Making Toilet Paper from Poop

Churches keep repeating the same ole' thing, thinking that their way of doing it will be more productive. But you can't make toilet paper from poop, no matter what method you try.

Ewwwww......   Yuck ............  Well ....... If the commode fits, sit on it!

Anyway, my personal opinion here:

I believe the reason churches are not actually growing (hey, stealing other members from nearby churches doesn't count as growth) is because they are too focused on how to draw people in to the church.

Bad joo-joo.

We need to be able to figure out how to draw people out of the church.

WOAH! Are you nuts? Yep, (ca-shew) (bless you), and my psychiatrist agrees.

No one wants to do anything more than just sit in a pew/chair for an hour. Churches just want people to fill the pews/chairs for an hour. Anything over that costs more in overhead because of utilities.

Please ... give me a break .....

How about let's start to see what it would take to meet the needs of people outside of the church? What are the residents of your community needing? What can you do to make their lives more enjoyable? What can you do to meet needs in your area?

Remember, Jesus went into more houses where the rest of the world didn't want to be, than where all of his followers thought he ought to be!

Try taking care of those things, and then people will come in the doors. And guess what?

WHAT?
They'll stay. People remember who was there in the bad times. They'll stick around even in the good times. And chances are, they will be willing to work towards making someone elses lives a little bit better too.

Do your Ministries know how to Minister?

From a Previous Blog:

Make sure that the church ministries are doing something to minister to the congregation and community. Is this a time when the men or women meet, eat, and gab about the latest news? Or do you have speakers who can come in and motivate, educate and get something going or furthering a goal of the group? Have the ladies start a quilting/sewing club that meets, and can also listen to the heartbeat of the community when they come to join in the group. Men, start a group that gathers regularly and goes hunting or fishing or some other popular sport in the area. Invite non-church members who love the sport to join in. Have a “wild life” supper near the end of the hunting seasons to celebrate the time and the catch that was shared together.

Every church and every community is going to be different. Different areas of the country will have different needs and likes/dislikes. If you’re by a seaside community, you will likely have more tourists in your area than a small town in the middle of the state with no particular place of interest near it. Make sure that your ministries match the needs of the community.

Some towns have a higher number of unemployed and/or homeless people living there. These places need to have shelters, especially when weather conditions are going to be bad. You do not have to have a shelter full time either. During hurricanes along the coast, blizzard conditions in the mountains, or excessive heat in the flatlands, open your social/fellowship hall to meet the needs. Provide ice water and a cool place to come in and relax for a while during the heatwave. This will also give you a chance to sit and talk to people and find out what their needs are, and if you can help them. Turn up the heat and have your congregation bring blankets for people to curl up on and get out of the cold for the night. Give the homeless a shelter during a hurricane so that they do not lose their lives due to falling trees, power lines or other weather conditions.

If you have a large number of motels or b&b’s around you, consider putting up flyers about your service, and let people know that they are welcome in your church, even if they do not have “Sunday Clothes” with them to wear. Jesus didn’t require people in His presence to go get dressed up before He would teach/preach to them. So why should we? Offer donuts/pastries and tea/coffee before service. The vacationers may have missed the continental breakfast at the place that they were staying, and this would give them a reason to come check you out.

Yes, they won’t be there to be an active part of your ministry on a regular basis. But what if they either do not attend a church, or they attend one where they are not being taught. This could be your chance to make a difference. Plus, many people like to explore and check out a community before they move there. This could be a way of getting them pre-interested in your church for when they return to live there in your community.

There are many other ideas, but these are a few to get you thinking about how you can minister to the community and the church members around you. Think about what you have for your surroundings, and build a ministry that will match the interests. Needs will be met, and hopefully people will become closer to God in the process.

A Pastoral Accountability

From a Previous Blog:

Consider having an outsider or several outsiders on a panel or board for your church. Use people who are considered influential in the community. These people are not given a vote on church business, but they are “outside” voices who can guide your church on the direction that it is being put on. They are a great gauge as to how the church is perceived in your community and/or town.

Too many times churches are run by families or clic’s that a family has put together. They tell the pastor what to do, how to do and when to do. Only a select few are ever given a voice, and if committee members have to be rotated, the same ones are rotated around the committee’s to keep anyone new from coming in and having a say. The church that I grew up in was like that. One family ran the show. They had a few other families in with them, and if a pastor didn’t go along with their “suggestions”, that pastor was quickly replaced.

Granted, there were some that needed replacing quickly. One in particular who never should have been a pastor. He would have been of more service teaching in a school or seminary. One pastor stood up to the “clic” and family and lasted quite a long time before finally being shoved out the door. He accomplished a lot of good, attendance almost doubled, and the church became an example of what a church should be.

Finally, the “patriarch” is now dead, and the church has tried to recover. Unfortunately, the damage is done. It took a year for a pastor to even agree to come to the church, the reputation was so bad with how the previous pastors were treated.

The rest of this is for pastors:

Do you want a church like that? Stop the madness now. Do you know how the community perceives your church?

One clue I’ll give you is that if people are moving into your community, and yet no one is coming to your church, someone is seeing something that maybe you aren’t.

One way to combat this is to put a board together that will counsel you and keep you focused. They will have no say in the workings of the church. Rather, they are your eyes and ears. Make them keep you in check. Make yourself accountable to them for your actions and deeds. Listen to what they say about your church, whether you agree with them or not. Don’t ridicule them either. Take note, investigate, and if it isn’t true, find out why the community thinks that it is. See what can be done to correct the perception.

Ask other religious leaders of your community and people of community leadership to be on your board. These are the people who hear the voices of the people around them.

Do not let them brow beat you either. Neither let them brag about their churches. This isn’t about them. This is about you. When you hold yourself accountable to the community, sooner or later, the church members will hold themselves accountable too. Perceptions will change, people will want to come and see why your church is different, and you can help lead people to God and increase their spiritual walk.