Main Entry: Summer
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: Season
Synonyms: Watermelon. Cookouts. Camps. Fireworks. Plummeting Offerings. Low Attendance.
Source: American Church Innovative? Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.0)
Growing up a PK, I remember my dad “saving up” for the summer months, knowing we’d have 1/2 to 2/3 of our normal attendance, and even a smaller percentage of those people giving. Bills still had to be paid. He still had to be paid. We still had to eat.
Fast forward to now. Four years in full time church-staff ministry. Like clockwork, attendance declines. Budgets are put on spending Red Alerts. And every year we try to develop a solution to break out of the logical and predictible facts of church life.
Last night, I had some time to drive around one of my favorite parts of Dallas while waiting to pick up a friend from the airport. The houses, artistically designed, beautifully landscaped. My old Pontiac, sandwiched by two new Mercedes as we crawled down the narrow but heavily traveled Mockingbird Lane at 20 mph.
I saw two ladies crossing the street, deeply involved in conversation. Did they go to church anywhere? Did they miss the music and the message on Sunday? Maybe they were the church, wearing work out clothes with messy hair. They were sharing life with each other, it was obvious.
A million different scenarios played out in my mind as I watched them while I was stopped at a red light. They could be the church right now. But they aren’t ending up on any attendance record.
I’m sure like many other churches out there, weekly – maybe monthly – those of you who are on staff get to hear the “numbers”…This year…Last year…What was the weather like? How come more people aren’t coming? Oh, holiday weekend. Or maybe everyone was on the lake.
7:30 pm rolls around, and I pick up my friend from the airport. We head out and meet up with my friend Andrew. We go into a local tattoo parlor, where she gets her nose pierced. We hang out with a big tattoo artist named Dutch and laugh with him as he’s made another tattoo artist scream in pain (evidently on purpose) while getting some coloring done. Then we go across the street to a greasy-but-so-delicious sports bar for some late night fat intake. We talk about roommates, Kansas, New York, Texas, corn allergies.
We were the church, but unless Snuffer’s takes a secret count for the different churches we attend, we didn’t end up on any attendance sheet.
I realize this has become quite a lengthy post, and that I am constantly breaking my own blogging rules of brevity. But this time, I do it unapologetically so.
As the events of last night blurred together when I feel asleep (far later than I should have) and as I reflect on them collectively now, I realize that although not a bad thing, measuring weekly church attendance isn’t really a fair representation of truth.
You can measure how many people breeze in and out of your doors at specfic times on the weekend. You can count up the tear-off cards and find out how many of them are “first time visitors” to your church. And sure, maybe it will help you see if you are being “successful” numerically.
But how can you really define that term “success?” When really what is more important than how many seats you have filled up on Sunday is what is going on OUTSIDE of your doors on a rainy Thursday night, much like last night.
Where is your church then? Working late? Fighting? Loving? Serving? Being Christ to the World?
Keeping track of your numbers on the weekend is a great tool for measuring. I guess I’m just not quite sure what we’re measuring.
Comments
27 responses to “immeasurable”
You’re exactly on point, and this is one of those things that just runs amok over our plans and quantifications. We can’t measure this – is this where faith comes in? Is this where we can measure somewhat how much we’re lifting up Christ, but then have no idea if He’s coming through on drawing everyone to Himself?
I had church at my house on Wednesday night. For the 4th I invited over some of my church friends and also some of my neighbors. One neighbor is very outwardly gay, the other is incredibly addicted to pot.
We sat around and ate BBQ and had a beer. We played with fireworks. We laughed a lot! We actually forgot to sing any songs or pass an attendance sheet…but in the end my two neighbors are closer friends now, and they are more accepting of OUR lifestyles of follow Christ. Who knows…they may even wish to come to church with us someday soon. Of course once they are there they will be counted…
So stinkin’ true. Being on church staff tends to make a person nearsighted. Maybe we should spend our nervous summer energy talking about the reality of ‘being’ the church wherever we go…. releasing people from the idea that Church = This Location…. releasing ourselves from the yo-yo of reactions to weekly worship numbers. Just thinking about that feels more right than the tension we live under. Release. Empower. Celebrate that kind of living, and how God has used it, every weekend with whoever shows up.
it was a moment of realization when i found that all i’ve been doing this whole time (in the church) is creating space where i feel good about yourself instead of … well … fighting, loving serving, being the Church.
i love the moments where i’m sitting in a bar in with my “church” friends and hanging out with all the “non-church” people of l.a. the reality is clear that we’re all on a journey … we’re all trying to find a place to belong. we crave intimacy and destiny.
the point isn’t to invite them to a building (which i know you know). it’s to invite them on your journey and walk next to them in their’s.
ha. our local bar actually becomes the gathering place for what is supposed to be happening in church. :) i love it!
it felt like church last night to me.
Measuring nickels and noses is easy, relatively concrete and provides some standard by which to judge the “appeal” of what the church is offering. Churches’ desires for accountability, affirmation and feedback is fueling a model that, frankly, is broken. While those desires aren’t inherently bad, when they’re driving the mission and activities of the church, there’s a problem.
We have to foster intentional, realistic goals and communicate to the staff, members and community that the “success” or “failure” of the work of a church is defined by how well we carry out the will of God, not whether or not we can afford a new church van.
Great post Anne.
I loved this post. As a person who feels that she finds God everywhere but the building designated for this interaction, I certainly know what you mean. Do you feel a revolution coming on? :)
i’ve been thinking about this lately….don’t (just) GO to church…BE the church.
=) good thoughts.
along the same lines, i realized one day that by having lunch and sharing conversation with a friend, that was worship. i didn’t have to be sitting somewhere reading my Bible all alone. It was still an act of worship talking and connecting and enjoying each other.
Great Post! My husband and I were in Chicago last month for the Willow Creeks Arts Conference. One thing they, especially Nancy Beach and Dan Kimball, hit hard was breaking outside our bubble. Who are we purposely trying to reach outside the church who isn’t already a Christian? How are we reaching our community? Are we? They touched on the numbers thing – but really, is that what it’s even about. I am more interested, personally, in being a “number”, if you will, outside our church doors – that’s where I am most effective, hopefully! Church doesn’t end at the Exit Doors. Church is where ever we’re at.
please stop bringing up my corn allergy.
thanks for coming to my parts yesturday.
yes. yes. yes.
my church seems to be at starbucks theses days. work. life. friends. community. talking. sharing. frustrated. consoling. chatting. dishes. trash. love.
I tried a new church a few weeks ago on a Sunday while traveling with friends and it didn’t feel like we’d even “been” to church. because it wasn’t church.
I believe we were designed to do ‘church’ outside the Church. And then as often as possible, come together as the ‘church’ inside the Church to celebrate being the Body of Christ… also known as the church. :-)
As for counting empty seats, I think this became a serious matter when our church first opened 3 campuses within a very short period of time. Many were wondering where all the people went… call me crazy, but it could be they all went to check out the new campuses? (but I wouldn’t know…)
Amen! We ARE the church! We live it.
And I can’t eat corn, either. Boo.
Perhaps it is a misunderstanding of our vocabulary. We go to a building on Sundays to worship corporately. All the other times we are just worshipping.
Anne,
I’m new to your blog and took the survey at Mad Church Disease by way of Ragamuffin’s blog. I grew up a missionary kid and then my Dad was a traveling evangelist. I am now married to a Min. of Music and am so eager to read your new book—lots of burnout here (and hurt). I love what Carlos said about this job has “beat the tar out of me, my wife, and my kids”. Couldn’t have said it better!
This is a very insightful post. I once heard someone say that the church building should have a sign over the exit doors that say this…
“the service just ended…church starts now.”
Tracey/Real Estate Girl
http://www.show-me-state-of-mind.blogspot.com
I’ve been in full-time ministry for about 5 1/2 years. Over that time period I’ve learned, like all good clergy do, to live and die by the “weekly numbers.” And in the summer months they are “weakly numbers.”
About 18 months ago we had a paradigm shift in our church that saw a movement to free the Jesus-followers in our fold to spend less time “at church” and more time rubbing shoulders with the not-yet-convinced in their social circles.
Living in a geo where everyone cocoons through the winter means that we all need to take advantage of the short summer we have; even if that means skipping the Sunday morning fellowship.
After all, when this life is done, which numbers do you think God is going to be more interested in? Sunday attendance (and/or budget) or lives loved?
Hey,
I am a new visitor to your blog, I came via the Mad Church survey. I am a pastor or a church plant, and yest the numbers have plummeted this summer. The beautiful part is that just this morning I sat with four people from our community and began planning a food and resources center for our city. The first of its kind in our new community. We were actually becoming hands and feet of Jesus. I have to say the excitement in the room rivaled any Sunday gathering that we have had. I think the numbers we should be counting are the numbers of people we are serving, not the numbers that are filling our churches.
On a different slant, it seems to be a catch-22. People don’t attend church in the summer so churches don’t plan riveting events being afraid that they will miss the majority of their people. And maybe its not worth it to come to church to experience re-run gatherings. (I know that could really be taken wrong but I think everyone knows what I mean.) Well geez. What about the people that attend summer church? We still want to be challenged and gather intentionally. I’ve never liked the idea of fluffy summers. I was so surprised when we started attending Orchard Valley (http://www.orchardvalleyonline.com) that we have our baptism party/gathering in the middle of summer. That just rocks!!!
preach on, preacher.
thanks everyone for the great thoughts. i’ve been away from my computer most of the weekend with my friend crystal who’s visiting from kc, but i appreciate all your thoughts.
i know at my church it’s “not about the numbers” – and there is some good to be said about measuring/analyzing what is happening – LEARNING…i suppose…and seeing where god is taking us.
regarding the money being tight… lately i have heard so much on tithing. i feel like God is really talking to me in this area. also, i think christians need a really good, hard kick in the butt. tithing is not optional, it’s what god tells us to do – and that’s just the beginning. offering is on top of that. and if anyone feels uncomfortable with the church preaching that than i think we should be more uncomfortable with god telling us that we are robbing HIM if we don’t do it. otherwise, church is becoming a social club.
i think i will go on the street corner and put up a big poster that says “go to church or go to hell”. that’s a joke. but seriously – we need to start taking god more seriously and pastor’s would’t have to worry about budgets so much but about taking care of the prostitutes and drunks and all those who need God.
what a great post. one of my favorite sayings is, “don’t go to church, be the church.” it’s too bad that we are so hooked on the numbers.
btw, i don’t know how far back you go to read your comments, so i’m letting you know that i just left one on your “new chapter” post. don’t feel like you need to respond (read that post, too =]). just wanted to let you know it was there.
Thanks for the post Anne. I hate numbers and refuse to count people in our new church plant here in Salem, Oregon. So many churches today are all about getting people to come inside a building so that they can count them and collect money from them. These churches are big on getting people to volunteer all of their time in church activity which mostly takes place within the walls. Is this following Jesus?
I believe following Jesus is all about ministering at the point of need. That’s what He did. He attended the synagogue on church day “as His custom was.” But, He ministered at the point of need on a daily basis. He showed us how to be the church every day. What would happen if we freed up our church volunteer’s time so that they could minister within the community instead of inside the walls of the church?
We need to constantly be reminded that the church is not a building, program or event. The church is people. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Where we go, the church goes.
As you can tell, I feel strong about this. That is why I founded Loving God Fellowship 18 months ago in the capitol of the most unchurched state in the nation, Salem, Oregon. We are all about encouraging people to love God and people, ministering at the point of need as unto Jesus. I believe we can make a difference and impact cities in our day if we follow Jesus’ example of “point of need” ministry.
gaj
It is super strange how we take “church” for granted. Like we haven’t found “a corporate place to worship” and most days we are just trying to breathe. But dang it if I don’t feel something stir every time we trek to the mailbox and there is some love from home. It isn’t fair to say that Christians are lacking here, in this place…but for some reason, God hasn’t brought us to a place where there are like-minded believers where they actually preach the Word…not just their take on it. So yes…I get it…be the church, don’t just go; but I would encourage you to also savor your time there and soak up the fellowship and comfy chairs that are provided…because in so many other parts of this world…”there just isn’t”.
it is a misunderstanding of our vocabulary. We go to a building on Sundays to worship corporately. All the other times we are just worshipping.
Yes, we go to church Sunday to worship corporately, and yes, we should live a lifestyle of worship the rest of the week as well.
What percentage of us actually do that?
And what percentage of us do the opposite?
(raises hand)
andrew–my husband is not only allergic to corn but wheat as well….now that’s interesting table talk.