This is a long chapter. What I have written is, I believe, the briefest possible summary of it. If I've left stuff out that I shouldn't have, I apologize!
Warren has a problem when it comes to reaching unchurched people - Like many of us growing up in a Christian home, he had trouble with inviting his friends to church if they were non-believers. It seemed that whenever he invited people, there would be something completely inappropriate to their needs; however when the sermon was just right, he'd not have invited anyone. It led to him giving up on inviting unbelievers.
Similarly, few of us ever bring friends to church. When we do, they're usually already Christians.
Why is this? Warren gives three reasons.
1) The target of the sermon is unpredictable.
2) Services are not designed to be accessible to unbelievers.
3) Members are embarrassed about the quality of the service.
Many Christians feel that their unchurched friends wouldn't get their church (though they still feel guilty about not inviting them!).
No one becomes a church member without first being a visitor. If you only have a few visitors each year, you'll have even fewer new members. A crowd is not a church, but to grow a larger church, you must first attract a crowd.
According to Warren, the easiest way to increase the number of visitors to church is by creating a service that is intentionally designed for our members to bring their friends to. If it is attractive, appealing and relevant to the unchurched, members will be eager to share it with the lost people they care about.
Remember that this is "purpose-driven", and since you should already know what the local people are like (think of "Saddleback Sam and Samantha"), this dictates many of the aspects you will need to consider. The entire service needs to be designed with the unchurched in mind.
Make it as easy as possible to attend.
There are a few recommendations Warren makes in this area:
* Offer multiple service times. This would be challenging in the Sanctuary situation, but maybe in the future this could be practical.
* Offer Surplus parking. No problem there!
* Offer childrens' Sunday School simultaneously with the service. Again, we do that already.
* Put a map to your church on all advertising. We don't yet do this with ALL our advertising, but it'd be easy - Google Maps!
Improve the pace and flow of the service.
Churches are often loaded with "dead air". A lot of this could be eliminated.
Keeping prayer times short in seeker services is good - other times can be offered for intercessory prayer.
Speed things up and improve the flow.
Acronym for designing flow of the music: IMPACT.
* Inspire Movement (Bright, up-beat song to start).
* Praise (Joyful songs about God)
* Adoration (Meditative, intimate songs TO God)
* Commitment (Giving people an opportunity to affirm or reaffirm commitment to God). "I want to be more like You."
* Tie it together - another short, upbeat song.
Make visitors feel comfortable.
First impressions last. Visitors ' first emotional response is often one of fear. Imagine your feelings as you attend a mosque for the first time! Reducing fear makes them more responsive to the Gospel.
Reserve the best parking spots for visitors. At Saddleback, visitors switch on headlights to be directed! Pastors and staff park on the dirt.
Station greeters outside the building. Ensure these are people who project warmth and smile easily.
Set up information tables outside the building.
Place directional signs everywhere.
Have recorded music playing when people enter your building. Silence is scary to unchurched visitors. Play it reasonably loud so that people talk animatedly.
Allow visitors to remain anonymous in the service. Don't bother them or single them out. (Oops!). They should be called "Guests" rather than "visitors" ("visitor" implies "not here to stay". "Guest" means someone you do everything you can to make feel comfortable).
If you use a registration card, have everyone fill one out.
Offer a public welcome that relaxes people. Let people know they can expect to enjoy the service. Tell them they won't have to say anything and nobody's going to embarrass them. Give a disclaimer in the offering.
Begin and end the service with people greeting each other. Saddleback has the "Three minute rule" - for the first three minutes after the service was over, members would only talk to people they'd never met.
If you use name tags, make sure everybody gets one. Nah. No name tags. :)
Offer a refreshment table at each service. Visitors hang around longer if you can get a coffee and a donut into their hands.
Brighten up the environment.
The mood should be one of celebration. You want a light, bright, cheerful environment. Do an environmental impact report on your church!
Lighting - most churches are too dark. Church buildings should be bright and full of light. Open curtains, windows and doors.
Sound - invest in the best system you can afford.
Seating - uncomfortable seating is a distraction the Devil can use! If you're using movable chairs, always set up fewer chairs than you need, especially in a small church.
Space - Don't have too much or too little. Either extreme limits your growth. If the building is too small, growth is strangled. If the building is too large, it's hard to create a feeling of warmth. Small crowds need to be close to the front.
Temperature - Make sure it's about right.
Plants - plants say "At least something is alive in this place!" Even haul small trees, ferns and plants into and out of your rented place!
Clean, safe nurseries.
Clean toilets.
Create an attractive atmosphere.
The mood or tone of the service.
Expectation. "Something good is about to happen." Members praying every week, praying during service, enthusiastic members bringing friends to church, history of life changing services, celebratory music, faith of the team leading the service. The opening prayer should express the expectation that God will be in the service and that peoples' needs will be met.
Celebration. Should resemble a festival, not a funeral!
Affirmation. Services should be an encouragement.
Incorporation. The way we greet each other, the way people interact with each other, and the way we speak to the crowd should say "We are a family".
Restoration. The service should recharge you after a tough week.
Liberation. Where the Spirit is, there is freedom. Informal services help with this.
Print a simple order of service
If people don't know what to expect they can get anxious. Print an order of service that says "there are no surprises here." Describe the service in completely non-technical terms.
Minimize internal announcements.
Train members to read the bulletin and announce only events that apply to everyone.
DO NOT CONDUCT INTERNAL CHURCH BUSINESS DURING A SEEKER SERVICE!
Continually evaluate and improve.
Remember Whom you are serving!
This is, after all, for the Lord, not for the seekers and not for the church members!
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