Outward-Focused Intentionality
June 10, 2007
VCNP Leadership Meeting June 2007
Speaker: Brian T. Anderson
- Introduction
- Basic assumptions
- You want to reach new people for Christ through our church.
- Matt. 28:18-20 (NAS) 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- II Pet. 3:9 (NAS) The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
- To do this effectively, we need to regularly have new people (guests) attending our services.
- The best way for that to happen, long term, is for us and all of our regular attenders to continually invite the people in our relationship “web.”
- You, as a leader, are already an “ inviter .”
- What keeps our regular attenders from inviting people to our church?
- They don’t know how .
- Model it for them!
- They don’t know they’re supposed to.
- We have to teach them!
- They don’t think it really matters if they do or not.
- We need to talk about that as part of the process of evangelism!
- It’s hard for them to do it.
- We give them some tools to make it easier for them!
- Invitations
- Business cards
- They are embarrassed for their friends to come to church with them.
- “Why would a regular attender of our church be embarrassed if their friends came to church with them?”
- Alien language .
- “ Insider ” information.
- Too many things happen that need explaining .
- Poor quality .
- Never know when the service will be over .
- We sing too long .
- Who is church for?
- Believers vs. Non-Believers
- Who is God for?
- John 3:16 (NAS) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
- Four “types” of services
- Seeker - targeted
- Seeker - friendly
- Seeker - ambivalent
- Seeker - abusive
- At VCNP, we are trying to be who God made us to be in our services, but to do everything we can to be hospitable and friendly to new people!
- Rom. 12:13b (NAS) Practicing hospitality.
- How to make our church more “guest-friendly”
- Do everything you can to make guests feel comfortable and welcome .
- Look at everything we do through the eyes of someone who is attending our church for the very first time.
- Make sure we have directional signs everywhere!
- Station greeters all around our building.
- Have music playing as people enter our building.
- Make the atmosphere and appearance of our facility as nice as we possibly can.
- “Cleanliness is next to godliness” needs to be a motto for us if we want guests to return!
- Bathrooms
- Carpet stains
- Faded paint
- Nursery
- Tattered signs
- Burned out light bulbs
- Provide comfortable, spacious seating .
- The 80% rule
- Be inclusive when worship begins.
- A public welcome relaxes people.
- Think through the lyrics of the songs we’re singing beforehand.
- Be sensitive to how long we worship.
- Our transition times need to be done quickly.
- Announcements
- Guest registration
- Most guests like to remain anonymous .
- We have to always be inclusive in the message.
- I try not to use a lot of Christianese .
- Use contemporary illustrations.
- Try to explain the Bible in simple language.
- Be inclusive when referring to the guests themselves.
- Regularly give opportunities for people to commit their life to Christ.
- Do everything with excellence !
- Conclusion
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