Influx Insights highlighted some interesting findings from a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press about patience.
- 23% of people would only wait in line for 5 minutes or more at a store or office before loosing their patience
- 54% of people on the telephone would lose patience after 5 minutes of waiting
People value their time. It is important that your church recognizes how to make the most of people’s time. Are your systems efficient? Ask yourself these questions:
How long do parents wait in line to drop their kids off at our children’s ministry?
What about when they pick their kids up?
Do people get put on hold when they call our church?
Is our parking lot orderly or could the traffic flow be more efficient?
Learn to ask yourself these questions and other problem solving questions often. The more you do to make your church a great and user-friendly experience, the more your guests will know you care.
Is it possible we should NOT be encouraging this kind of behavior, as it is arguably tied to a busy-ness that is more “american” than Godly? Are we so eager to be relevant that we shrug our shoulders at the need for reverence, and patience (which, last I checked is a fruit of the Spirit).
Or maybe we should ask ourselves how we can make the crucifixion a more “user friendly” experience? See what I’m saying?
I feel uncomfortable with this level of consumer driven “churching”.
Matthew,
I don’t think of it as encouraging people to be impatient. I hardly think that slow check-in processes and poorly planned parking lots are a way of teaching people to be more patient. Churches should make these touch points more efficient so that visitors can see how much the church cares about them rather than thinking that the church does not respect their time. Patience and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit should be taught to the congregation in a relevant way so that they better understand how to apply these principles (with God’s help) in their lives. The pulpit and small groups are excellent places to teach people about patience.
Reaching people needs healthy relationships. Healthy relationships need respect. And being a good steward of people’s time definitely shows respect.
With that said, I see no problem in creating efficient systems that make more time for ministry as long as that ministry helps further the gospel.
-Kent
Kent,
I can understand that. I think I’m reacting to the idea that we are often trying to cater to making our lives easier and more flexible, and more enjoyable all the time; whereas the Lord hasn’t always been interested in that for everyone.
The worm that God “provides” Jonah for instance. He actually loves Jonah, with something that is clearly not beneficial.
So, should we make a messed up parking lot and put lazy people in charge of things at church where efficiency is needed? No, that would be dumb, but I would suggest that we often place a greater weight on the hope that the stuff that works “well” help people know and love Christ and each other more than the stuff that forces our repentence and need for a savior to the surface?
See what I’m saying? I’m not resolved about this by any means, just curious about how to balance excellence in design and usability and efficiency and technology… with the reality that none of those things will provide for our core needs, and in fact can often be objects of worship (idols) because of the ways that they can trick us (often me) into feeling better about life than we ought to?
Matthew,
I agree with you that ,at times, focusing on excellence or user-friendliness can become “idols” that distract ministries from their true calling. These are areas that should only be considered if a ministry already has a strong Christ-centered focus. Even in these cases, ministries must continually evaluate themselves to determine if they are still doing things with the right heart attitude. Also, it is important to consider if there is something more important that can be done or if the system being evaluated actually helps the ministry achieve its purpose.
As to the thought of can a church over-cater to people’s needs? Yes. There are cases where people are better off if the church does not make life too cushy. These are situations that are usually extreme in nature.
Ideally, a church will create a user-friendly/comfortable environment for guests but cause the congregation to grow past their comfort zones through volunteering in the church and learning boldness in their personal witness. This is best done through a preaching of God’s Word that is not watered down.
Lastly, if at any point a church feels uncomfortable with doing something (e.g. user-friendly environments), do not do it.
-Kent
Kent,
Great comments. Really well thought out. I like where this discussion went. Thanks for flushing that out with me.
Keep the provocative and enthusiastic writing coming
Matthew,
It was my pleasure. As with most subjects, it is something where churches must find the middle of the road and avoid the extremes that the ditches present. Unfortunately, a good number of churches have bad drivers.
-Kent