When church starts sometimes it looks like there are so few people, you may think this might be our last Sunday. Then 15 minutes goes by and things seem normal. Showing up late may not be a big deal to you, but it is a big deal to your visitors.
When you are visiting a church, you will instinctually look around the room before the service starts. You may be looking for signs, exits in case they ask visitors to stand, weird art and sayings on the wall, collections of maps and flags, or you may be just looking for no reason. Whatever the reason, people will look intently at their new surroundings. We are programmed to be alert in new settings. I’ll deal with decorations, stuff, and junk later.
One of the things people notice is who else is in the room. They notice how many are in the room, what they are wearing, how they are acting, and where they are not sitting. On a positive note, your visitors have no idea how many people attend your church so if you are having a “low Sunday” they will assume it’s normal. We should always embrace who is present, not lament who is not present.
So here’s the problem with coming in late. First, you want your guests to get an accurate picture of who the church is during those crucial first 5 minutes of the service when they are deciding if they will return next week. If you are not there, your personality is missing. Hopefully that is a bad thing. The visitors will also get a sense that the church is a church of 30 or 50 instead of a church of 60 or 100. Remember, it’s not about the number; it’s about an accurate picture of the church. I’m not suggesting the more people, the more likely more people will return. The last problem with coming in late is probably the most important. If 20% or more of the church comes in late it communicates this is a church that is always late. Being a punctual person, that bothers me, but I know it doesn’t bother everyone so I know that‘s not a big deal. The big deal is the opposite. Being on time communicates this church is excited and eager to be a part of the Sunday morning gathering. One of the best things a church can do is create a culture of being on time, expectant, and ready to worship.
One last comment about promptness, if you are leading a ministry, please, please, please, be on time. Our goal should be to have the environment we are doing ministry in ready for those we serve 15 minutes before the program starts and 30 minutes if it’s an event. Your best ministry will be those 15 minutes before your program starts. Why? You will get some adults or kids or whomever you are serving showing up early. You want to be ready to engage with them, and not running around setting things up. Those precious minutes may be necessary to introduce yourself to a visitor to your class or to discover a devastating crisis that demands a huge shift your program plan from learning to caring. Those first few minutes may just be a few extra minutes to build a deeper connection with someone else in a way your program doesn’t allow. So make sure you show up early enough to make copies or setup tables or plug in your coffee or whatever you need to do so that you can be ready 15 minutes before your program. Promptness communicates we care about what we are doing and who we are serving.
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