Which expectations are non-negotionable?
Easter has come and gone and with it attendance numbers any congregation wishes they could meet or exceed every week of the year. Yet, sustaining numbers in attendance means that the congregation will, to some degree, need to meet the needs of those who attend. Yes, we want to give them needs (to love and serve the Lord) they may not already have, but we must begin by meeting their expectations.
What is it that a visitor can reasonably expect from any church? Is your congregation meeting that expectation. For example, parents expect any child care to be safe and loving. A location (a toddler area without child safe outlets) or a caregiver (two middle school girls left alone with the children) can readily fail this test, leaving first time visitors to continue their quest the next Sunday with another congregation.
It is also reasonable to expect that you can arrive at a church to find a combination of people (greeters) and singage that will help you find your way to worship as well as to anything else you need, such as a bathroom and the nursery. Yet, many churches assume that there buildings are self explanatory, or provide signs from the parking lot, but not the street. My wife and I have also on more than one occasion found ourselves waiting longer than expected for a liturgy to start as both the street signs and the website named one time, but the churches had moved the Sunday service to a later time. One visitor will go with the flow, another will head to Shoney’s never to return when they learn that they have an extra hour to wait.
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What do you think? What should every visitor be able to expect of any church? Send your thoughts to me by email at flogue[at]gaepiscopal[dot]org or give me a call at the diocesan office 912-236-4279. First, we need to determine what visitors should expect, then we need to see how to increasingly meet those reasonable expectations and exceed them.
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue
Canon for Congregational Ministries
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