"The Church is a Family...

... Expecting Company!"

I heard that, somewhere. I've been thinking about it a lot. The church is like a family expecting company to arrive.

Robin and I entertain a lot. We love it. And one think we know is that it takes work. It doesn't just happen.

When your family is expecting company everything else is on hold while you prepare. There is an excitement in the air. Maybe even a little tension. When company arrives, it's too late to think about hospitality. You have to be ready...

• You need to have supplies on hand.
• The home needs to be prepared.
• You have to receive the guests.
• They will immediately feel welcomed, or uncomfortable.
• They will feel like they are intruding, or as if we were eagerly expecting them..
• You need to have several plans of action to get things moving-
• Snacks to put in their hands, a topic of conversation, something that gets them engaged and sharing. they need to know at that moment it's all about THEM!

What would we do if we truly expected "company" each and every Sunday in worship?

• We would be at the door waiting for them.
• We would warmly greet and welcome them.
• We would put a cup of coffee in their hands.
• We would help out their children.
• We would make them feel as if they were the most important people in the world to us at that moment. And they would in fact BE the most important people in the world to us at that moment.

EVERYTHING would be focused on making them feel welcomed, received, accepted, even loved. It's all about the company.*

What if we ran the whole worship service with our company in mind? We would be very clear about what we were doing, why we were doing it, and how we were going to do it.

• We'd expect company EVERY SUNDAY!
• We'd have greeters at the doors BEFORE people arrive.
• We'd have EVERYTHING they need ready: information, coffee, child care, programs, etc.
• We'd have MUSIC playing.
• We'd start the service ON TIME.
• We'd present them with an ORDERLY, ENGAGING, RELEVANT experience.
• We would NOT force them to do anything.
• We would INVITE them to respond.
• We would FOLLOW UP if they did respond.
• We would invite them back next week, and expect they would return. Because we would have given them an amazing experience of worship because we were EXPECTING AND PREPARED.

That's the kind of church family our neighbors need.

PS- we'd also work really hard at remembering their names. And if we didn't, we'd immediately be honest and say, "I believe we've already met. I'm George. Please tell me you name again."

*Wait, you say- it's all about God!
WOW, that sounds so spiritual.
But it's a TOTAL COP OUT!
When people say that this is what they are actually saying- "It's not about the company, it's not even about God, it's about me. It's about what I want from my church experience. I don't want to be bothered focusing on other people. I want to ignore others and say I'm reflecting upon the glory of God." To which I say, "Give me a break!"

Of course we worship God! No one said we worship the company. We want the company to worship God WITH us, which is why we work so hard to create an environment that brings them into the very presence of God in worship.