Dear Friends,
During the observance of 40 days of Lent, I will begin the Lenten Sermon Series: “Rendezvous with God” on the First Sunday of Lent on Feb. 26. “Rendezvous” is a French word for a meeting place at an agreed time and place, typically between two people. In our case, it’s a meeting place that we agreed upon with God. I plan to use this opportunity during 40 days of Lent for us to enter into a deeper relationship with God who will transform us. During Lent “Rendezvous with God” can be regularly attending Sunday worship and coming to the “30 Minute Conversation with Pastor on All Things Faith & Christian Life” during Coffee Hour at 11:30 am – 12 pm in St. Stephen’s room.
In addition, consider attending the Lenten Day Retreat with Dr. Peter Coster on Sat. March 18, 10 am – 3:30 pm. You’ll find complete information on the Retreat in this newsletter. In addition, Dr. Peter Coster will be preaching “Divine Anger of Jesus” the following day during Sunday worship on March 19 to complement the topic of the Retreat on understanding anger as a sacred emotion.
Moreover, on the First Sunday of Lent, we will be introducing Prayer Candles in the narthex. You are invited to light a prayer candle as you enter the sanctuary for worship. (A pastor’s article on the history and meaning of lighting the prayer candle is in last month’s Circuit Rider.)
St. Irenaeus, the 2nd century bishop of Lyons in France, famously exclaimed, “Glory of God is human fully alive!” And it’s also true that “Church alive is worth the drive!” Jesus promised to all those who will follow him a true life that is worth living. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) God intends for us to come alive in God fueled by God’s divine fire.
Lent is a spiritual journey in preparation for Easter. Without the cross, there is no Resurrection. It’s about dying before we die and experiencing resurrection before we die. Resurrection is coming alive in Christ that is fueled and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
Lent is also a golden opportunity to make a personal invitation to your friends and neighbors to our Sunday worship and the Retreat. The research has shown that the most effective evangelism is personal invitation. Nothing is proven to be more effective. We offer Christ’s living bread and living water for all who hunger and thirst for life.
With that said, I want to share with you an article by Thom S. Rainer “Top 10 Reasons Visitors Don’t Come Back.” We have been intentionally trying to address these 10 reasons stated in Rainer’s latest research he had done for the Lewis Center (Religious Research Institute). More work needs to be done, for sure. I hope it will raise your awareness. It did to me.
Grace and Peace,
John
Top 10 Reasons Visitors Don’t Come Back
By Thom S. Rainer On February 7, 2023
What do visitors say when asked why they don’t return to a church? Thom Rainer outlines the top 10 responses when hundreds of guests were surveyed about their experiences of visiting a church. When we asked hundreds of guests about their experiences of visiting churches, it was not a pretty picture. We asked specifically why they did not return to a particular church. Here were their top ten responses:
- An unfriendly and awkward stand-and-greet time in the worship service
When I first saw this response coming in by the hundreds, I was surprised. But as I dug deeper, I discovered there were two issues with the stand-and-greet time. First, some guest just felt awkward with the exercise. It seemed to be a ritual more for the members than the guests. Second, a number of guests did not mind the stand-and-greet time, but they felt left out during the welcome. Either they were totally ignored, or they were inundated with what they perceived were superficial greetings. - Unfriendly church members
Most church members do not view themselves from the perspective of church guests. They don’t usually speak to guests because they don’t know them. And the church members usually retreat to the comfort of the holy huddles of the people they do know. - Unsafe and unclean children’s areas
This response generated the most emotional comments. If your church does not have clear safe-ty and security procedures and if the children’s area does not appear clean and sanitary to the guests, do not expect young families to return to your church. Indeed, as word about your children’s area grows, do not expect young families to visit the first time. - No place to get information on the church
Guests are trained by their experiences to look for a central welcome and information center. But here is the catch. Some churches did have them, but guests couldn’t find them. And some churches have them in a good visible location, but they have no one manning the welcome center. Guests told us they were hesitant to go to an unmanned welcome center. The church might as well not have an information and welcome center if no one is there to help guests. - Bad church website
Nearly all the church guests checked the church website before they attended a worship service. Even if they decided to visit the church after looking at a bad website, they visited the church with a negative disposition. The two critical items guests want to see on a church website are the physical address of the church and times of the services. It’s just that basic. Keep in mind this reality. The church website is now the front door of the church. Will guests feel welcome when they come to your front door? - Poor signage
If you have been attending your church a few weeks, you don’t need signage. But guests do. And they get frustrated when they don’t have clear directional signage for parking, for the entrance to the worship center, for the children’s area, and others. - Insider church language
Listen to the words in the worship service of your church. Listen to the announcements. Listen to the sermon. Listen to the casual conversations. Are members saying things that a first-time guest would not understand? Well, that’s what church guests told us. They said they left some churches thinking that much of the language was foreign and filled with acronyms. - Boring or bad church services
My surprise was not that this factor made the top ten. It was that it was only listed as the eighth most frequent concern. In the past, church leaders of small churches would tell me they didn’t have the resources for quality services. In the digital age, with so many affordable re-sources, no church is allowed that excuse. - Members telling guests they were in the wrong pew or chair
I thought that this rude and insensitive behavior disappeared years ago. The church guests told us otherwise. In fact, the most common comment was, “You are sitting in my pew.” Unbelievable. Totally unbelievable. - Dirty facilities
Some of the comments were brutal: “Didn’t look like it had been cleaned in a week.” “No trash cans anywhere.” “Restrooms were worse than a bad truck stop.” “Pews had more stains than a Tide commercial.” You get the picture. A dirty church communicates to guest, “We really don’t care.”
The first step in becoming a welcoming church may be the admission that your church may not really be a welcoming church. Are you facing reality in your church?
