I have the opportunity to visit many churches of differing denominations and size. I am also blessed to coach one-on-one several pastors. Over this past week, something in common really was clear. Churches and pastors are dealing with one of two very common issues; either they have a front door where no-one is entering, or they have a back door where many are leaving. Here is some practical advice for the front door that needs fresh traffic.
For the front door that needs visitors, the fix is to provide events and encounters that encourage people from our community to check our ministry out. Here are some examples. One church this past weekend had a “wild game dinner.” About 260 people attended, of which only 25% were from the church, the rest were people from the community. There was lots of food! People brought their game dishes to share in potluck style. There were lots of door prizes! Several business from the area were approached and gave gift certificates and other items to be given away as door prizes. It seemed that nearly half of everyone attending got a door prize, including every child. There was a brief drama presented! Not an in your face “you need Jesus” drama, but one that clearly communicated a message of community. There was a brief message from the pastor! Yes, this one was clearly a gospel presentation using the acronym H-U-N-T. There were silent auctions; deer mount displays, and a couple of stories by hunters. Will anyone connect into the church body from this dinner? Possibly, but the odds are greater for this church than one who provides no event for a possible relationship encounter.
Another example comes from a church plant who last year sponsored 5 food plots for neighbors they previously had not met. They worked up a small area (5’ X 5’), planted seed, gave instructions for the care of the plants, and recipes for the harvest. The project gave the church people opportunity for several relationship encounters throughout the summer. Four of the five families visited the church over this last year, and 2 now call this church “their church.” This summer, they have a goal of providing 100 food plots and as of now, have materials and volunteers to cover 75 of them. Most of the volunteers are people out of the community, not people from within the church! A local gardening club, several banks, & even the mayor’s office are participating. This is from a church that is only averaging 68 in worship attendance. I wonder what the true harvest will be from these food plots!
Another church participated in an elementary school fun fair recently. This event was not promoted by the church but by the school. The church took advantage of the community opportunity already planned and simply asked if they could serve in any way. As it turned out, not only could they assist, but they were invited to provide their own booth and encouraged to promote their church! They gave away balloons, popcorn, and information about their ministry to everyone who attended the event. As a result, the church had over 500 encounters with families out of the community who learned about the ministries of this smaller church (about 65 in attendance).
If you need to increase the traffic flow through the front door of your ministry, consider how you can provide events and/or encounters for people in your community to become aware of your ministry. One visitor recently confessed that she had driven by the church for several years but never noticed it, until she had an encounter with one of the members at the community event. When Jesus said “Go,” we often think that means door to door and it frightens us. Consider sponsoring an event that gives your community an opportunity to have an encounter with your members or your ministry. It’s not only fun, but a productive way of “going.”
Keep watching for the next post – “For the back door that needs closing.”
