A pastor called me last week to find out how I could help their congregation grow. I asked him two basic questions, “What kind of growth are you looking for?” and “What does your congregation offer people that would compel them to want to participate in its mission and ministries?” This led to a great conversation about “why should people bother” being part of the church.
As leaders, we must first answer this question for ourselves. I’m looking for a faith community where I find hope and experience belonging; where I can learn how to extend and receive forgiveness; where I can discover a sense of purpose and direction; where I can learn more about who this Jesus is and how I might follow him more intentionally.
What serves as the “goal post” or primary purpose of your ministry? What do you want people experience when they walk into your home or your congregation? How would you answer the “Why bother” question for your congregation? Your youth group? Your small group ministries? Your home as a mission outpost? Please share your wisdom.
What serves as the “goal post” or primary purpose of your ministry? My purposes for youth/family ministry is five-fold: Reach out to the lost (evangelism), Unite with believers (fellowship), Read the Bible (discipleship), Adore the Lord (worship), and Love our neighbors as ourselves (ministry).
What do you want people experience when they walk into your home or your congregation? Ideally, folks will experience the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit moves people and, likewise, people should feel/experience the Lord at some point during (and maybe before or after) the worship service.
How would you answer the “Why bother” question for your congregation? Your youth group? Your small group ministries? Your home as a mission outpost? Simply put, sanctification is a never-ending, on-going process for each individual follower of Jesus Christ. Our congregation wants to use its resources to empower individuals to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior and then help them along on the sanctification journey.
Much of what our congregation does offer/does not offer aligns with what Cydney mentioned. We, too, have a small church building, not too much technology (I’m introducing some little by little), only about 3 dozen members (and another 3 dozen people who regularly attend), etc. We also have some intimate, authentic worship services that glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and does so by involving both young and old alike during the service.
This was a good entry for me to read, because I’ve been struggling with the ‘why bother’ question regarding a youth group. I can support the need to engage the faith of teenagers, get them connected to other adults in the congregation, help them feel like important leaders and members in the community of faith, etc. I can even defend the need for Bible studies and small groups that foster spiritual growth and discipleship/mentoring opportunities. What I’m having a hard time figuring out is ‘why bother’ with ‘youth group.’ I’m having a hard time figuring out how to foster the sort of environment and context that I think is beneficial to the faith development of teenagers…and not so sure a traditional ‘youth group’ structure is the best way to do that. But it’s what the church expects, so I can’t quite get leaders to consider an alternative–what if we didn’t have ‘youth group,’ but instead were more intentional about connecting youth with each other and with significant adults in other, more substantial/relational/discipleship ways? I don’t know…I haven’t figured it out yet. So I’m not sure what the goal posts are for our youth ministry…and that’s probably why it feels like we’re not really aiming for anything concrete or achievable.
What serves as the “goal post” or primary purpose of your ministry?
Our primary goal of Sugar Creek is to invite and empower all to grow in Christ’s love.
What do you want people experience when they walk into your home or your congregation?
When people walk into my home, I want them to experience a sense of welcoming. They know the door is always open and they are welcome to sit, to play, to talk, to cry, to laugh, to eat, to do what they feel comfortable.
When people walk into the church, we want them to be welcomed and feel at home. We are working on setting this environment with a greeting committee, and newcomer information packets. This is an exciting area of growth for the congregation. I personally working with youth and families make it a point to talk to each new family and let them know of times for Sunday School or Youth Group as a way to invite them back again.
How would you answer the “Why bother” question for your congregation?
Our congregation is open to all people. This has been a large part of our congregational growth. We want you here regardless of who you are, what your past is, or what your preferences are. We want relationships with people. We want to serve our community and Christ.
We just answered this question this week in confirmation: “You could go it alone, but it’s not recommended since the church is meant to be a community of people helping each other.”
Your youth group?
Youth should bother to come to youth group because it is tailored to them. We discuss what they want to hear. We talk about our highs and lows. We pray together. We have fun and find a lesson from the bible to bring home.
Your small group ministries?
We want people to come to small groups because they feel welcomed. We want people to want to deepen their relationship with others in the church and with God.
Your home as a mission outpost?
This is an area we have not gotten into yet. I do not host groups at my home yet. I have hosted a Youth Encounter Crew to support the mission but not from within the church. This is an area to look into.
To answer this question about what our congregation at Nativity has to offer or what would someone experience, I felt compelled to first answer the question of what our congregation does NOT offer. In many ways, that seemed much more significant. The first thing that one would notice is that we are not in a large building, although we do have a large piece of property. We are not large in membership numbers, and we don’t have a ton of children, youth and young adults. Our services are not usually longer than one hour, people don’t stay too long after service, we don’t have enough room for a big band for music, and we don’t have a lot of modern technology for projection, lighting and sound.
So, with all of that “stuff” out of the picture what is left to attract and maintain members? Why would someone want to experience and belong to Nativity? That is a great question, because what is left is “real”. It is the true heart and soul of who we are as a congregation. Intimate gatherings of authentic, genuine, caring, loving, faith centered people that are interested in growing their relationship with God, each other and the community. We are “church” at church and “church” as we are living and serving in our daily lives. It is really something to “experience”!
Why bother? As a result of being “real”, Nativity’s membership is growing in all age groups, the benevolence is increasing, and each year we are taking on new community service activities. We feel alive and healthy!
Our primary goal of EPIC is to make Jesus known to the youth and hten help them become fully devoted followers of Christ. When they walk in I want them to feel welcome, that they belong, safe, and a place that they can question, wonder, and express doubts about their faith and Jesus. Then we can hopefully provide an answer but if not we can offer an ear to listen and encouragment to keep seeking.
As for the why bother question is because we are all seeking a place to come and feel accepted and that we belong no matter what. We are searching for a place to feel whole and loved. I want that to be EPIC. No matter where you come from and what you’ve done you are belong here! No matter what you know or think you know we love you and it is a place to find out that we are made and meant for something more. Why bother? Because we were created for a purpose and reason and i want EPIC to be a place where you find that purpose, reason, and can start becoming whole!
I heart Bob’s answer about God being a friend because the age I am working with they are all seeking a true friend and that is what God can be for them! Isn’t that fantastic!?
I think that for the congregation I serve in, people come largely because of close relationships with others. The Gospel is preached, and people go to worship, and for some, that’s the way they experience God’s love, but I would say that many come because they experience the love of God through others. I’ve heard many stories lately of parents giving their children the option of switching to a church closer to home, and the children insisting on staying because they love the community. It’s great that these relationships are happening, but I see a need to be more intentional about fostering and nurturing these relationships. I want House of Prayer to be a place that equips parents to pass on faith to their kids, that equips old and young to come together in caring conversations with one another, that proclaims the love of Jesus every chance it gets.
We are going through a pastoral change at the end of the year, and much is up in the air about the future of our congregation. We’re still searching for our identity, but I think the existing relationships, grounded in the love of God, will guide us through the transition.
My thoughts are all muddled about this topic! I could keep rambling on, but I think I will stop and think some more.
The primary purpose for my ministry is to introduce “him who has ears to hear” to the good news of our risen savior. Anyone who has seen a Charlton Heston movie “gets” that God is powerful, omnipotent, and really, really big. My purpose is to help them meet the “other” God… the baby in the manger, the friend walking with his disciples, the spirit moving among us. To that end i want folks to understand that our mighty God has placed us here for a purpose, to love and help each other, to be a family, to glorify him. We are the hands of God on this earth and we serve because we are loved and because we are called. I guess the short answer is that I want everyone to know that God is not only Their God, but also their friend.
I love the “why bother” question. A great instructor recently told me that one of the gifts I bring to the table is that I present myself in a sort of “here I am, you can take me or leave me” fashion. As I pondered that, I realized that it is the part of me that strives to be authentic. I want a faith community in which I am accepted for who I am, not who others think I should be. One where God is at the center, people feel free to search for and grow in their God-given gifts, and relationships with one another, with ourselves, and with God are focused on. A place where Jesus is taught, and mission is carried out. When people come to my home, I want them to feel welcome, like they are part of the family, free to let their hair down and get up and check out the refrigerator if they are hungry or thirsty. My husband and I try to teach this to our sons. Where conversation revolves around caring for each other, and for those who are less fortunate. I want the same for when people come to my congregation.
My church isn’t always this way. They are really good at welcoming, but don’t have a good way of purposeful connection after someone has been coming for a while. My youth group is different. When someone doesn’t show up for a time or two, one of the other youth call them to make sure they are okay. I stress relationship with them. I focus on teaching how Jesus was in relationship with every single person he came into contact with, even when he was tired, and didn’t want to.
“Why bother” coming to my church? We may not do everything right, and we may have our struggles, but we are a church who is committed to mission within our community, we focus on learning about Jesus life and why it is relevant to us now, and are great in the music department. Make a joyful noise. Like most churches, we still have a long way to go, but every person who walks through the door has something important to offer in the way of ministry and adding to the body of Christ. That is “why you should bother” to come to First Congregational Church.