Week 5

Welcome! Tools & Techniques for New Member Ministry by Andrew D. Weeks

Written only a few years after the release of the Kevin Costner's movie "Field of Dreams", the author challenges parishes to ask the question; when they come, are we ready. Most parishes he argues are not. Without a well defined process to invite, welcome, and incorporate those we encounter, than it is like scattering seed on unprepared soil. There is a chance things can happen, but if we prepare the soil first, ensure a plan is in place to care for the sprouts, then the chance of success increases tenfold. His point, such a process does not have to be elaborate, but it must be intentional.

The process begins beyond the four walls of the church. In the past, people went to the church they grew up in. As people's mobility changed, so too did their expectations of the church. New needs offered new challenges and churches unwilling to invite, welcome, and include the traveler, and at the same time strive to meet those needs, found that people who wandered in, did not stay very long. True in the 90's, true today. We must be ready to invite, welcome, and include the traveler. While generational needs are more varied, the author says there are some basic needs all have. If a church is to be successful, it must not try to be all things to all people, but focus on meeting the basic and timeless needs of those we encounter along life's journey.

Despite the rise in mobility and social media, the author insists that the best invitation is still the personal one-to-one. A friend, a family member, or even a co-worker who invites someone to check out a particular service or event at a local church, will be more successful than the flashiest advertisement or the most elaborate website. However, once the invitation is accepted, unless the person invited finds what they have been told to expect, or on the second visit they find that the warmness and excitement of the first visit was only a facade, then the chances of keeping them around long enough to develop the relationships needed to feel part of the community, is slim.

The church, just like a business, must be honest about what they offer and who they are. While it is important to ensure we present what we offer in the best light, it is equally important that every aspect of our presentation be genuine and reflect the same degree of importance as our words. From the website, to the church grounds, to the signage, bathrooms, and child facilities; from our worship, our coffee hour, to our post visit follow-ups, all must say that the good news we profess permeates our very being. People have become skeptical and are constantly looking for the catch, the thing we are really after. If what we are after is not them, for the reason we profess, then again, they will not stay along for very long.

The author offers several tools parishes can use to invite, welcome and include those who do not yet have a relationship with God, in and through Christ, and those whose relationship has waned over the years. Early in his book, the author says that not all the tools he offers are needed, and that there may be better tools available and already in use. What they do offer, is a process that prepares the soil for planting, and that cares for the harvest as it grows. At CHS, we already have some of what the author describes in place, but we have gaps that allow people to slip through unnoticed or unengaged.

In closing, as we examine our own tools, there is one comment the author makes very early in his book, a comment that really speaks to the world today; a world that has become less connected to the church than when the book was first written. The author says "we cannot assume everyone knows what we have to offer". We must be clear in our presentation, we must ensure our presentation is unified, and we can no longer sit back waiting on the traveler to find their way. We must be pro-active, and we must be intentional, if we are to live into the fullness of our ministry of building and deepening relationships with God and one another.

Next week's book:

Fusion: Turning first-time guests into fully-engaged members of your church by Nelson Searcy.