The challenger warned me that I could only reach so many people, but if I delegated and empowered, I could lead larger ministries with longer reaches and greater sustainability.  The challenger mentioned that my personal limit of people I could effectively influence was likely around 120-150.  If I could influence leaders, the ministry could grow beyond my personal limits.

One blog I read (ChrisBrogan.com) shares the source behind the social limit of real relationships that a person can maintain.

There’s a theory called Dunbar’s Number that suggests there’s an upper limit to the amount of relationships we can maintain. If you’re interested in networking, this should be an issue. That number, for the record, is 150. 

Source: Beating Dunbars Number | chrisbrogan.com.

Implications for pastors

I know of a church plant that started about nearly 10 years ago.  I checked in on it recently, and the pastor reports that it has plateaued about 125-135 people for the past five years and that the turnover rate is about 45% each year.

New people come in, other people leave after about a year or two.  The net effect is that the congregation has remained numerically stable.

This church is a single pastorate, and the pastor has a leadership style where his hand is in everything.

Pastor sets the direction (with a board of government), pastor runs the small groups, pastor runs the worship service and no ministry gets started without the pastor’s initiative.  Recently pastor split up the small groups into different areas, but he still maintains a pretty tight involvement with the leaders.

Pastor lovingly leads it all.  There is joy in the congregation, no complaints, and for this church this type of leadership functions.  It’s not a dictatorship and pastor is not a control freak.  He gets joy out of being involved.

Now, before you agree with me that this is

• Not healthy, or
• A recipe for burnout or
• Effective in a small church, or
• Leadership style that hinders further growth

let me connect it to the point.

1.  The church will not grow any larger.

If Dunbar’s number holds true, the limit of a single pastor who feels the need to be involved in everything will be about 150.  It seems to me that the congregation has reached the practical end of its growth unless the pastor gives and empowers leadership to raise up their own networks.

2.  Leaders leave because they can’t serve or lead.

This church leadership model does not delegate and empower leadership of other ministry.   It doesn’t effectively raise up others to lead their own network of 150.  Not having a place to serve or contribute their gifts, after a while solid believers leave for a place where they can serve.

This particular congregation is at a moment of stage of church growth.  If it wants to continue its dream of fulfilling its particular calling, one thing that must change is the leadership style.

Implications for Church Planting

I know it’s not as simple as waving a wand to make a solution, but if you are wondering why your church isn’t growing — perhaps you’ve maxed out the social limit of your leaders?

How much leadership can you give away to trusted and respected leaders?

With regards to evangelism training in your church’s DNA, is the pastor in charge of it all, or is that delegated as well to empowered leaders?

One church planting coach that I have gotten to know uses Jethro’s advice to Moses — delegate and empower.  Put people in charges of 50s, 100s, and 1000s.

Implications for Church Visitor Retention Rates

There are practical implications here as well to keeping church visitors in your midst.

In the church I describe, the back door is as big as the front door.

People come and perhaps stay connected for a little while, but without the empowerment to lead and serve in ministries, they may likely take their gifting elsewhere where they are needed.

Your church is working hard at retaining visitors and building connections, but the leadership DNA won’t let it grow.

Coaching corner:

Could this issue — 150 people per pastor — be part of the reason?   Take a look and think about it for a while.

]]> http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2009/beating-dunbars-number/feed/ 7 http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2009/pray-for-revival/ http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2009/pray-for-revival/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:38:44 +0000 EvangelismCoach http://www.evangelismcoach.org/?p=1971 Here is a list help you pray for revival in the church and the further advancement of God’s kingdom.

Paul exhorted the Christians in Ephesus to: “…pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).”

For us this includes being in regular intercession for our world.

Praying for Personal Repentance

“…Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” Hebrews 12:1

John wrote, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (I John 1:8-10).”

Effective intercession must include personal confession.

Refusing to acknowledge and turn from our own disobedience always results in a form of spiritual self-deception.

As Jesus explained, “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:5).”

As you pray, put into practice John’s exhortation. Hold your life up to such passages as I Peter 3:8-12.

Praying for the Infilling of the Holy Spirit for Life and Ministry

Jesus commands us, if we are to be his witnesses, to be clothed with his power. Jesus urged his first disciples and us to be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit for missions.

Paul exhorted the church, “Do not be drunk on wine … Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).”

The seedbed of theological, spiritual, and moral decline in the church is often lifeless, dry orthodoxy. Also, the church’s evangelism and overseas mission often falter because of reliance upon human strength, rather than empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Having a biblical framework of theology is critical. But our head must be connected to a heart ablaze with the life of God.

As Paul instructed the church in Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit, pray for the church to be filled with the presence of God’s Spirit. Pray for yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit so you may be empowered to do this work of prayer for the church, and to be equipped to do the work of Jesus Christ.

Praying for the World

1. Pray for workers: When Jesus saw the crowds, he instructed his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Matthew 9:38).”

In context, Jesus was looking at the sheep of Israel.

In part, he was instructing his disciples to pray for true workers to be raised up to shepherd his people. This should be our continuous prayer as we intercede for the church.

But, it also applies to the vast fields of people stretching around the world. Besides praying for godly shepherds to lead the church, pray for workers to be raised up to minister around the world.

2. Pray for Open doors: Paul wrote the Colossians, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:2-3).”

As you devote yourself to prayer, ask the Lord to open doors for the world mission endeavor to proclaim the mystery of Christ among even more people.

3. Pray for the Gospel to Spread and to be Honored: Paul asked the church to intercede for his mission team, “brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored … (2 Thessalonians 3:1).”

How does the gospel spread?

It takes people who are willing to go and share God’s truth.

It also requires Christians who are willing to stand with them in persistent intercession.

How does God’s message come to be honored? In answer to the church’s intercession God will bring the spiritual climate in which the Scripture is honored for what it is: God’s truth.

Our prayer should not only be for workers and open doors, but for the message to spread and find a place of honor in the hearts of people.

Setting the Captives free

1. Pray with Expectation: (Read Luke 18:25-27.) No matter how impossible the situation may look or how entrenched in spiritual darkness may be, God is able to cause his light to penetrate to the heart.

2. Pray for the Father to Draw People: (Read John 6:44) In our sinful state, none of us are capable of coming out of spiritual darkness and drawing near to God on our own. Only through the drawing of God the Father were we able to find freedom in Christ.

As we pray for people, in line with the clear will of God, our prayer should be for God to draw them to the grace, love and truth found only in Jesus Christ.

3. Pray for an understanding of Jesus Christ: (Read Matthew 16:17) Personally grasping the reality and the relevance of Jesus Christ comes only through the Holy Spirit’s work. We come to believe that Jesus is the Christ as the Holy Spirit imparts faith. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring a true understanding of Jesus Christ to those blinded by sin and Satan.

4. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s Conviction of Sin, Righteousness and Judgment: (Read John 16:9-11.) The Holy Spirit brings conviction to people of sin, righteousness and judgment.

Concerning sin, the Holy Spirit brings an awareness to people of the sin and the spiritual darkness into which their sin has plunged their lives.

Concerning righteousness, the Holy Spirit brings a personal conviction that only through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ can a person be right with God. It is through the Spirit’s activity that people begin to understand their need to be put right with God.

Concerning judgment, the Holy Spirit brings an understanding that to continue in rebellion against God is to embrace the same kind of judgment which the prince of the world has already received.

As we intercede for people bound in spiritual darkness, our prayers should include the request for the Spirit of God to bring his conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment.

Bringing Down Strongholds

1. Focus on Jesus: First we are to focus on Jesus Christ in worship, obedience, and prayer. To let the twisting of truth, idolatry, or any sin to consume our attention is to lose our focus. No matter how great the darkness, our eyes are to be steadfastly on Jesus Christ as Lord.

2. Confession: Next we need to be honest before the Lord in confessing and turning from any idolatry, immorality or rebellion we are harboring within ourselves. This includes sins of omission. James taught, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins (James 4:17).” Have we been in regular prayer for the church and the world? Have we been living our life according to God’s will as revealed through scripture?

3. Pray to be Filled with God’s Spirit, Wisdom, Discernment & Love: Neither our wisdom nor arguments will bring deliverance from the stronghold of darkness revealed. Only by the power of God’s Spirit will the obstruction be removed. God’s wisdom, discernment and love are required if our labor for renewal is to result in lasting change. As you pray, ask the Lord to fill his people with his Spirit and the love, wisdom and discernment needed for effective ministry.

4. In the Light of Scripture: All spiritual activity needs to be evaluated in the light of clear Biblical teaching concerning the true nature of God and his activity in the world.

5. Persistent Intercession: We are to respond with persistent intercession for those perpetuating and those influenced by the stronghold.

God has chosen to work through the intercession of his people to bring convicting, and awareness of spiritual bondage and an urgency for finding true freedom in Christ.

When a block is discerned, we are to pray until the stronghold is removed and those in darkness are finding true spiritual liberty.

6. Resist the Demonic: Peter instructed the church: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith ... (1 Peter 5:6-9).” With the praise of God, the Word of God, persistent prayer, the cleansing blood of Jesus, humbling ourselves in obedience and in the strong name of Jesus, we are to resist these spiritual forces of the evil one until they are fleeing.

Rejoicing in the Lord

Paul encouraged the church: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).”

As we pray, our intercession is to be saturated with joy and praise in the Lord. Our God is able and willing to answer.

1. Rejoice in God’s Faithfulness to Answer Prayer: (Read 2 Corinthians 18-20.) As you hear and pray according to the promises of God, of what can we be confident? Our joy in praying comes from the fact that God is faithful.

2. Rejoice in God’s Invitation: (Read Revelation 3:19-20.) How does God deal with those whom he loves? How does Jesus respond to those in the church who repent?

3. Rejoice in the Open Door: (Read Matthew 7:7-11.) As we consistently pray for open doors, what reason does this passage give us to rejoice?

4. Rejoice in our Lord’s Victory: In response to the confession of Peter, Jesus declared: “… you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:18-19).” The strongholds of Satan cannot withstand when those who are grounded on the rock of Jesus Christ move forward in obedience. Because the satanic forces have been bound through Jesus’ victory on the cross, we can take up the keys of the kingdom, step forward in his authority and unlock the forces of spiritual darkness. What are the keys of the kingdom? They represent the authority that Jesus has won to redeem people from spiritual darkness.

What do the keys of the kingdom do? They unlock the gates of hell and enable the captive to find freedom. What are the specific keys? They are the spiritual means through which Jesus administers his liberating power. One of the primary keys by which Jesus brings liberty to the captive is prayer. Whether it be an individual, a population group, or a religious body, a chief means for breaking Satan’s web of deception is prayer.

As we pray for the people and against the spiritual strongholds affecting their lives, we can rejoice even before seeing the results. Jesus has won the victory. Before the forward march of the church, the strongholds must collapse. As we persist in prayer, God will work his deliverance.

Author: Pastor Bill Dean.

1. In the name of Jesus Christ invite the Holy Spirit to lead the prayer group.

We are Christian believers who pray in Jesus name.  We need to remind ourselves of this regularly.  Asking the Holy Spirit to lead the prayer group helps us from keeping our agenda from taking control

2. Offer a time of praise and worship of Jesus Christ.

Worship is where we connect with the Father’s heart.

Praising God for his works, thanking God for making a relationship with Him possible, and declaring one to another the marvelous works of the Lord strengthens our faith and reminds us to always be watching for God’s activity in our life.

3. Lead in a time of confession and prayer ministry with one another.

This may be a time to deal with any issues in the group.

Confession of sins or burdens clears the way to receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Conclude with prayers for one another, absolution and passing the peace.

4. Report on what God is doing.

Here the members of the team will briefly share any evangelism conversations they may have experienced or opportunities they may have missed.

Reflect upon and give thanks for these.

It may be that the Spirit will lead the team to pray for each one of your group and those to whom they have been given the opportunity to share the gospel.

5. Move into Intercession

The following may be helpful:

Pray according to Jesus’ commands: Pray thy Kingdom come. In addition, pray that God the Father will send laborers. Ask God to show you specifically where His Kingdom is to come. Ask God specifically who the laborers are whom He is raising up. Be ready to be one of them!

Go through Paul’s list of ways of praying for evangelism. Linger on any of these that seem especially important for your situation.

One by one, with the whole group agreeing in prayer, lift up the names of those who have been given to the individuals in the group to be prayed into salvation. (A list should be kept by the leader of who these people are – this could be done by the whole group or in small groups.)

6. Discern open doors for the gospel.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the open doors in the community, the church, the world and in individuals for the gospel.

7. Ask God to reveal any blocks to the gospel message in these situations or people.

8. Ask the Lord what you or the team are being called to do.

9. Discern together what God is saying

God speaks to us through Scripture.  For those of us who believe in the ongoing work of Spiritual gifts and the guidance given by the holy Spirit, we may need to talk about impressions, leadings, visions, prophetic words, or by consensus of the group as part of that discernment. Keep a record of this guidance.

10. Pray for this guidance

Ask God for steps in implementation. Write these down as they are revealed for further discernment, prayer and implementation. These may later be taken to the church leadership for approval and implementation.

11. Conclude the meeting with praise and giving glory to Jesus Christ.

Note: The eleven steps above were first presented in a manual on personal evangelism through PRMI’s Phillip Endeavor. That has been further refined and developed in the Evangelism Dunamis.

The writer gave this as part of their Hospitality training to their welcoming ministries team in a mid-size congregation, so some may be worded for their context.  They have chosen to use the word guest for their church visitors.

H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L-I-T-Y

H is for HOST

The word hospitality is defined as the relationship process between a guest and a host.

Christian hospitality flows out of our relationship with God, who has graciously shared His riches with us, resulting in our salvation and adoption into His family.

God is the host, and we experience His gracious hospitality. As recipients of God’s hospitality, we also must act as hosts as we welcome the stranger among us. (See Luke 24)

O is for OPPORTUNITY

Although it is much easier for some people than for others, we all possess some type of spiritual gift towards hospitality to others.

We need to see this as our opportunity to serve others as Christ has served us.

Romans 15:7 says, “Welcome one another therefore just as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.”

Through hospitality, we have the opportunity to imitate God’s welcome.

S is for SENSITIVITY

In order for us to effectively serve as ministers of welcome, it is important for us to understand the mind of the typical guest to church.

Most want to be welcomed, observe our church worship services, and be provided an easy opening if they choose to come again.

Most of all, they do NOT want to be pressured.

We have to be sensitive to these characteristics of the guest.

Think of a time when you, yourself, were a first-time guest in a strange place… where everyone seemed to know everyone else, except you! How did you feel? Were you uncomfortable? Self-conscious? Nervous?

Leviticus 19:33-34 commands Israel to welcome strangers because of their experience in Egypt. “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” They were not to oppress the alien because they knew how it felt when they were in Egypt.

P is for PREPARATION

We need to be sensitive to the guests needs, and must prepare ourselves for company to come.

We need to know how to identify a guest.

The most obvious way for us to figure out if someone is a guest is if we do not recognize the person or persons. But, if we don’t feel like we know all that many people who attend our church, here are a few tips on how to tell if they are newcomers:

First time guests usually arrive early. Many of them do not take the initiative to introduce themselves when in a new place. They typically stand back and observe the space and the people in that space.

For example, if a greeter sees someone walk into the [our fellowship hall], then stop to look around and read signs…the person is most likely visiting for the first time.  They usually prefer to “size-up” the church before they are recognized as a visitor…if they want to be recognized at all! So, it is important not to bombard them with too much welcoming!

Some guests are obvious – standing around, reading brochures that they pick up off of the desk, and are generally being overlooked. When they are sitting in the worship area, they often have their head down reading the bulletin.

They are often those people that we forget to extend a welcoming hand to, particularly those “invisible people” who are quieter and less conspicuous. They may differ from others in the congregation in what they wear, their skin color, or their language.

I is for INTEREST

The next thing needed in order to prepare ourselves for company coming is how to approach the guest. The main thing to understand about this is the importance of showing genuine interest in the individual (s).

When someone comes into your parking lots, buildings, or worship areas, you should approach them by saying something like, “We’re glad to have you here today! I don’t know if we’ve met. My name is …………………”

You should avoid saying, “Is this your first time at our church?”, because you might embarrass yourself or offend someone who is a regular attendee.

It is important to point out that visitors have a way of sensing if someone is genuinely interested in them or not. If phoniness or indifference is at all present in the encounter that they have with people at our church, they can usually sense it.

The first few seconds will shape their impression of the congregation. They can usually tell immediately if the church is a place of welcome, acceptance, and friendship or not.

T is for Team Effort

Being ministers of welcome is a team effort! Although welcoming guests to church SHOULD be the job of the entire congregation, we can’t assume that everyone will always seek out guests and make the effort to welcome them.

From the second someone drives into your parking lots until they get back into their automobiles to leave, you need to have a team of people whose sole purpose is being welcoming to all who come. And it takes many people to accomplish this, because one person can only be stationed at one place at a time!

A is for Acceptance

The next point I would like to make is the importance of being accepting of guests just AS they are and WHERE they are in their faith journey. No matter how they are dressed, how they smell, or how they talk…..they should be seen as God’s honored guests. They may, in fact, be sent directly by God.

Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Angels are all around us and we never know when we will be entertaining one.

L is for LOVE

We should show Christian hospitality in all situations with genuine acceptance and love. We need to do our best to love the outsiders, to love those who have lost their way in life and remember that when we receive them with hospitality we’re doing it to Jesus.

I is for INFORM and INTRODUCE

Part of helping people to feel accepted and welcomed is by helping them to connect both by informing and introducing.

So, we all need to be familiar with things such as where our rest rooms are located and where other key areas, like nurseries and children’s Sunday school classes, are located so that we can inform our guests.

We can also introduce them to regular attendees who are close by who might be able to answer any questions that we may not have the answer to.

So that you don’t have to leave your post, introducing guests to friendly regulars could be an opportunity for the guest to meet people and have someone to sit with during worship.

T is for TIMELINESS

In order to make certain that as many guests as possible are warmly welcomed, it is important for us to all be timely to begin our various duties.

We don’t want to miss a single opportunity to meet someone in the parking lot, the fellowship area, or the worship area that may be searching for help in life and hoping that someone will care about them.

We don’t want to miss a chance to reach out to people who need the hope of Jesus in a world where few people really seem to care about them.

Y is for Yahweh

Hospitality stands at the center of biblical faith and can’t be taken lightly, because it’s how God treats every one of us.

We find in scripture, from Genesis where God provides a garden right through to Revelation where God provides a new heaven and new earth.

It’s a theme that is repeated over and over. It helps us to understand God’s will for us. In Psalm 23, the psalmist tells us that in Yahweh’s tent we find protection and a gracious welcome.

This is divine hospitality, of God actually making space for us. It’s not temporary but for eternity. Even in the face of all that might be against us, Yahweh still provides a safe place for us.

1.  A concern for outsiders.

Small churches are a family.

I know of a small church that has been functioning with give or take 20 members, most of them related to the same family, and it has been that way for most of the church’s existence.

I’ve preached there on a few occasions when they needed an ordained pastor for communion (a requirement in my tribe).

The cemetery next door has graves for multiple generations of this family.

About 2 years ago, they called their first pastor.

I spoke with their new pastor this week and he mentioned to me that the family system is so tight, they take care of themselves.

He often learns about members in the hospital after they get out, or prayer needs from reading the bulletin that Sunday.

Even though he is their pastor, the members still haven’t let him in that system.  They have been so used to taking care of themselves, that even the pastor feels disconnected.

For a church like this to turn around and grow into a new phase of life, Crandall observes that a pastor can’t just proclaim the importance of outreach, but lead the way.

“The pastor needs to engage in personal outreach and evangelism, most naturally to those who constitute the ‘extended family’ of the members. . . . Pastors who visit, reach out, and invite open the door outward and lead the way for the congregation to follow” (69).

This might also take the form of good questions to stimulate the imagination:

• When was the last time you invited someone to church?
• Who are the people around us who are not involved in church?
• Why do you suppose they do not attend?
• What difference might it make in our community if this church was overflowing?
• What problems exist in our community that need to be addressed?  Can we do something about them?
• What do you think Jesus had in mind when he told us “you will be my witnesses?”

As part of that, Crandall’s study pointed out that “a little success in seeing new faces and the return of old familiar faces long absent goes a long way to change the attitude of evangelistic outreach” (p. 70)

For my pastor friend in the small country church, his challenge is helping that congregation think of other people besides themselves.

They have been self-maintaining for so long that they haven’t included their pastor, even after two years.  They may welcome a new visitor on a Sunday, but that family system remains so tight that adoption won’t happen.

This isn’t a problem with just small churches — we have attended a church of 3,000 members that doesn’t use small groups.  After 18 months, we still haven’t been adopted and still only know about 4-5 people by name.  Even my Sunday school teacher had to ask me last week what my wife’s name was.

To reach new people, there must be an expansion of the family — adoption.

2.  Reaching new people

Evangelism in a small church is people centered.  Larger churches have resources and programming that can attract and integrate people, but the small church attracts people through the personal contacts and relational warmth of its members.

Crandall’s study revealed a list of growth factors in smaller churches (p. 84).  There were 20 of them, but grouped into 3  themes.

• Inviting persons to attend warm and exciting experiences of worship
• Intentional outreach: ongoing effort to contact and invite people to join the pastor and members to seek God’s blessing, pay attention to God’s word, and love and serve one another.
• Giving new persons a place in the family. Laypersons are being trained and equipped to discover the joy of reaching out, and giving leadership to the congregation.

Behind all this suggests the role of hospitality and welcoming visitors to the church.

How to Welcome Church Visitors is a resource meant to help particularly smaller churches improve their hospitality ministries.

Crandall goes on to talk about hospitality, visitation, and attractional models of church growth, but also includes a section of ministries that engage the community.  There is both an attractional and missional component to effect people reaching, even for a small church.

He is also good at pointing out that laypersons and pastors need also to look for those moments when the gospel can be verbally explained.  “When these programs were also used as contact points to talk about personal faith and invite people to church, they became important points of entry for new people looking for a place in God’s family” (96).

Effective Christian witness involves many forms of mission and ministry, but the core of our witness is still that message of salvation and hope that no other organization can offer.  The heartbeat of every Christian congregation must be reflected int he words ‘offer them Christ’ if it can call itself alive and well.

Because of travel engagements in 3 different countries during January, I’m just now responding (though I’ve been thinking about these for a while)

A series of posts this week will focus on sharing these. It’s my hope that our readers will join in the conversation.

The question for today:

What is the difference between Evangelism and Worship?

I use ?? because I haven’t yet found the words to describe the categorical difference that I’m making. If you have one, feel free to contribute in the comments.

Evangelism is geared towards helping others become worshippers: conversion.

Conversion marks the line between a person who is not a worshiper and one who becomes a worshipper. God seeks “true worshipers who will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

Evangelism is geared towards the proclamation of Christ and him crucified. Worship is a response of thanksgiving to the proclamation.

Evangelism is communicated through words and actions, but focused on other people. Worship is expressed towards God in words and action.

What is worship Evangelism?

After making these distinctions, there is a style of evangelism called worship evangelism. The basic premise is

• Two or more are gathered, there he is.
• God inhabits the praises of his people.

The outworking of this is that God can choose to establish special awareness of his presence in response to our worship. Through song and prayer of worship, there comes a sense of God’s presence and movement of the Holy Spirit that I call a Kairos moment.

Sometimes it is experienced as

• Holy hush that falls over the congregation.
• Corporate or personal repentance and forgiveness
• Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts (such as healing, prophecy, or tongues with interpretation)

The premise behind worship evangelism is that non-believers who are visiting the congregation may experience the sacredness of God’s presence and working.

That experience can prompt the next step in their journey towards faith.

Example of Worship Evangelism:

A husband and wife visited our congregation. They had been walking through some rough times and had a desire to go to church. They came to ours.

As we sang our worship songs and responded in prayer to what God was doing in our midst that morning — a sense of God’s presence descended on the congregation. We were tangibly aware that the Spirit of God was at work.

These two visitors felt it , but didn’t know what “it” was. (After wards, meeting with the pastor, they were asking “What was that?” Pastor helped them interpret their experience and expand their worldview).

However, though they couldn’t describe the presence they were aware of, they responded with repentance for their sin and in prayer they offered themselves to God.

Their conversion moment was happening in the back of the sanctuary, unknown to us at the time.

As we went on and prayed our prayers, preached the Word, proclaimed the meaning of communion — all which the Holy Spirit used to speak to them personally — this couple came forward to take communion for the first time.

Worship is not the same as Evangelism

The basic idea is that worship (singing, praying, offering, proclaiming) leads us into an awareness of God’s presence. God is present in the midst of HIS people. Experiencing the sacred presence of God can help the seeker make the next step in their journey to faith in Jesus Christ.

Sally Morganthaler wrote the book: Worship Evangelism. I still agree with some of the basic premises of the book. Yet admittedly, there has been some unintended consequences.

One unfortunate side effect was “engineering” or using music to “manipulate” — she writes about it here.

Another one is a worship driven subculture that has confused evangelism with worship. The church spends it time and money on perfecting worship and neglecting outreach — another form of “if you build it they will come.”

“If a contemporary worship service is the best witnessing tool in the box, then why give a rip about what goes on outside the worship center? If unbelievers are coming through the doors to check us Christians out, and if they’ll fall at Jesus’ feet after they listen to us croon worship songs and watch us sway back and forth, well then, a whole lot of churches are just going to say, ‘Sign us up!’ “

She goes on to write:

When I wrote Worship Evangelism, I’d had no intention of distracting people from the world outside. I only wanted to give them another way of connecting to it. I certainly had never meant to make worship some slick formula for outreach, let alone the one formula. I’d only wanted to affirm that corporate worship has the capability to witness to the unchurched if we make it accessible and if we don’t gut it of its spiritual content on the way to making it culturally relevant.

What about you?

Think about the worship service in your context.

• Is worship “inspiring?”
• Are people aware of God’s presence in their midst?
• Is your church engaging the neighborhood or hoping people show up because of the quality of your music?

Join the conversation

How would you describe the difference or similarities between worship and evangelism?

Greeting church visitors is every one’s responsibility.

However, you know this doesn’t always get done.

Thus, many churches  have organized greeting teams to serve a few weeks in a row.

In my experience, some times people who are recruited as church greeters may not be sure exactly what to say or how to give a greeting.

It can be a little embarrassing to say “I don’t know how to do this” so in the privacy of their own home, they search the Internet for

• “How to say a welcome to a church visitor”
• “Welcome Scripts for Church Guests”
• “Greetings to 1st time visitors at church”
• “A word of welcome for church visitors“
• “How to Say the Welcome Greeting at a church“
• “Words of welcome to/for church visitors”
• “What to say to welcome visitors in a church”
• “How to say a welcome to visitors at church“
• “Tips on welcoming First timers in Church”
• “Welcome address to visitors in Church.”
• “Church Welcome Address to Visitors.“

This list above comes from my search logs just in the past 3 days.

In one month of traffic, over 700 people visited my website (www.WelcomeChurchVisitors.com) looking for what to say to church visitors.

So let me share some possible starting scripts that you can use yourself, or develop more fully into a resource you can use at your church.

If you are a church greeting coordinator, perhaps you might want to consider giving a script to your new greeters.  Once people say something a few times, they might feel the liberty to relax and put their own flavor to it.

You can give your new greeter permission to mess up.  Consider these as guidance to offer them.

Greeting Church Visitors at Entrances:

Sample one line greetings for parking lot or entry greeters or for your members to say in a hallway:

Welcome to [church name] this morning!

God bless you.

We’re glad you are here this morning.

I’ve not met you yet!  Welcome.

Greeting Church Visitors from the Front.

During the worship service, the leader can say something like the following to welcome visitors.

We are glad that you are here with us this morning.

If this is your first or second Sunday with us, we are grateful that you have come to be with us this morning.  It is our hope that you experience the love of Christ this morning and His presence during our worship.

If your church does the passing of the peace handshake ritual, the worship leader can go on to say this to help the church greet visitors (See #5 in this list of 10 practices to welcome church visitors).

Get up, turn and greet someone that you’ve not met yet. Shake their hand, introduce yourself, and take a few moments to welcome them to God’s house.

See more tips at How to Say the Welcome Greeting at a church.

Greeting Church Visitors After the Worship Service

During the fellowship reception time after the service, church members can be encouraged to look out for and intentionally greet people they haven’t met.

I have find it helpful to break the ice and initiate the conversation by saying:

“I’ve not met you yet.  I’m Chris.”

With that, I offer my hand to shake and I continue with a conversation.

Follow up: 20 Blunders in Welcoming Church Visitors.

Let me ask you this?

What do you say to greet visitors to your church?  Add your thoughts below.

You can read 10 Practices to Welcome Church Visitors Part 1 by following that link.  Here are Common Practices 6-10.

6. “Secret Greeters”

Some churches will go beyond simply training greeters for points of entry at the church, such as the front door.  A good idea is to encourage others to be “secret greeters.”  These folks are part of the greeting team but are not in the obvious places like the front door or as an usher.

I had a fellow in my congregation who never served on a greeting team.  However, he was always in the sanctuary, taking the initiative to greet people personally and visit with them for a little bit.  He functioned as a “secret greeter.”  This someone beyond the “professional greeter” at the door or the welcome center.

If for some reason a visitor gets to the sanctuary with a greeting from someone, this person is there to continue that greeting.

7. Pulpit recognition

Most churches that I have experienced will have the worship leader give some kind of welcome to the greeter.  Here, the advice from McIntosh is best (source: Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church, Gary McIntosh, Review)

Whatever you do, take great pains not to embarrass the newcomer.  Among other things this means you should not identify new people by placing a ribbon, flower, or nametag on them.  Do not ask visitors to stand and speak before the entire congregation.  A survey of one thousand adults 18 years of age or older reported that “making a speech” was the number one event causing adults to be nervous.  It ranked first, ahead of, in order, getting married, interviewing for a job, going to the dentist, a first date, and getting a divorce. (p 110).

My wife and I recently visited a church where this wasn’t done at all.  She commented that it simply feels nice and warm when the worship leader acknowledges the presence of visitors and encourages the church to say hello.

8. Friendship Pads, Fellowship Books.

These are books that gather attendance information and provide a place for visitors to identify themselves by checking a box on the form.

The idea is that other people in the row would see check in the visitor box and take the initiative to greet.  Church multi-purpose this form for attendance tracking.

However, I have been in churches where I check the box, and still no one greets our family.  This practice seems to be falling out of favor because the pads become a doodle bin, the pencils are hard to keep sharp and it’s becoming an administrative nightmare.

There are other ways of getting visitor contact information, particularly the response card system mentioned in Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church (which I think is the best Assimilation book available right now).  They use a Connection card that is distributed with the bulletin and every one (members, attenders, and visitors) fill it out as part of the service.  This information is used in their assimilation process, described in detail in their book.

9. Quality Snacks and Beverages.

The basic idea is a informal reception area where people can gather after the service.  For some, this is the lobby area (some call that a narthex).  For others, it could be in the fellowship hall or auditorium.

As our evangelism training ministry takes us to churches throughout the Americas, many American congregations provide some kind of coffee hour after the service, to allow for a social setting where people can talk one on one. (Observation: In my travels in 10 different Spanish speaking countries and countless churches, only one church practiced this idea).

Beverages:

Make the coffee fresh and of appropriate strength. It shouldn’t be reheated from last night’s fellowship event nor should it be so weak as to taste like colored water. While it doesn’t take a lot of skill to make coffee, making it right is the challenge.  Coffee drinkers know a good cup of coffee, and a bad cup will leave a bad taste.  Don’t forget to make enough – sometimes the pot gets drained before visitors have had a chance to get to the urn.

Offer alternatives such as teas, juice, ice cold water. If you choose to use bottled water, offer a recycle container for empty bottles.

Food:

Whatever snack items are offered, make sure they are fresh. Stale sweets, or frozen items (poke a little fun)  that had been thawed simply taste cheap and do not make a great first impression. Consider common food allergies and either avoid those (like nuts) or provide an appropriate sign.

In our health conscious time, provide healthy options for those that don’t want sugary cookies or sticky sweets.

Connecting:

Church members should be on the lookout for visitors again in this time. Some visitors are obvious – standing around, reading the news items on the bulletin board, and generally being overlooked. Members ought to take the initiative and start a conversation.

This can be a time to help make connections and perhaps introduce people to the pastor. Pastors should make themselves available during this time to meet and greet people, not rush off to the study and prepare for the following service.

In the international church I served, we stressed the importance of introducing our visitors to the pastors. We had been told that many people from non-American cultures consider it an honor to be introduced to the pastor.

10. Sunday School Greeters and Hosts

Some visitors will partake of the Sunday School offerings.  Many have a strong program here that attracts visitors who come for the first time.

I experienced a warm welcome in a 14,000 member mega church because of my experience in Sunday School.  I arrived early enough to pick a class.  Once I found it (a kind person in the hall pointed out where I needed to go) I was welcomed by a person and invited to a beverage and ushered to a place to sit.  The small talk was not intrusive but just enough to help me feel at ease in a strange place with total strangers (I was by myself).  When the Class was over, this person showed me to the sanctuary and took me to a usable seat.  After asking if there was anything else I might need, they left.

I learned later that this church was very intentional in their Sunday School program to welcome class visitors.  Each class had a person in charge of the beverage, the teaching, and the greeting.  I felt welcome, overcome the sense of being lost on their campus.

Next Steps

Want to learn about avoiding visitor nightmares?  Subscribe to our newsletter and a receive a link to download:

Let me ask you this?

What did I miss?  I’m sure your church might do things a little different.

What practices do you do in your church that you’d like to share?

Feel free to share with us in the comments.

If you would like more information about evaluating your hospitality, check out our articles on hospitality and feel free to give me a call at 804-335-1445.

I’ve published stories of being a first time church visitor and experiences of welcoming church visitors:

• No One Said Hello
• I can’t silence the pain.
• I want to feel Jesus
• First Time Church Visitor Experience
• 1st Time Church Visitor Story
• The Secret Dress Code (two more first time church visitor stories)

But I want to develop a little more depth on hospitality with regards to helping welcome church visitors who may be coming for the first time.

The Definition of Christian Hospitality

In this context then let me define Christian hospitality as

Taking the initiative to welcome others and

inviting others to share in our community life.

This extends beyond our group gatherings for worship but a welcome in:

• our small groups
• our families
• our home
• our lives

This definition is much broader than evangelism.

It speaks to

• Our small group life,
• Our corporate worship life
• How we treat other people in general
• How connected we feel to the local church body
• How we get along as members of the body of Christ,
• The potential depths of our relationship with one another.

However, for our purposes here at EvangelismCoach.org, we’ll focus specifically on the connection between Christian Hospitality and Evangelism.

Learn from the Hospitality Industry

All sorts of corporations that interact with the public have studied hospitality, implement training programs to improve their public interaction, and spend millions on hospitality consultants.

We see its effects in store personnel trying to greet us as we walk in the door, training customer service reps to speak gently on the phone and check out clerks that smile (in many stores anyway).

These corporations want you to remember the good experience that you’ve had in their presence and will likewise want to return.  They want to remove potential bad experiences so that you willingly spend money on their product, experience, or merchandise.  By creating a “good experience,”  you’ll want to return and spend more.

While the church is not to imitate a corporation, nor even mimic one, nor our our worship services a product to be sold or even consumed, a good question for the church is:

How can the local church lower the barriers to hearing the message that will be proclaimed?

Christian Hospitality is only one tool in the church’s ability to be evangelistic.  It is not the only tool and should not be confused with evangelism itself.

Rather hospitality can lower and remove the potential barriers that can harm the gospel message during the worship service.

Christian Hospitality is part of Pre-Evangelism

As I think of my experience visiting churches for the first time, and as I’ve listened to others who have made first time stranger visits, one thing has consistently risen to the surface.

Lots of anecdotal evidence suggests that the ability of a first time visitor to connect to the worship service was directly impacted by the warmth of the welcome experienced.

• When no one says hello, the perceived coldness hinders your ability to remember what the sermon was about.
• When people are staring at you for not dressing right, you want to hide, but feel trapped.  Can’t pay attention.

In both examples, the ability of the first time hearer to interact with the sermon (the central part of most worship experiences) is hindered.

However, when a guest is given a warm welcome, a greater openness and ability to engage and comprehend the sermon remains in place and a greater likelihood (from a human point of view) of greater connection to the local church during that stage of their spiritual journey.

A warm welcome is thus part of the pre-evangelism work necessary in a church’s mission to help people find faith in Christ.

Do You Welcome Church Visitors?

Take a personal moment and examine your heart on this matter.

How do you come across to others?

When people meet you for the first time, how do you think they perceive your personality, disposition or attitude?

When you extend a hand to shake when a guest walks through the church’s front door, are they interrupting your conversation with someone else, or do you offer them genuine interest along with a hand shake (a typical greeting in the US)?

How do you treat the unknown person who sits next to you during the worship service?

How do you welcome the visitor who sits behind you, or in front of you?

Do you

• Ignore them?
• Talk around them?
• Look at them and say nothing?
• Take the initiative to greet them?

Remember, we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5.20). Our actions and reactions communicate who we are and who we represent.

Let me ask you this:

• What can you do to develop a better willingness to welcome church visitors?
• What hinders Christian Hospitality from working in my life in general?

But, I also want to point out how the Holy Spirit prepares the way for evangelism to occur naturally.

Phillip and the Ethiopian

Consider Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Clearly the Spirit of God was at work in the life of the Eunuch.

• He had gone to Jerusalem to worship.
• He was reading Scripture.
• He wanted someone to explain Scripture to him.

The eunuch had a spiritual thirst, created by the Holy Spirit, and he was busy searching to slake that thirst. He was like the merchant looking for the fine pearl.

Easy Conversation

This was an easy conversation to for Phillip to participate in.

He didn’t have to

• argue with a loud voice
• apologetically stand up for his faith
• use the 10 commandments as a hammer.
• verbally convince the eunuch of his sinfulness.
• spend 10,000 words arguing God’s existence.
• rationally defend against opposite worldviews.

The Holy Spirit had prepared the way.

The Holy Spirit had gone ahead of Phillip.

Both Sides of the Equation

There are two individuals involved in this story. One seeking faith, and the other obediently positioning himself to share his faith. Two sides of an equation.

The conversation would not have happened that day if both parties were not in the same GPS location at the same time, an encounter brought about in the sovereignty of God.

Both Sides of the Equation

The Holy Spirit was working in Phillip and the Eunuch. To borrow a phrase from my old algebra teacher, God was working “Both sides of the equation.”

As you do personal evangelism, notice how God is already at work in preparing the harvest field for you. He has gone ahead of you!

Let me ask you this?

In your personal evangelism efforts, are you aware of God going ahead of you?

Are you noticing that when you are attentive to the Holy Spirit that you find those people where He is already at work?

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