When I was a kid, I went to church because my mom picked me up, put me in the car and drove me there. When I was a teenager, I went to church because my mom told me that I should go to church. When I was a young adult …. I stopped going.
The idea of “should” is something that plagues church leadership. We think that people “should” go to church because that’s what they “should” do. Except …. People don’t think that way anymore. They actually believe they should want to go to church and not be obligated to go. So … what do you do with that? Do you try and fight that mindset by heaping on the guilt and shame? Or is there a better way?
Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About
If every service for the past 10 years has been 4 songs, 15 minute announcements, and 45 minute sermons (with the occasional potluck or testimony time thrown in) then your services have become routine and rote. Time for a change. Add something new this week. Change up the order. Watch a video sermon. Do Church outside (if it’s warm). Take out the pews and gather around round tables. Add a drama or use a funny video. Think about someone saying, “you missed church today! It was awesome! We ___(describing something totally cool)____” Create your services to be something people talk about that week.
We Are Glad You Are Here
It was a line given to me by an usher in a church ….”thanks for coming, I’m glad you’re here”. As if my presence made this person’s life a bit better that day. Imagine someone in church thanking me for coming. That’s much different than the “about time you finally showed up” line. What about creating a place where we are glad that you came? We open the door for you. We hug you. We help you with your coats and kids. We introduce you to people. When you treat people like they matter, they actually feel like they matter.
Engage People Where They’re At
If you have a few families that can’t come to church because of hockey, go to the hockey rink at 7:30 AM and do a small service. If you have people that work shift work, record your services and either live stream or post them online. Think about online giving. Think about online small groups. Think about the possibility of people accessing the content when they can and create opportunities for them to do that. Encourage people that there are multiple ways to engage in the life of the church rather than just from 10-11 AM on a Sunday morning.
Take the obligation attitude out of the equation because people don’t think they “should” come to church. Create a place where people actually want to come to church.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.