“Find your own parking place. We get here first on Sundays and get all the good places. We have paid for them.”
I arrived about the time the late morning worship services began at a congregation where I was serving as their strategic leadership coach. Having been there before, I knew where both their primary and their auxiliary parking were located.
My hunch was that first time guests did not know this. I decided to act like a first time guest and assume the only parking was the primary parking lot. While other spaces might be available in this high density urban area, in my role as a first time guest I was not sure whether or not I would get towed.
I circled the block twice and the parking lot three times–consuming 10 minutes–until I finally saw someone pulling out and waited for that space. It was a good space close to the door of the church so I felt victory.
Slipping into the balcony was the best thing to do as I arrived in the worship center several minutes after the service began. I had intended to be on time, but the search for parking delayed me.
Like many other churches located in densely populated urban areas, this church offers parking in a nearby parking garage. The one they use is directly across the street from the church. I knew about it, but I did not go out of my way to find it or to look for a sign about it.
Six months prior I was in another major city and visited two churches on Sunday who offered payment or vouchers for parking in a designated garage. I looked on their web sites and found the information about parking for first time guests. Their systems were great and inviting.
Remembering this I looked on the website of my client church. I saw a medium priority tab entitled “Newcomers”. I clicked on it and learned I am welcome, my children [grandchildren in my case] can attend worship with me, their three types of services, their doctrinal beliefs, their respect for human and civil rights, accessibility–as in ADA standards–in their buildings, but nothing about parking. Sigh!
Debriefing with the Pastor
A few days later I had a chance to debrief my experience with the pastor. We know each other well and can talk at a deep dimension about issues needing solutions.
I told him they are blocking people from coming to worship. First time guests are not making it into the worship center. They will not drive around the parking lot for ten minutes looking for a space unless they hear you are handing out pure gold coins in your church.
You would think telling people the church offers the free gift of God’s grace of eternal life in heaven would be enough. But it is not. Gold coins attract more people who want their treasure on earth.
We brainstormed solutions to their parking challenge. He asked the question, “How can we get people to park somewhere else–like the parking garage across from the church–to make room for more first time guests? How many is that? 50?”
Yep, 50 is probably enough. That is unless another 50 cars of members find these parking places first and think these spaces are first come first served.
As a proactive step, how about recruiting 50 or more members who typically park in the primary lot, but who will agree to park their cars each Sunday in the parking garage? Ask them to make room for those whom God is sending to this church for the worship and praise of God among a congregation of people seeking God in their lives.
Further, ask them to pay for parking in the garage as a test to see if they really want to make room for those whom God is sending. Make it meaningful so it is a sacrifice for them. The extra cost to the church for 50 cars to park in the garage and use a voucher is just under $10,000 per year. This cost needs to be recovered.
Give to each of these parking evangelists special offering envelopes that read Make Room for Those Whom God is Sending. Ask them to give $3.00 each Sunday they are present to reimburse the church for the cost of parking in the garage. Thank them publicly for their service. Encourage others to join this cause.