| Have we been doing Sunday mornings wrong? In our conversations about getting people back to church, we should be careful. Even before the pandemic set in this was important. Our collective experience over the last two years, though, has made it easier to recognize. Hopefully. The point of our ministry was never to get people to go to church. At least, it should never be only to get people to show up Sunday mornings. I know that sounds strange. How often have you heard of the importance of inviting someone to church? Think of the advertising efforts your church has done over the years. What about the kind of events you’ve planned? Most churches direct a lot of time and attention to what happens on Sunday mornings. Now, I’m all for thoughtful preparation. But we should be careful to not become building-centric or even Sunday-centric. Truth be told, it’s not that hard to get people to show up to a worship service. If you’re willing to spend the money we can get started right now. Once you get your marketing down, focus on the experience. I suggest emphasizing the worship service. That word can convince people you’re providing a much-needed service. That they need to be there because of what you can provide them. Throw in some songs they like, of course. Don’t call it a sermon either. Label it a life-changing message. And make sure you have a place to drop off children. Parents say that’s a good break for them. Plus, no one else has to listen to them cry or keep asking so many questions. After all, everyone is trying to get fed. Or get in a nap. We want everyone to be comfortable. Lord, help us. Again, the point of our ministry is not to get people to show up to church. That’s not the goal of our Christian faith. So, how do we keep from being building or Sunday-centric? By training ourselves to focus on being Christ-centered. Our desire is to meet Christ and live in Christ. Can that happen on Sunday morning? Obviously. It often does. But Sunday morning is a mechanism, not an end. Now, of course, I’m not telling you your worship gatherings aren’t important. Or that you shouldn’t be there or invite others to be there. That’s absurd. I’m asking you to ensure we put things in order. And consider if your people aren’t coming back, it could be because we’ve offered them a warped sense of what Sundays are. Do people skip church to skip meeting the presence of God? Or do they skip church because we’ve made church all about church? Stay blessed…john |
John Fletcher
Tags
Bible Blessing Blessings Church Discipleship Encouragement Evangelism Faith Fear Fellowship Follow Me Forgiveness Friendship Giving Grace Healing Holidays Holiness Holy Spirit Hope Humility Jesus Joy Leadership Life Love Ministry Mission Obedience Patience Peace Prayer Purpose Renewal Resurrection Sanctification Sermons Strength Transformation Trust Unity Wisdom Witness Work Worship
