Came across an article this morning talking about customer loyalty. We train our fans, customers, members & staff how to interact with us.
Now think about churches. We train people how to engage with us & on what level. If we cater to church shoppers, we’re training our entire congregation that shopping for churches is OK.
Well, when your worship is a bit sub-par or your sermons are in a dry spell, what happens? You’ve trained people that hopping about from place to place is acceptable practice and – guess what – that’s exactly what they’re going to do. They’re going to just hop about until they find a place they like.
Pastors know this. Any pastor who interacts with new people (and then meets with those who are leaving the church) knows that habitual church leavers always leave churches. They’ve been trained and they’re very skilled at jumping from community to community.
Church leaders, you’re training people. The way you talk is training people. The things you say and don’t say train people. Think about it.
Very very true. I spent most of my life in churches that “taught” people to be cordial but stay a safe distance from one another…you can imagine how helpful said churches were in times of real crisis.
On the other hand, there are some churches that are not just teaching but living radical hospitality. My first Sunday in my now-home church I was greeted and welcomed and invited to upcoming events. While all that was lovely, it taught ME to step a bit out of my comfort zone. Within a few weeks I was approaching visitors and extending the same love this congregation showed me my first time there.
Like you said, the church leaders teach their congregations. I’m grateful that this one is working to counteract some of the current trends.