Breaking barriers – four

i’ve never really thought about it this way before, but functioning churches can fall into three different catagories:

the first is a church with a big front door and a big back door.  this is a church that does a really good job of attracting new people…maybe it’s because of a great worship band, or a really good preacher, or an event centered program that is designed for a specific group of people, or maybe it’s just the next big thing.  whatever it is, it attracts new people.  but in spite of the focus on attracting new people, the church never really grows in size because there are just as many people leaving out the back door as there are new people coming through the front door.

the second is a church with a small front door and small back door.  not many new people, but the same people are there year after year.  this could be a big church or a small church, but either way, it’s the same people.  they like each other and new people find it hard to fit in.  there is a high level of contentment with the way things are.

the third is a church with a big front door and small back door.  this is a church that works hard to attract new people (through a variety of methods…friendship, invitations, creative programs, relevant preaching and worship, honest serving).  this is also a church that works just as hard to help those new people fit in and find a lasting connection in the body.  this isn’t just a friendly church.  it’s a church where real friends are found.  this is a growing church.

(for the record, a church with a small front door and a big back door won’t be a church for very long…)

now here are some questions for today.  what kind of church is north point?  what do our “doors” look like?  what are our strengths?  where are we falling short?  what do we need to do differently?  what do you need to do differently?

#doors #newpeople