The Difference You Can Make
Out of the back of Covid everyone was searching for community and the SMH published an article titled “Come to train, stay to connect: Fitness is the new religion”. It says that as more Australians disconnect from their religious heritage, fitness brands are stepping in to fill the void and provide connection, meaning and hope.
If anything, since that moment, more and more outdoor activities have popped up as hubs for community, where everyone is welcome and no one is left behind. And in that context there is often chatter about the way local exercise groups are more welcoming than churches.
Now we need to remember that our main game is gospel proclamation not community creation so sadly, sometimes people will leave our community because they reject the gospel. Perhaps most sadly however, sometimes people will leave the church because they have been rejected by the community. We ought not change our priorities in light of fitness groups but we ought to remember that gospel proclamation should create beautiful gospel communities that welcome warmly and love profoundly. If that is not happening we need to ask why.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not here this week subtly criticising our church. I think we do pretty well at this but we can always get a refresher and get better. Our formal teams welcome and create community really well but it would be wrong for us to think the teams have it covered. The better way to think is that we are all part of the team and when we all contribute to welcoming well and loving profoundly, the experience of church we all have (and the newcomer has) will only get better and better.
So what could we do? Well, here are a few things you may have heard me say before but we all need reminders of these good things - me included.
First, prepare for church. The musicians and the preacher aren’t the only ones who should be "rehearsing" for Sunday. In an era of "on-demand" everything, the act of preparing to be present is a superpower. Why not try these two ideas:
The Dashboard Prayer: As you park up, take a second. Pray for the person coming for the first time, the person feeling unsure about whether they will be welcomed and the person you will sit next to. Pray for yourself that you will be courageous enough to welcome others well.
The Head-Start: Newcomers almost always arrive 5 minutes early; regulars often arrive 5 minutes late. If you’re early, you’re not just "waiting", you’re given an opportunity to be a host. You’re there to be the first face someone sees. The first voice they hear.
Second, warm up your voice and be ready to use it. Not literally but sometimes we need to ready ourselves to talk to people. Some tips for doing that well?
Use Names: Using someone’s name is the quickest way to make them feel known rather than just seen.
The Five-Minute Rule: Challenge yourself to spend the first five minutes after the service talking to someone you don’t know. Just look at the people in front of you or behind you. Your best friends will still be there in the sixth minute, but the newcomer sitting alone might not be. If this idea freaks you out, do it with a friend.
Third, let’s ask better questions. “How are you?” usually gets a “Yeah, good”. That chat is going nowhere fast. Why not trade the small talk for big-hearted curiosity. Instead of the standard script, try asking:
“What brought you to church today?”
“What’s been a highlight of your week?”
“I'd love to hear your story; how did you find your way to Christ Church?”
These aren't just questions; they’re invitations. They start to bridge the gap between attending a service and entering a gospel community.
You know, being a wholehearted disciple of Jesus isn't a solo mission. We want everyone to be connected and to get there, we all need to decide that we won't let anyone be invisible.
So, what do you reckon? What’s the difference you could make to someone else’s experience of our church this weekend?
