|
"From Your "motivated" Pastor...
You Are the Key
According to the web site http://www.uscongregations.org/what-growing-churches-do.htm, healthy and growing churches are effective because members make the health of their spiritual homes a priority in their lives.
Read that sentence again, please.
Members. Lay people. You, folks who regularly receive this newsletter, are the key to our strength, now and in the future.
Research says that lay members who have the gift of hospitality invite their friends and neighbors to worship. They raise the visibility of the congregation by calling attention to the church’s web site and speaking enthusiastically about upcoming church events. Members in effective churches follow up by making personal contact with visitors.
Unfortunately, many defer these tasks to the pastor and other church staff.
At the end of a bullet point listing of strategies and characteristics of strong churches on the web site, there is this caveat: A major research question remains unanswered: How do we address the issue of motivation? How do we get pastors and lay leaders to take the actions that research demonstrates works? Accurate information must marry motivation and action. Otherwise, fewer and fewer children of God will gather in our churches.
Motivation. What would motivate you to become more active and energetic in your church participation and as a purveyor of congregational hospitality? Let me be more provocative: some simply say, “I’m too busy,” as if being busy ends the conversation. So, let’s remove the “too busy” excuse. What do you need to be more highly motivated? What do you need from your pastor? From other lay leaders?
This is a serious question for a serious period in human history. Unchurched folk need what we have here at First Baptist. We create meaningful worship, we have an unparalleled music program, and we have a deep commitment to education and service. And, we could be so much more if properly motivated.
In your daily devotions, ask yourself the motivation question. Hospitality is a sign of Christian community. In this sense, we are all participants in the welcome ministry of the church. Can you name any item that blocks you from inviting others or making a follow-up contact with a visitor you met at Coffee Hour?
We are about to start a new program year. Rally Sunday is September 12. It is a great time to invite a friend or neighbor to church, isn’t it?
Pastor Ken
|
|
LISTEN
READ