Originally I wrote this "article" about three years ago, but recently was brought back to this thought. I saw this on a church banner: "No Perfect People Allowed". I knew what they were trying to convey, but I just nodded my head in disbelief.
"C'mon! What would non-believers really think about that?" I wondered.
Sometimes Christians forget to think like non-believers if they are trying to attract them to their church. And in North Natomas alone (where I saw this church banner), there are many little niche churches. Is that what they're really trying to attract?
I had a season when arriving to Sacramento, visiting churches in this Sacramento metropolitan area. This was something I always wanted to do, because I had been serving in the church since my early twenties. But being in the role of a guest, and in the eyes of a potential seeker guest, I had an eye-opening revelation. Most churches don’t offer a favorable impression to return back to church.
Why is that? I think since I’ve been reading books on church growth, thriving churches, and church visioneering (taken from Andy Stanley), I’ve grown a different perspective. I’m seeing things an unchurched seeker would see. And unfortunately, many churches fail in their attempts to attract people seeking God’s love, genuinely.
Being as open and honest as I am, in this article, I will name churches that are doing a good job and others that didn’t give me the time of day, as constructive criticism to their leadership.
Now, the actual best reception I received was at Fellowship Church in Grapevine/Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas. Them-folk are genuinely nice and friendly, but I was there for a church conference. They’re supposed to be nice to the fellow brethren, right? Well, I even attended their evening service (before heading back to DFW), and those Dallas-folk are really nice and friendly!
The next best reception I received as a first-time guest was at Adventure Christian Church in Roseville/Rocklin. They had friendly, helpful people up the steps to the Worship Center and in their Welcome Center. Their sister church in North Natomas did well, too. When I went to Adventure Christian Church of North Natomas, it was rainy, so I didn’t quite see the signs to the church. But when I passed the chain link fence to the school they meet at, I saw signs to point me in the right direction. Yes, good signage is another trait of being guest-friendly.
Speaking of signage, it is good for churches to post their service times. For the wandering churchgoer I was, that’s what I’m looking for. On one of my scouting runs (and before I attended Bayside), I saw that Bayside Church in Granite Bay has three Sunday services and a Saturday service. Good! There’s a choice for good seats at optimal seating times (that’s a reference to Bill Hybel’s axiom for Prevailing Churches).
But another church just had their church website on it. Unless I have a laptop with a wireless connection in my car, that seems ineffective for me and others like me. The clearer and concise the signage is, the easier it is for guests. Otherwise, you’d only attract the techies (unless that’s their intention!). [See, I wrote that before iPhones or iPads existed.]
Now, what really got me going on this topic was visiting a church that had decent signage at almost every street corner, a consistent look to their signs at every corner, but when I entered their house of worship in a business park office building, there was nobody near the door to greet me, a new guest. I didn’t know where to go, because there were groups of people conversing and having a good time (which is good), but nobody noticed me until I just walked up to a group of guys by the refreshment table. I had to make the initial contact, which most first time guests would not do, especially if they are new to church.
Other churches, especially if they have more than one entrance, like Arcade Church, you can easily sneak in and out without having anyone really notice you, which was my intention when I went. Large churches with more than one entrance, it’s easy to be a stealth guest, if that’s what you want to do.
My worst experience was my first venture into churches in the area. I was new to Sacramento, so the best way to look for a church is through the Yellow Pages. Now, after spending a day and a half reading the phone book, I thought the safest way was to go to a non-denominational church, or so I thought. But beware of the labeling and marketing. I ended up going to a predominantly black church in somewhat the inner city, Calvary Christian Center. The name sounds safe, right? But after parking and entering their doors, they knew I was new. They gave me a cheap green ribbon with a label “visitor” glued to the ribbon, which was pinned onto my chest. Then in the service, people would intentionally greet to meet me (plus it was obvious I wasn’t black) and was asked to stand up if you were new. How embarrassing! And not to mention, intimidating! By the way, they really are an Assembly of God denomination church.
The point to this (and the “beef” I have with other churches) is to look at how you do ministry from the eyes of your guests, especially non-believing guests. It may really surprise you! Think of the obstacles that make someone new to your church feel comfortable and welcome. What are some things you could do that don’t require much planning and preparation?
Simple things like actually being friendly help! I’m ashamed the first time I went to our sister church, Bayside of Woodland, nobody greeted me. They acted like they were too busy to even say “hi” to me. I had to help myself, find someone with a bulletin, and find a seat. Even afterward there was a guest package, but I just grabbed it without anybody greeting me. I realize they were new at this (I think it was their second Sunday service), but the core group was meeting as another church prior to becoming a Bayside church!
In summary, and the point to it all: I pray that churches take a hard, long look at how they are perceived by non-believers and potential guests to their church. It may be the stumbling block for them to come to Jesus. How a church treats its guests really shows if they exemplify God's love and mercy or not.
Blessings,
Garret
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