Creating A Remarkable Church
In the business world there is a new trend in thinking. It isn’t good enough to create a good product or provide excellent service. Your business must create “remarkable” experiences—something to write home about.
Think of this as more than a mint on the pillow welcoming a hotel guest. It’s the mint and the slippers/robe tied in a bow with a handwritten welcome note—something beyond the ordinary.
How does this apply to church? We believe we have a truly remarkable product — salvation, love and unity with the God of all creation.
So why does the mainline church get “buzz” only when things go wrong?
Most church people interact with the church on Sunday mornings. Most Sunday morning worship services are satisfactory for the initiated, with little for congregants to talk about or remember the next day.
Can they be made remarkable?
The argument can be made that this isn’t why we gather for worship. We gather to praise God.
If that isn’t remarkable, it should be!
So how do we achieve this?
We have created hurdles over the centuries. Tradition, which provides order and sense, can become a straitjacket.
There should be a balance between providing comfort and security and moving beyond traditions to expressions that result from deeper self-exploration and the infusion of differing, if not new, ideas that result from broader inclusion.
Here’s where we go wrong: The Church tends to sweep into congregations with edicts of change, which alienate existing members and don’t attract new. When this fails, the Church criticizes church members.
This approach creates “buzz,” all right. But it is not the kind of buzz that will grow churches.
Most people aren’t as afraid of the new as they are afraid of losing the old.
The old is our foundation. There is no reason our foundations cannot be remarkable.
In church work, it might be wiser to start by concentrating on the foundations—the individuals who already worship regularly. Enhance their experiences, making the familiar remarkable. When they are happy, valued and feel included, they will feel confident in telling their remarkable story.
But that’s Sunday morning. The Church has six more days in a week to create remarkable experiences in their communities. People will talk about these. They might even get some press!
Our Ambassadors recently saw this in action in a church (St. John’s, Hatboro, Pa.). A member gave a passionate temple talk about the congregation’s food pantry and how it has grown to meet changing needs over the years. This retired school teacher was proud to tell his story, starting from his interest in this type of ministry from his boyhood experiences. He concluded by describing a thank you note the pantry had received.
You see, something to write home about.