If deacons were surveyed, they would almost universally say they want people to join their churches. After all, reaching new people is one of our basic tenants as Baptists. We give much effort and even more lipservice to reaching new people with the gospel. And when new Baptists move into the community, we hope they will “unite on promise of a letter” from another church.
But it is worth asking whether we really want new people coming in and stirring things up. Some church growth gurus have postulated that many churches are not growing because they really don’t want to grow. Or, better put, they want to grow, but they don’t want to change.
Are you willing to change?
When new people come into a church, their pasts come with them. Some bring a wealth of experience from other churches where they served in leadership positions. Because they have a different background, they will see how things could be done differently — perhaps even better.
Others become new Christians and enter the church with ideas that may not always harmonize with the attitudes of longtime saints.
It is inescapable. New people bring changes. If a church is not willing to change, it doesn’t want new people, no matter what it says in the bulletin.
Are you willing to let go of control?
After a time, new people will be asked to serve in leadership positions in the church. Most church nominating committees are eager to find new people willing to serve. The trouble is, these new people often lead in different directions. The old-line leaders sometimes feel threatened by the newcomers.
I was interim pastor of a congregation in Nashville, Tenn., in the early 1980s. As I studied the growth pattern of this church I noticed that repeatedly the church had grown steadily until it reached an attendance of about 150. At that point conflict would arise, about half the people would leave and the church would start an upward climb anew.
When I asked a member who had grown up in the church to explain this if he could, he referred to the church patriarch and said, “He’s all for reaching new people until he loses control. When that happens, watch out.”
If you really want to reach new people, eventually you have to be willing to let them lead you.
How different are you willing for new people to be?
Churches like their own kind. Why shouldn’t they? What’s not to like? This principle, called homogeneity, says that like attracts like. To be truthful, there is comfort and even strength in sameness.
A study a few years ago on Japanese culture determined that their productivity was based on their commonality. They all spoke the same language — literally and figuratively. Through thousands of years of isolation, this island nation produced a common culture with social roles and expectations clearly defined by tradition. This eased tensions and preempted conflict paving the way to effectiveness.
But from the very beginning the church struggled with diversity and opted to be inclusive. Gentiles, Jews, males, females, slave, free, rich, poor — all were part of the church.
Perhaps before the time European settlers first landed at Jamestown, America enjoyed a common culture, but since then it has been diverse! Africans were added to the mix and they brought their own backgrounds with them. Immigrants from other nations arrived and diversity exploded — right down until the present time when the issue is a political hot potato.
Added to the cultural and language diversities are other complex strains that have developed within our society.
Edith, an active church member, had long prayed for her grandson who was not being brought up in the church and who had no desire to go. Finally, however, he agreed to attend with Granny. The church was not prepared for a teenager with spiked hair, tattered jeans, tattoos and eyebrow studs and it was clear to everyone that they made him as uncomfortable as he made them. He never attended again.
If we really want to reach people, we have to be willing to let them be who they are. To be honest, I still cringe a little when I see nose rings, tongue studs and other body piercing, but a bumper sticker helped to reframe my attitude. It said simply, “Jesus had body piercings.”
How are you freezing people out?
Every church is a friendly church — at least to those who already have friends there. When new people join a church, however, chances are they come into the fellowship as strangers. Because friends tend to mingle with friends, newcomers often feel isolated. It takes a while for newcomers to break into existing friendship circles — if they ever do.
You can test this at a church dinner. Watch to see how people tend to group according to friendships. Notice which members are left out and eat by themselves or with their own families.
A healthy congregation intentionally welcomes new people into their friendship circles. Sometimes this happens naturally, but more often it requires intentional encouragement by church leaders. Mingling is essential; and it can also be fun.
The alternative is to unintentionally keep people isolated until they finally drop out. The trouble is we can freeze newcomers out and not even know we are doing it. Sometimes we don’t even see them because we tend to look for the people we know. When they skip a Sunday we don’t miss them. Eventually they miss more than they attend and finally, they are gone, for all practical purposes lost to the kingdom.
As spiritual leaders in your congregations, deacons help set the tone and communicate expectations that the church will include new people and accept the reality that new people will bring with them new ways of doing things. But they also bring new life!
Jim White is executive editor of the Religious Herald.