Several years ago, my family and I took a month sabbatical from ministry for refreshment and relaxation. The purpose of the sabbatical was to step away from ministry and spend time in the word gaining a much-needed refreshment.
As a minister, you spend your time teaching and helping others and rarely do you get time to be taught and helped. The sabbatical was my time, and my family’s time, to step away from the “Preacher and his Family” and find rejuvenation.
During the sabbatical, my family and I traveled attended six congregations in four weeks. When we visited other congregations, I only told two of the preachers I would be showing up. I told them I wanted to be treated like everyone else and not to inform people I was the minister somewhere else.
I wanted to full visitor experience.
I wanted to know what it was like to walk in a congregation and be treated normally. I wanted to know what it was like to be a typical family and walk into a church building for the first time.
Preachers are usually treated a little different when we walk into a church building; especially where people know us. The tendency is to be sure to talk to the preacher, along with his family, and to be sure they receive a friendly welcome. It is almost as if ministers are on a different plain; typically, we think they are.
Gaining an average visitor experience has helped me as I see visitors around our congregation. Many visitors are not nervous when they arrive, just a little out of touch. They are not out of contact with church services; they are just not connected with your congregation services. They are there for the first time, and they are not sure what to expect.
Warning: Some of the words I write are not complimentary, but challenging. Take no offense to the words, but learn from my experience. I have not, nor will I name congregations or the area we visited. This is to be sure that they remain anonymous and everyone learns from the overall experience.
Let the words challenge you and make you uncomfortable. If they anger you, get up and do something about them. If you think they are right, get up and change the way your congregation is seen in your community.
I have summarized our experience into six different statements. Each statement is my thought based on my experience and also from hearing the words of others.
“Six Concerns I Have About Your Congregation”
1 – “When I visited, you asked me to full out a visitor card, talked about how much you appreciate visitors, but no one spoke to me.”
Hearing words spoken from the pulpit need to be backed up with action from the leadership and members.
Just because you talk about appreciating visitors does not mean you are following through with those actions.
Showing visitors you appreciate them is more than just giving them a card. It is having a conversation with them about them.
Ask your visitors about them? Most visitors are happy to ask about your congregation when you start the conversation asking them about them.
Conversation Tip: It is a good idea not to make fun of the state, city or location where people are from at your first discussion. It leaves a wrong impression.
2 – “I saw no joy in your congregation. As the church sang ‘To Canaan’s Land’ no one was smiling and they sang like a funeral. I thought living for Jesus was a joy, not a bore.”
Visitors notice the atmosphere of the congregation. Most visitors will compare your congregation with the congregation they attend. Their congregation becomes their standard they hold every other congregation too.
Ask yourself this question, “Do you smile when you sing “Sing and Be Happy?”
Most visitors notice the singing among every other aspect of worship. Maybe singing takes a priority because so many songs are sung during the worship? The singing service can set the tempo of a worship service.
As Christians, we do remember the death of Christ in communion every Sunday as a solemn occasion, but too many congregations leave Him in the tomb and do not celebrate the resurrection.
3 – “I saw a Bible, but I never saw Bibles. I thought Christians were people who studied the book not talked about studying the book.”
As mentioned previously, visitors are paying attention. They look around and see what is going on in worship, who is paying attention and what it means to everyone.
Church buildings need to have open Bibles and, the preacher needs to give us scriptures to open too. It is a two-way street.
There is a difference in talking about studying and studying. There is nothing wrong with exploring a workbook, but Bibles need to be opened along with the workbook.
4 – “Your services talked about being lights in a dark world, but I never heard of your congregation before today. You said your church has been around for 50+ years and I grew up here and never knew you.”
Wow! A statement like that reflects on the outreach of the congregation; both passive outreach and active outreach.
Passive outreach consists of areas like yellow page ads (yes, some people still use them), Facebook pages, websites, billboards, etc.. Passive outreach is placing information about the congregation in a way people can find it, stumble across it or search for it.
Active outreach consists of areas like door-0knocking, inviting others, handing out correspondence courses, etc.
For someone to grow up in an area and never hear of your congregation can mean a few things: (1) You are in a large city like Atlanta, etc. (2) You are a new congregation, or (3) there is no outreach.
5 – “I felt awkward because I had to sit on the second row because all of your members sat in the back and on the aisle seat. They seemed glued to their chairs.”
I have heard others say that “God’s presence must be strongest in the back five rows of our church buildings” and I can believe it. Many of the last rows of a church building and full, leaving the front rows for visitors.
Have you ever visited a church worship services and found nowhere to sit but the front row? So have I. In fact, I have attended other congregations where people have been unwilling to let me in their row. Seriously.
There needs to be some open space for visitors to come in the assembly and find a place to sit instead of having to walk all the way down to the front.
It is handy to have an area toward the back where visitors with small children can sit as opposed towards the front.
6 – “You saw that I had children and no one helped me find a Bible class for my children. There were no signs on the doors to help along the way.”
Information. Information. Information. Visitors need information, but not an overload of information.
Some congregations have a guide to show where classes are held, where the bathrooms are and other relevant information for visitors.
It is always nice to have several ushers (men and women) help the visitors find their way.
After service, be sure you assist the visitors in any way. Visitors might be looking for directions, a place to eat or other information that you can provide.
Final Thoughts:
Engaging visitors, when they arrive at your congregation, is a significant show of your hospitality. However, be sure not to overdo it out of show. Everything must be done sincerely. Visitors can distinguish between genuine hospitality and dramatized hospitality.
The relationship you have with the visitors attending your Bible studies or worship services should be built on the grace and mercy of Christ. Not every visitors will have a religious background, nor will they understand the “church words.”
While worship is typically designed for Christians, we must understand that in our culture, many will visit the worship service before any Bible study. It is important that we welcome them as we would like greeted. Think the Golden Rule.
Visitors need to know they are appreciated and loved just as anyone should be in an assembly of Christians. For a visitors to show up at your building, opens the door for a wide range of possibilities – from Bible study to conversion even to a new friendship. Take advantage of the time you have with visitors.
Not every Christian is the same. We have come from different backgrounds, different physical families and many times, different church backgrounds. While we are different, there are many things we can all do to enhance our spiritual lives and to encourage the people around us each week.
Below are four quick things every Christian can do every weekend. Take a moment and see how you can make your weekend, and even your life a little greater.
Plan to Attend Service
I know this seems like a given, but it isn’t. Some people, know that Sunday is coming, still miss it. I figure they know that the start of every week is Sunday, but they fail to make plans to be at services. Failing to make plans has resulted in them missing services. So, this weekend, plan to attend services on Sunday.
Surround Yourself with Christians
To make your weekend go better, especially, your Sunday, surround yourself with Christians. As you plan for services, plan to meet with your church family after services. Be the one to step up and invite people to gather together. A quick example is inviting people to eat together following services. If money is tight, invite everyone to chip in and have them at your house. (think of it as a potluck meal)
Pray
This weekend, schedule four times to offer quick prayers. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you of your scheduled prayer time. The weekends give us more time or more relaxed time, and this can be a great moment to pray.
Sleep.
Yes, I said it…sleep. I have already proclaimed 2018 as “The Year of the Nap,” and I am planning to stick with it. There is a benefit to rest; plus, our bodies need it. For years, researchers have told us our bodies will function better with rest, and many of us are starting to realize it.
Final Thoughts:
Today is Friday.
For many, your weekend is already beginning, or it will begin after work. What steps will you take this evening to prepare yourself for Sunday?
Each one of us can begin today for a greater Sunday.
In a few short weeks, the world will turn to look and discuss the Messiah. Every year, one day has the world looking at the cradle which would rock the world. Whether you celebrate December 25th as the birth of Christ or another holiday in the giving/receiving of gifts, the fact is, people are thinking about the baby Jesus. Most likely, your family and friends will be thinking about Jesus.
While we know that Jesus grew into a man, the Christmas season causes us to reflect on the baby Jesus. It was a humble birth that God chose to bring His Son into the world. It would not be a birth that would amaze the world as it does now, but it would be a quiet entrance of the Promised Deliverer.
The first years would be a silent reflection of the humility of His life. Common people would be His first visitors and around two years of age magi from the east would bring Him earthly, honorable gifts. As His life would be sought by a power-hungry king, His family would become refugees. Finally, returning to His homeland, His family settled in a common town.
Amazingly enough, the Messiah grew up among the people without notice. Even after He grew into adulthood and began His earthly ministry, the people still saw His as Joseph and Mary’s boy. As His fame was growing and multitudes followed Him, some still saw Him as an earthly man and others saw Him as the Messiah the nation had waited so long to see. To the latter, He was their deliverer, their Savior, their King.
The title above is a question posted on my Facebook page every day at 3 pm, and the comments are growing and the private messages are interesting. There have been requests from family, friends, acquaintances and even friends of friends I do not know. Each request is important because someone needs prayer in their life.
Many times, people complicate religion and its actions, when many times they are very simple. The question, “How can we pray for you today?” is a simple question, but it can bring powerful results.
I started asking the question because there is a need for more prayer in our world. While Paul tells us to make our supplications and requests known to God (Philippians 4.6), we can also petition him on behalf of others:
Prayers for those who persecute and mistreat us (Matthew 5.44; Luke 6.28; Acts 7.60)
Prayer for the sick (James 5.16)
Prayer for other Christians (Ephesians 1.15-21; Hebrews 13.18-19)
Prayer for governmental leaders (1 Timothy 2.1-2
As God’s lights in the world, our lives should be filled with prayer (1 Thessalonians 5.17; Ephesians 6.18; Luke 18.1). Prayer is our communication with the Creator to share our joys, praises for Him, our woes and our burdens as well as requests for others.
I challenge you to ask others how you can pray for them. It might be a Facebook post, a text message or a face-to-face question, but ask them who you can pray for them. Who knows, it might lead to many powerful opportunities.
Maybe you can ask the question on Facebook, Twitter and other social media as well.
My name is Mandy Heard. I am thirty-eight years old. I have been a member of The Lord’s Church since I was fifteen. However, recently I began to second guess my baptism. Did I do it for me, or for My Lord? Was it because I thought I was earning my salvation by going through motions? To remove all doubt, I made my way down the aisle and was baptized a second time. This time, it wasn’t done out of fear of hell’s fire. It was done out of love and appreciation for My Jesus and the desire to be identified as His Church. Which leads me to the purpose of this article…who or what is the blood-bought Church, and what do I love about it?
First of all, the word “church” comes from a Greek word “ekklesia” which is defined as “an assembly” or “called ones.” So you see, the Church is not a building, but a body of believers.
Now, I mentioned to you already that I have been a member of the Church for a long time. I have grown up being taught from these Biblical principles. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t struggled with identifying who the Church is.
You see, my friends are from many different denominational backgrounds. My friends and I pray together. We have attended Christian based conferences and events together. I do my best to encourage them, and they most definitely encourage me. I do consider my friends to be believers, and I know they love Jesus just as I do.
People often ask, “What’s the difference in the Church of Christ” and other denominations. Most people first recognize that we have no instruments. Others may notice our weekly participation in The Lord’s Supper. And while these are noticeable differences that others may recognize, I have noticed something else that has begun to decrease my confusion regarding who The Church is.
I have recognized in most denominational churches; there seems to be some disagreement or confusion about how they operate. They are usually based off opinions, ideas, or what they’ve learned from other organizations. There seem to be issues that arise based on change. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever, so why would we expect His Church to be different?
While these opinions and ideas are not always bad, they can make things quite interesting. They can draw others in; they can make things fun and exciting but eventually, comes conflict and confusion. Why? Because they are ideas of “good people,” but not from God The Father. Only God has the authority to direct and lead The Church. Any other assumed authorities will fail. It’s not a matter of if, but when. It’s coming.
Only what God authorizes will stand.
Matthew 16:18- “…upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
You see friends; God is not the author of confusion. The meaning of The Church wasn’t meant to be complicated.
1 Corinthians 14:33- “…for God is not a God of disorder…”
We have all that we need to fulfill our purpose within The Church. We are equipped. We don’t have to figure out the right way and the wrong way. We just have to know God’s way.
Hebrews 13:21- “…”may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.”
We have been given an example by the early church. Why fix what is not broken?
We don’t have to add to it or take away from it. Simply follow it.
My husband and I have been blessed with two amazingly wonderful, yet hormonal teenagers. Now if you’re a parent, you understand the need for boundaries and rules. What would happen if there were none? Anything goes. Stay out as long as you like. Eat what you want. Go ahead, if it feels good, do it. How long would that last? Eventually, our family would crumble. Wouldn’t it?
Guess what? So will the Church.
Often, the Church of Christ is accused of being legalistic. I’ll be real with ya. I’ve struggled with believing this myself at times. But a few weeks ago, my favorite preacher helped me understand this a bit better. Legalism comes about when we act on our own behalf. In other words, it benefits us in some way by following the rules…but, obedience is when we act out of love, honor and for the Lord’s sake. You see, our salvation has been bought and paid for with a price we can never repay. We don’t work for our salvation, but because of it.
So to sum things up, I guess I love the Church because My Jesus first loved me.
May God bless you and keep you!
Mandy Heard is married to Jamie Heard. They have 2 teenage children, Anslee and Cain. Mandy is a home health nurse and considers her job to be an opportunity for ministry. She enjoys sharing with others how Christ has changed her life. She is a member of Roanoke Church of Christ.
I love the Church of Christ because of the beauty and simplicity of the doctrine which comes directly from the Bible. To understand my love for the Church, one would have to understand my conversion.
I grew up a staunch Methodist. My mother raised me that way as did her mother. Anything I could do, I did. I was not a lukewarm Methodist. It was my intent in college to attend seminary and go to Liberia in West Africa to be a missionary. I had two other roommates in college. One was the son of a Baptist preacher and the other was from the Church of Christ. Baptist and Methodist were the dominant churches in the area and I knew nothing about the Church of Christ.
We were good friends except when we got on each other’s nerves. One thing we did regularly was to sit in the commons room and discuss religion. It is the intent of most men to win religious battles and I was no exception. The question that stumped me the most for my roommate from the Church of Christ was: “Where do you find that in the Bible”? For example, “Where do you find Christians partaking of the Lord’s Supper quarterly and on special days?” After all, the Bible says in Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” When did the disciples break bread (have the Lord’s Supper)? On the first day of the week which was Sunday. Which Sunday? Every Sunday. So on the weekends when I came home I would wear a trail to my preacher’s house which was next door and we talked about this topic. “Well”, he would say, “That’s the way they did it back then in the Bible but as Methodist we have specific days to have it.” Check one for the Church of Christ for biblical accuracy. But I was determined to win the war.
Our next battle would be over titles like Reverend. Here we go again. “Where do you find that in the Bible?” he would ask. So there I went to my preacher for the answers. “Well”, he would say, “They didn’t use titles like we use them today. It’s a Methodist thing to help distinguish between the different roles.” “Humm”, I thought. “It’s not in the Bible but we use them today?” I found it interesting that not even the apostles were called Reverend. Check two for the Church of Christ for biblical accuracy. But still I was determined to win the war.
The next battle would be fought over special clothing and the clergy / laity system. Here we go again. “Where do you find that in the Bible?” I could not think of any place but surely my preacher would know. “No, it can’t be found in the Bible” he said. “All the special robes and the clergy / laity system kind of evolved over the centuries to what you see today.” So I’m thinking to myself, “All of this is not in the Bible but we are doing it today?” I’m starting to see a trend. The only thing I could reason is that the system developed that way to elevate some above the masses to make them feel special, superior or more holy than others. I remembered in Acts 10:25-26 where it says, “As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” I think men and women like the lofty positions that the religions of today have made for them. Check three for the Church of Christ guy. But I was still determined to win or at least put a chink in his armor that would close his mouth.
Other battles were fought and months passed by but the biggest one was over the importance of baptism for one’s salvation. Finally, I thought. At least this was one point that we would agree upon. After all, I was baptized (sprinkled) when I was several months old. I even had the card from it and it said “Baptism” on the outside. Then came the question “Where do you find babies being baptized in the Bible.” This time I had an answer for him from the Bible. The Bible says in Acts 16:15, “And when she (Lydia) and her household were baptized…”. Besides, in the case of the Philippian jailer that “he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized” (Acts 16:33). See their “household” and their “family” were baptized. There must have been babies there. “How do you know?”, came the response. After all, one who comes to the Lord must come repenting of their sins (Luke 13:3, 5 and confessing (Romans 10:9). A baby can neither repent nor confess. Baptism is for those who are old enough to understand the commitment they are making to the Lord. That made sense.
Besides he said, “Baptism is always an immersion or burial (Romans 6:3-6) in water. It was never a sprinkling and the purpose of baptism was for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38; 22:16). This was a big one because it was not only a religious argument but it affected my very own salvation. So there I go back to my preacher with this wagon load of doctrine to sort out. This took time but most of the answers came back in silent or in snappy little jokes. Finally it got down to the point when I said, “I want to be baptized just like they were in the Bible, by immersion, and for the remission of my sins.”
So we agreed the following weekend when I came home we would go down to the river and he would baptize me. Next week came and so did the excuse that he could not do it that weekend but to come back the following weekend. This happened two more weekends. Seeing that I would not be deterred, he finally said, “Find someone else to do it. If people found out that I baptized (immersed) you for the remission of your sins, I could get in trouble.” I was floored and greatly disappointed. Why could he not do what the Bible clearly stated must be done for salvation, my salvation? It was then that I realized that the church in which I had devoted all of my young life to was not built on God’s word but upon human traditions.
I left there because it is so much easier and reassuring to follow God’s word, book, chapter and verse than it is to defend the traditions of men and cross my fingers and hope that God would save me. I love the Church of Christ because I can know that when I follow God’s word that I can be saved. 1 John 5:13 says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life…” I pray that you are never content with man’s traditions but that you too will come to love the beauty and simplicity of God’s word that is found in the Church of Christ.
Roy Knight
Roy Knight is the minister for the St. George church of Christ located in St. George, South Carolina. Roy also has a weekly podcast entitled, “The Christian Gentleman” located at http://thechristiangentleman.podbean.com/
Personal Note: I appreciate Roy’s words and thoughts on his love for the church. Since meeting Roy for the first time, I have respect for his work and words. Roy has a great heart for the church and a great knowledge. His work in the coastal South Carolina area has been a benefit to the Kingdom and the churches in the area.
