In my role as a denominational leader I visit a lot of
churches. In fact, I’ve visited 71 churches for
As a perpetual “visitor” to churches, I have observed four
things that would make me question if I would come back to some churches a
second time if I was not the denominational leader for our region. If these
four things make me question a second visit, imagine how they speak to those
who are not yet committed to Christ or who may be returning to church after a long
absence. Church leaders should think these four things through carefully.
1.
Starting with a long list of announcements.
It is amazing to me how many churches start with a long list
of announcements. The vast majority of these announcements have no relevance to
a visitor. Think about this from a visitor’s perspective. If it is his or her
first time to attend, they probably are not coming to the men’s group on
Tuesday or the ladies’ fellowship on Thursday. Nor are they probably going to
send their children to youth group on Wednesday. They don’t even know if they
are going to come back next Sunday, so they are very unlikely to take part in
all that other stuff. Making them listen to a long list of irrelevant announcements
before the worship service starts gives the sense that this church’s activities
are irrelevant. In my experience, most announcements in church are offered verbally,
not printed in a bulletin. This is even worse. How can a visitor remember all
those details if they are only given verbally? In most churches the
announcements go on far longer than the leaders realize. Once I was in a church
that started with 21 minutes of announcements. By the time we got to the end, I
was mentally exhausted and had lost interest in what they were saying even
though they had not yet sung one song or prayed one prayer. A better way to
handle announcements is to give them at the end of the service. By the end of
the service visitors have had the chance to experience worship and hear the
sermon and may by considering a return visit. Therefore, announcements at the
end of the service might actually interest them because at that point they are thinking
this could be the church for them. Announcements should be kept short. A simple
reminder to look at the bulletin and note the various activities is enough. No
one can remember a long list of verbal details anyway, so don’t waste time reading
them verbally.
2.
Having a formal “welcome” time.
Perhaps my least favorite time at church is when they ask
everyone to greet those around them. Though most churches think this makes them
feel warm and friendly, in my experience, it actually produces the exact
opposite for visitors. In my experience, one of three things happens to
visitors during a formal welcome time. One possibility is that no one takes the
initiative to greet them at all. On more than one occasion I have just stood
there while everyone else greeted each other and no one spoke to me. It did not
make me feel warmed and loved. A second possibility is that everyone greets
each other enthusiastically and talks warmly to each other about ball games and
birthday parties and where they are going for lunch. Then they turn to me and
offer me a very formal handshake, and then quickly move on to talk
enthusiastically to someone else. It reinforces that I am not part of the group
and merely a “guest” who is to be politely spoken to and then ignored so they
can go back to their clique. Third, someone greets me but in a rude or awkward
way. I have actually had people tell me I am in their seat, implying I should
move. I have had complete strangers shake my hand and ask “What are you doing
here?” as if visitors are a total surprise and perhaps not completely welcome.
On two occasions someone greeted me and then promptly handed me an offering
envelope so I could take part in “every part of the worship service.” Trust me,
none of those three typical formal welcome time experiences made me feel
welcome. A better way to handle this is to train several outgoing friendly
people to be watching for a guest and engage them in a real conversation before
or after church. Instead of it being some formal “duty” that must be fulfilled,
let it potentially be a real friendship that might develop between a guest
and a well trained but “non-formal” greeter.
3.
Secret Bathrooms
While I doubt there are any churches that actually have
secret bathrooms, it sure feels that way sometimes. As a visitor, the last
thing I want to ask a stranger is “Where is the toilet?” That is just way too awkward. The proper way to handle this issue is to have adequate signage that gives
that info as soon as a person comes in the main door so no one ever has to ask.
4.
Disorganized Beginning
If the service starts at 10 AM, then it should start at 10
AM, not 10:10 or 10:15. If the church uses a sound system, it should already be
on and have been tested for volume. The same is true if the church uses some type
of video projection system. It should be on and ready to go before the service
begins. Is the heat or AC on? Are the lights on, especially in a hallway that
leads to a bathroom or children’s area? Is the main entrance of the church
unlocked? Regular attendees may have gotten use to all of these things not
being done but it communicates negatively to a visitor. Watching someone fiddle
with the microphone and tap it repeatedly while shouting to the back of the
room to get the right one turned on so a person can say the opening prayer
might be humorous for the home folk, but to a visitor it communicates that this
church is not really serious about worship. If a church is not serious about being
ready for worship, then visitors will probably keep looking until they find one
that is. The right way to handle these things is for someone to make the
commitment to deal with those details in advance. Ideally, it should be someone
other than the pastor so that the pastor can focus on meeting people.
In my visits to churches I have observed these four things.
They often discourage visitors from returning before the worship service even
starts. But all of these things can be addressed if we are willing to devote time and attention to them. Though the home folk might resist changing some of
these things, church leaders must help their congregations realize how these
four things can drive away visitors before the service even starts, and
therefore, they are changes worth making.
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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:
