace of the Holy Spirit and the humility of the people of faith!

In most churches, it takes years for a new member [or family] to be fully assimilated into the life of the body of believers! That’s a sad reality!

Developing strategies for expediting this process should be a major, ongoing goal for every church that wants to fully embrace new people and help them to be all that God desires of them!

The arrival of new people is such a blessing to any church!

However, acknowledging them publicly [such as having them stand to be recognized] is a horrible idea! Singling them out is embarrassing and is likely a sure way to guarantee that they will never come back!

BUT, there are other ways that we can welcome them. Many of us have learned how to do this from the mega-church models. Some tips:

·        Have friendly people meeting and greeting attenders in the parking lot! Selecting these individuals is critical – let me illustrate:

I shop at a nearby Walmart store and am in their building several times a week. We’re all familiar with their practice of having a greeter as you use their main entrance.

They are currently using a mature man who looks horribly uncomfortable in his role. Although I have spoken to him, he has never spoken to me. He completely avoids eye-contact with customers. He looks miserable!

Please don’t think me mean. I pray for the guy every time I enter the store. Actually I respect him for his strength and determination. He apparently needed a job and Walmart hired him! I admire him AND Walmart – for giving people opportunities!

The point is to get the right people greeting folks in the parking lot!

When I attended Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in southern California, I was met by groups of people as I parked and walked the long distance to the church. These people welcomed me by inquiring where I was from and if I was a first-time visitor.

I told them that I had been to the church for seminars throughout the week, They asked how I’d been enjoying my experience. The point is: they engaged me personally and let me know that they were genuinely pleased that I had come this Sunday!

While serving at Cornerstone Church in Akron, Ohio, we had a group of men who greeted people in the parking lot. They were jokesters and had a lot of fun with people as they arrived. They would often tell people what to expect in the service [based on the fact that they had attended an earlier service].

Ø "Pastor Brenda is really on target this morning!”

Ø “Wait till you hear the special music this morning!”

Ø “You’re in for a blessing today!”

On rainy days they held umbrellas for the people approaching the church building.

On snowy Sundays, they offered assistance from the parking lot to the main entrance!

They made themselves available to assist:

Ø Special needs individuals

Ø Families with multiple or young children

Ø Elderly folks

They had been trained to wait until people exited their vehicles in order to avoid uncomfortable situations regarding getting in-and-out.

 ·        Have warm, friendly greeters at all doors to greet people and welcome them to the service of worship.

They can be trained – with those they don’t recognize – to inquire if they’ve worshipped here before.  If they haven’t, they can offer to enter with them and show them around [including where to hang coats and the location of restrooms]. This will, of course, necessitate someone else being ready to step into their greeting spot so that others are not overlooked.

 These individuals often view their role as a ministry.

 At Cornerstone, a man named Ken was a fixture at the main entrance every Sunday. He discriminately offered people a hug as they entered.

In my role as a counselor at the church, I remember vividly being told by a single-mom that one of the reasons she came to Cornerstone was because it was the only place in her week where she was hugged!

 

·        Have people placed at the entranceways to the worship center to greet people by telling them that they’re glad to see them!

If people are being escorted by the ‘door-greeters’ then they can give them an especially warm comment like: “We’re glad you chose to worship with us this morning!”

If worship folders are used, they can distribute them.

These greeters should stay in place for at least 5-10 minutes after the worship begins. If latecomers look awkward, they could ask if they need help finding a seat. Then they can usher them into worship and strategically ease their late entrance.

·        In addition to all of the above, certain people can be trained to simply be on-the-watch for people who appear to be new attenders. Some of these people will enjoy mingling in the foyer [before and after service] and keeping an eye open for new people! Others may simply hang out at the rear of the worship center – also being alert to speak with newer people.

They are simply another wave of greeter who makes people feel welcome and assists them in any way that they might need [for instance: making them aware of a nursery or special worship opportunities for young children].

·        Having a gift available for first-time attenders is a kind offering used by many growing churches.

Don’t ask them to approach a ‘Welcome Center’ to receive this gift [they don’t even know where the ‘Welcome Center’ is!!  The door greeters who first discern that this is a new person/family should take them to this location before even entering the worship center and see that they are given the gift.

TIP:

Make the gift worthwhile. Of course you’ll want to include information about your church! They expect that! But add things of value!

Ø Maybe a gift certificate to Chick-fil-A

Ø If it’s a family – perhaps bags of candy for the children

Ø If you have photographers in your congregation – perhaps a free picture

Ø Perhaps a box of homemade cookies [a church I served delivered these early the next week]!

Ø Or maybe one of Hal Haire’s Christian romance novels!!!!!

Lonely For A Long Time

A Life Repurposed

Overwhelmed

Never Unreachable

[Available on Amazon or from Hal Haire]  😁

The next entry will discuss: THE NEED FOR LEADERS!

THOUGHTS ON LEAVING THE CHURCH

In reviewing an old blog, I came across a comment I made that startled me:

"I feel like the only way to be a missional follower of Christ would be to leave the church as I know it!"

Did I really write that?

It was something I wrote on the blank page at the end of a book I had read [which has been a custom of mine for years]. Clearly the book - which I have since given away - addressed the issue of getting outside of our buildings to influence the world toward Christ and His Kingdom principles.

This has been the theme of many books written in the 21st century. Creativity and innovation are not exactly premium resources in most established churches. Too often these qualities are expressed - not by generative thinking and deliberation - but by copying what leading churches with highly recognizable pastors do. The problem becomes noticeable when the smaller church doesn't have the resources or recognition that the larger churches have!

In his 2005 book, REVOLUTION, pollster and church clinician, George Barna, gave us a wake-up call announcing that already - by that time - massive numbers of believers had vacated the church.

He was not decrying their departure. Rather, he was trying to help the established church realize that there is a growing group of deeply committed followers of Christ, many of whom simply have chosen not to affiliate themselves any longer with the organized church.

He writes:

"The United States is home to an increasing number of Revolutionaries. These people are devout followers of Jesus Christ who are serious about their faith, who are constantly worshipping and interacting with God, and whose lives are centered on their belief in Christ. Some of them are aligned with a congregational church, but many of them are not. The key to understanding Revolutionaries is not what church they attend [or IF they attend*]. Instead it's their complete dedication to being thoroughly Christian by viewing every moment of life through a spiritual lens and making every decision in light of biblical principles. These are individuals who are determined to glorify God daily through every thought, word and deed in their lives." [p.8]

* my addition

Not many will confirm my thought of leaving the Church in order to actually BE the Church. But - in reality, many [if not most] churches fail to mobilize their people toward the mission of Christ to "seek and to save the lost."

One of our Free Methodist bishops taught - well into the 21st century and based on actual church statistics - that it was taking [at least in our denomination] 85 Christians to bring one person to Christ per year! How can anyone miss the pathetic nature of this stat?

The evidence is well known that within seven years of joining a church, a person will have replaced almost all of their lost friends and co-workers with Christian friends from church. How can we impact lost and hurting people if we only associate with Christian people?

We have to admit that there is an argument for leaving the church [as we know it] with the hope of being a greater influence for Christ by venturing out and making friends with sinners.  According to Barna, we’re already realizing this reality!

If Jesus is repeatedly accused of being a friend of sinners, isn’t that something we should give greater consideration to? It has to do with letting our light shine in a dark place. How bright can our light be when we’re shining in the midst of a bunch of other lights? Isn’t it obvious that our light will shine best in a darkened environment!

I’ve served as a pastor for over forty years. Transitioning a church from ‘plateaued’ to ‘growing’ is a phenomenally hard task that takes time, focus and determination!

Just maintaining a plateaued church takes almost no energy or creativity at all! It would be like navigating in a self-driving car!

But having been a part of seeing three churches make that transition, I can report that the end result is excitement, joy, peace and a genuine anticipation for worship times!  This is a church where the people will authentically say with David: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the House of the Lord!’” [Psalm 122:1].

In these churches, anticipation is high, joy is common, love is expressed, concessions are made willingly and Kingdom growth is front-and-center! To be frank, in this kind of church, no one gets to have it all ‘their way’. Everyone lives with some measure of discontent with the goal of maintaining unity and preserving the priorities of Christ! 

At one of these churches, we lighted a large candle on Sundays when someone had made a decision for Christ as a result of the influence of one of our members. When people entered our foyer-door, many would slip to the back of the sanctuary to see if the candle was lighted! That’s ANTICIPATION AND EXPECTATION!

But many pastors today aren’t knowledgeable about how to direct and initiate this kind of transition. Perhaps they lack the patience and courage required to address the stagnancy of the church and point in the direction of hope and change? Wisdom would seem to send them to a mentor who has had proven experience in bringing about this kind of transformation? But I don't know of any cases where this kind of pursuit is happening.

Without this kind of transformational change in the way we do church, it is likely that more and more will – like me – wonder if it might be better to just leave the church – as I know it – and strike out as one of Barna’s ‘revolutionaries’.

WE MUST AVOID PETRIFYING THE GOSPEL

The King James Version of our Bible was written in 1611.  It's use was almost exclusive for over three hundred years.  When it was written, it was absolutely colloquial and contemporary.  Yet today it is safe to assume that it is only used in extremely conservative groups!  

Growing up in the 1950's and 1960's, the KJV was the only version that I read until my teen years when Ken Taylor began to produce The Living Bible.  It was so refreshing and relevant and in the language of the 1960’s. 

Many of the people in my early-life church even prayed in the language style of the KJV, using thee’s and Thou’s in their prayers.

It is only suitable to deduce that this kind of language use was petrified from the era of 1611.  Once upon a time it was relevant and essential.  But time evolved and the language morphed.  Today, we celebrate having the Bible available in translations that are in conversational language!  Relevance has been restored!

In recent months I’ve been enjoying a devotional book written by biblical scholar, William Barclay. I was stunned by the significance of his comments for today’s date referring to the use of the ‘Authorized Version’ [KJV]:

[REMEMBER – This was written well over fifty years ago.]

“Worship by so many has got to be in the language of the Authorized Version of the Bible.  But surely a twentieth-century man speaks to God in twentieth-century English.  The biggest barrier to prayer is the stagnation which insists on a special prayer language which is quite out of date.

But in worship there is also stagnation in the order of service.  For the person within the Church, and brought up within the Church, no doubt the accepted and traditional orders of service are hallowed and dear.  But when a man (sic) comes in from outside the Church, we cannot afford to go through the long preparation of prayer and praise and reading, or we lose him (sic).

We must talk to him almost at once.

After all, the Church must be concerned for the man (sic) outside.

There are fewer and fewer inside!”

Many readers will miss the power of Barclay’s statement by virtue of not knowing that it was his life’s mission to make the Bible understandable to the common student of the Word.  His seventeen volume study Bible (commentary) was/is an invaluable resource to pastors and students to this day!  It was my personal dream to own it, but I was not able to make that happen, so I settled for reading it in various libraries along my journey! 

I digress. 

Worship must be relevant! 

While attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, I leaned toward a more liturgical expression of worship.  But this was balanced by the use of praise and worship music that was exploding in the 1980’s.  Many churches are migrating toward increasingly liturgical forms of worship [even in my own ‘free’ tradition of Free Methodism].  I believe this creates barriers to convert growth.  Although I'm aware that MANY will disagree, I believe it is a form of petrifying the Gospel.

I currently worship in a Reformed Presbyterian church.  I am not drawn to the identical form used week after week – although I recognize that many are indeed comfortable with this format.  This church made a significant hire a few years ago of a new worship leader that has brought novelty and creativity to the leadership of worship via, instruments, new music, and the innovation of two distinct worship teams that alternate.  Her direction regularly infuses vibrancy into a rote form.  This IS a growing and vibrant church.

Our task is the task of our Lord: “to seek and to save the lost” [Luke 19:10]. 

During nine years of service in leading a church before we left for China, we tapped the talents of our people by creating a worship experience that was marked by creativity, engagement, variety, and stimulation.  How?

By using drama, humor, video clips, testimonies, three worship teams with unique styles, fill-in-the-blank worksheets, and worship experiences that involved the congregation in movement – such as:

·         Occasionally having the people bring their tithes and offering forward while singing a joyful song of praise.

·         Coming forward once-a-month to receive Holy communion.

The response to these specific plans was one of growth!  The church more than doubled in size and a second worship service was begun to allow for even greater growth!  For two years in a row the church was recognized by our denomination as a 'Multiplying Church'.

___________________________________

Having led ministries for over forty years, I'm very familiar with the dynamics of trying to change the local church!  The resistance faced requires patience, love yet persistence.  This is the Kingdom of God and we are compelled to follow Him as He leads us into our world! 

Ever loving Lord,

Help us who have impact on the worship of our church to fearlessly innovate so that the common person will find relevance when they enter our sanctuary.  We want them to see You and come to know You!  This is far more important than meeting our needs for comfort and control.

For the Kingdom’s sake.  Amen.  

TRANSITIONING A CHURCH

The Apostle Paul stood between two groups as a type of mediator.  This is wonderfully illustrated in Ephesians 2 [especially noticeable if read in The Message].  Here he tries to bring together Gentiles and circumcised Jews [water and oil]!  This delicate work takes wisdom and a deep, unquestioned commitment to both groups!  No bias can be shown or his work will be nullified.  The Jews and the Gentiles need to know that Paul is totally for them!  Paul performs this task masterfully!  Just observe his tact:

^14-15 The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.

16-18 Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.

Paul - like Christ - has a deep longing for these long-separated groups to be unified in the love of Christ and the fulfillment of His mission! 

On a massively different level, as a pastor I too have stood between these two kinds of groups.

·         New, excited, passionate believers and mature, established, lukewarm believers.

·         Pentecostal believers who long to see gifts exercised and traditional believers who are suspect of anything new and extreme.

These groups need one another more than they realize!  Each group has strengths that the other group needs! Yet often the communication lines are clogged or broken! 

One of the great challenges for me through the years was trying to preach to a growing congregation [which, by the way, is a pleasant challenge!].   How do you meet the needs of those who don’t know the Word yet and need to be taught the basics and encouraged in their new-found faith;  as opposed to preaching to those who’ve been walking in ‘the way’ for years and are looking for ‘meat’ and not just ‘milk’? 

When you focus on the needs of the new believers, the old believers already know this and lose interest.

When you focus on the mature believers, the new believers are lost and don’t understand the concepts.

[Of course, this is only an issue in churches where THERE ARE new believers!]

As with Paul, both groups need to know that you love them and are committed to them.  As the leader of both groups, you cannot show bias.   However, you also cannot allow yourself to be pushed around or manipulated by either group!  You must stand strong in the faith, committed to the Word, and accepting and caring for all involved!  It is a gargantuan task that requires an intimate walk with God! 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1.      IF YOU’RE PART OF A GROWING CHURCH, pray for your pastor as she/he tries to bring unity to the body and give everyone a sense of common direction!

2.      Be deliberate about getting to know new believers/attenders and helping them to – as quickly as possible – assimilate into the ‘body’!  [After four years of attending our current church, I’m still struggling with names and a sense of ‘belonging’.]  Long-term attenders (members?) are known, revered and have a voice.  New attenders (members?) are often unknown, ignored and have no voice.  We must ALL work to change that! 

3.      Develop a church wide attitude that looks at new people as God-sent to add to the beauty of the body and to equip the body for even greater service in the future!  New people are not a threat to established leaders, they are an asset to those currently leading and may represent the potential for new ministries and new directions for the church!