I want to write today about a subject that kind of gets swept under the rug at times. The subject is “Assimilation” or connecting people to the local church. Many churches are not engaged in this process and therefore they tend to suffer because of it. In the past few years the cry of local church leaders has been for more discipleship. As if to say that there has not been enough emphasis on it in the past. I tend to agree; however, does that mean that the commitment to evangelism now has to suffer. Or perhaps the biggest question is “can we separate the two?” I personally believe that you cannot. But what does this have to do with assimilation? EVERYTHING! If there is no one getting connected to the church who will you disciple? What is the use in reaching people if they do not stick?
I am all for right doctrine and having a passionate heart for evangelism. But the fact of the matter is if there is no system in place to connect the disconnected they remain disconnected. You can preach faithfully to the text week after week (I hope you are) but still have many people fall through the cracks. The problem is that there needs to be a balance in the local church between faithfully reaching and teaching and being faithful in caring for those God sends us. There will still be those that are over looked but the percentage will dramatically decrease if assimilation is at the forefront.
To define assimilation we need to go to the sponge, yes I said “sponge”. A great illustration of what assimilation means is when you drop a sponge into a bucket of water. The water becomes apart of the sponge until you ring it out. The water is assimilated into the sponge. This is what the local church must improve if it wants a more effective ministry to people. The bible calls the concept of assimilation “hospitality”. We find a text in Romans 12: 13 “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” NIV. This verse comes into context as Paul is describing what it means to love one another in the context of the Local church; I call it “One Anothering”. As Paul turns practical in Romans 12 we find that among the definitions of expressing love he lists hospitality. Hospitality was a benevolent act in the Biblical world and had varying forms. It was used for foreign travelers in the event they needed lodging for the night (Job 31). It was also used in tithing food to the hungry (Deut. 24) among many. Hotels and motels were not the norm so Paul urged the church to practice this gracious gift. There are other texts for hospitality, please do a study for yourself and look them up.
Hospitality in our modern-day context looks somewhat different. And I guess this is really subjective because every church has their own idea about it. I want to stretch those ideas for a moment and cause us to think about things we many not be thinking about. I will talk about one area now and will have return posts on other areas of assimilation later. The first area of concern is “First Impressions”.
In order to get your mind around this concept you must stop thinking like a “Church Goer”. You must begin to look at your buildings, parking, signage, and overall presentation of your campus as a “FIRST TIME GUEST”. Let’s break it down;
Parking:
If your parking fills up before your Worship Center than you will never grow past the capacity of what your parking area can handle. Also, you must make handicap and guest parking visible and accessible. (Notice I used the word “guest”. Never use the word “visitor”. The reason is visitors stop buy but are not ready to be received. Guest on the other hand are expected. You make arrangements for those you know will stop buy. The purpose of assimilation is to always be ready for the guest). Back to the parking… If you have the man power to pull it off, parking greeters are a great tool in showing people you are ready to serve them as they arrive. The Parking Greeters simply smile, welcome, and point towards the right direction. They know where all the programs and the age group ministries are held and they direct others in the right direction. Also make sure the parking and lawn is trash free. A trashy parking lot says a lot about our commitment.
Buildings:
You can be the best preacher on the planet but if a guest walks into a dirty bathroom they will not be back. Make sure the facilities are clean and presentable to others. Make sure the areas that need paint are painted and the areas that need cleaned are cleaned. If there is an issue that arises, like an overflowing toilet, it should be addressed immediately. Have a plan in which to address issues and have a “go to” person responsible.
Seating must be a priority. Nelson Searcy says that once seating fills to 70% capacity it is time to act. I f there is room in the Worship Center for additional chairs, add them. If you are out of room then beginning two services is a much more cost effective way of using God’s resources than building a new building. You might need to build a larger Worship Center (only out of need and never out of pride) but make sure the funds and growth will support it. The last thing you want to do as a pastor is put your church in a substantial debt. If your worship Center can seat at least 300 I would encourage you to put off building until you are running 3 service and have taken advantage of the time to save money towards to new building.
Signage:
From the road to the pew, people need to know where to go. The Church sign should be visible and easily read. Also where to park needs to be visible. All venues should be clear on the signage such as Worship Center, Children, youth… Then once a guest is in the building bathroom, nursery, welcome station, Worship Center signs should be very visible.
Greeters:
From the parking lot to the pew guest should be face to face with friendly, warm, and welcoming people ready to serve and make them feel as comfortable as possible. Greeters can be used to hand out church information packets and bulletins. Whatever you do put people in these positions that are friendly and helpful and most of all are happy to do so. This is the first face to face meeting with the guest so you want people with great attitudes and great smiles in these positions.
These suggestions are not a complete list, but they are helpful reminders that will increase your impact on the first time guest at your church. Tune in next time when I will address lighting, sound, announcements, connection cards, and projection.
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