I’ve been excited all day about writing this post. I thoroughly enjoyed my time this morning visiting three different churches. My purpose was simple, I want to see how the churches in our neighborhood (the neighborhood that we will be planting a new church in) were connecting with the community. I tried very hard not to go in ready to make a judgement, as if I would be able to have a clear understanding of what this specific church was all about based on one visit (and it’s obviously not my job to judge these churches anyway!). In the end I visited an established Lutheran church, an established Presbyterian church, and a 10 year old church plant (which is actually out of our neighborhood).

I’d like to tell you a little bit about me before I share my observations. I’ve always gone to church. Always. And I’ve always enjoyed church for the most part. I’ve visited a few churches before, but generally it was with other people I knew and it was at a church that I felt very comfortable with or already knew what to expect. So with that said, a few observations…

• It’s a scary thing going to a new church where you don’t know anyone. I know that’s kind of a “duh” observation, but I’ve never been in that situation before (I’ve always at the very least had a wife or friend with me). I’ve always know this but it’s been a more cerebral understanding than a heartfelt one. We’ve got to invite our friends to church and meet them for coffee beforehand so that they can walk in with us!
• Being a welcoming place starts at the parking lot. At two of the churches I visited I was uncertain as to where the entrance was. I didn’t know where to go and had to sit and watch people for a second to figure it out. One of the places actually had signs pointing to the sanctuary entrance, but as I started heading there I realized that I was the only person using that door. Everyone else went to a different side entrance. Apparently that door (where the guest stuff sits) is a way to know if you’re a regular or a visitor. We’ve got to be careful about orienting people as soon as they drive on the lot!
• Planned “meet and greets” during the church service are horribly awkward! The two established churches did formal greeting times during the service and at both I shook hands with about 8 individuals. But in both I then awkwardly stood there as people talked all around me. It’s just awkward. I’m sure in some settings it works better. And I’m sure if people make a point to have a conversation with you it might feel different. But my situation told me that it was time to pretend to read the bulletin again.
• Guest care (welcoming/greeting) is important. It sounds boring, its pretty routine, but it’s crucially important. And there is a difference between just greeting people and actually welcoming people. Greeting people means that you hand them a bulletin and tell them good morning. Welcoming means that you make them feel welcome. This might include giving them a tour of the place, telling them what will be happening that morning, pointing out the bathrooms, having a genuine conversation, or at times just giving them space because they obviously prefer that.
• At only one of the three churches the following things happened: they talked to me enough to find out I’m a minister, I’m going back to school, and I’ve got a wife and kids. They invited me to lunch. I learned the names of two different people. I was oriented as to what was going on that morning and where I could sit. Guess which of the three churches it was? Yup, the church plant.

Please don’t come away from this thinking that I’m harping on the two traditional churches while heaping praise on the church plant. The reality is that the two established churches were very warm feeling, seemed like a very loving environment, and seemed to have a heart for Jesus and sharing him with the world. But the reality is that those two older churches do not really have the dna and structure in place to serve the needs of unchurched visiting people. They had many great ministries aimed towards helping people who don’t know Jesus, but it seemed to me that it it was still an us and them mentality. From my brief observation I think that it would take a lot of personal energy and initiative for someone to come to know Jesus and become a core part of those two churches. They just are not set up for it. They’re set up to feed their members. And that’s ok.

The church plant I visited, however, is completely and (pretty much) solely aimed toward reaching unchurched people. So when a visitor, like me, comes into their church they take priority. It’s a different starting place, a different purpose, and I think the differences are ok.

I could be way off in my observations, but this was just a few of my thoughts. I have so many more thoughts that fall under the “they did what!?” category, but those are inappropriate for sharing here. I look forward to visiting more of the churches in my neighborhood over the next month or two. What a blessing to worship with Renovatus in the evening!