Week 7

Lasting Impressions by Mark Waltz

In the opening chapters I found myself excited about the author's emphasis on encouraging guests to become connected to God and the worshipping community. His passion was centered around the truth that "all people matter to God, all people". I was also pleased to hear him describe the building of relationships as a journey and not a process. Many churches he says seek to create a process that takes people from where they are to where the congregation believes they should be. The problem is, that not everyone is able to get from A to B in the time most congregations believe it should take. I liken his hypothesis to the game of chutes and ladders. Having a path to travel is important, but some people will take the shortcuts up the ladder and some will slide backwards, either to avoid an obstacle or commitment they are facing, or because they slip backwards due to worldly influences. When a path is too rigid, while its intent is to provide both a comforting and safe path, it can be so overwhelming that those traveling it look for a way to get off of it as soon as they can.

Most people the author says "need time to connect, to develop trust, and to share in an agenda". Churches that seek to push people along a preconceived timeline will undoubtedly fall short and drive away more people than they keep. When growth does not exceed decline, the church is headed in the wrong direction; a direction that leaves the building hollow and empty, even if there are people still sitting in the pews. To give people time, the author favors what he calls on-ramps. I have used this term before and in the same way as the author. On ramps are those ways people move from outsiders to full participating members of the community. These on-ramps can take a variety of shapes. However, one thing they all have in common is that they are intentional and designed to offer easy and non-committal ways to engage in the ministry of the church and make it their own. These on-ramps also are about introducing people to one another so that the relationships formed help participants know and understand God's grace as it is revealed through one another, an ultimately through Christ.

When developing these on-ramps, the author is quick to point out, too many choices and people will be more likely to pass them all by. Not because they do not want to get involved, but because there are too many choices. To show the dynamic of this phenomenon, the author talked about going to a restaurant that has a multi-page menu. If there are too many choices, it can be overwhelming and the person may either abdicate their choice to the waiter's recommendation, order something they are familiar with, even if they can't find it on the menu, or if they haven't made a commitment by sitting down and engaging the waiter, they may simply go somewhere else where the choices are less daunting. On the flip side, too few choices and the person will feel there is no freedom of choice, and opt for someplace where their ability to choose is more easily found.

For these reasons, the author encourages communities to develop on-ramps that give people the opportunity to find the path most comfortable to where they are along their own faith journey. The primary ramps offered should be focused in time and scope, including both short and medium levels of commitment. Deeper commitment comes with time and is not the impetuous behind on-ramps. Seek this deeper commitment too quickly and one is sure to scare someone away; don't seek it at all, and before long, the same person will grow tired of wandering and seek a deepening relationship elsewhere. For this reason, on-ramps need to be "visible, easily accessible, and inclusive". If we want people to take the next step on their faith journey, with us, they are more apt to do so when they feel the place they put their foot is stable and safe. One way to overcome their anxiety is to avoid overuse of church language. Putting things in the language of those who are listening, instead of those who are speaking, invites and encourages those who would otherwise be overwhelmed by a call that they cannot understand. For instance, telling someone to go through the undercroft and take the stairs to the narthex, grab a bulletin and have a seat in the sanctuary would be too like the menu with too many items, just too much to take in.

This does not mean it is better for the church is to use jargon, slang, or to speak in a voice that does not speak from the soul. The community must be true to itself. However, when our language and our traditions, are more important to us than the relationships we can have with those God sends to us, then we have a problem. People want to know they are valued, and telling them they are not important until they learn the inside nature of our community, tells them they are not really welcome. That, the author points out, is not the lasting impression we want to instill in those who join us along our journey. Instead, we should desire to show them how they can make a difference, how they can take part in the work of the church while still become comfortable with the church as an entity. On-ramps make it easy for them to do this, especially when the on-ramps invite people to give something a try without long-term commitment.

Commitment comes over time as connections are made, trust develops, and people begin to see the agenda (the ministry) as their own and not someone else's. For some this happens quickly, for others, it just takes time. The challenge is laying out a path that gives them the time they need to sort through life's demands and God's grace.