Pastoring God's People
For all those who have been commissioned to
pastoral roles of all kinds.
Throwing a party
by Jim Loepp Thiessen
If the kingdom of God is a party, to quote the title of one of Tony Campolo’s books, then whom is the party for in our churches? Is the party—our worship and our life as a church—primarily for us, though guests are also invited if they want to come? Or is the party for guests? As Isaiah the prophet said, it was too small a thing for him to shepherd the people of Israel only, for Israel was to be a light to the nations (49:6). Likewise, as I pastor I think it is too small a thing for me to only shepherd Mennonites, for we are to be a light to all peoples in our communities. Hence, I’m sure that the party is for all of us, both those within and those outside our circle.
Here are some things you can do as you present this question to all the ministries in your church:
1. As a leader, model what you want to see happen.
As a pastor, I model the importance of guests by the way I interact with people on Sunday mornings. People who are a regular part of our church know I will end a conversation with someone who is well-connected with our congregation to talk with a stranger. I want to create and model an environment in which the guest feels welcome. “What about the people who come each week? Can’t they get time from the pastor on Sunday morning?” I don’t try to do a lot of community building on Sunday mornings before and after worship because there isn’t time to do it well. I see our small groups as working at that piece of our life together.
As I pastor I think it is too small a thing for me to only shepherd Mennonites.
2. Create spaces for connection.
Three people have become new believers in our church over the past month or so. I have seen many more guests coming to our new church over a given month than I did in previous church ministry. All of the people who have come into a relationship with Jesus have already been part of a small group from our congregation. It used to be that we asked people to believe the right things first, and belonging came later, but in our culture people often belong before they believe. I want our congregation to have groups where those who are not part of our life in Christ can participate and feel welcome. Often, but not always, if that is going to happen, it will be up to me as a pastor to make sure it happens. If you want to see your church thrive as a place where those from the outside can feel welcome, but other leaders from your church don’t share that passion, model it yourself as a leader. You can’t take people to a place you aren’t willing to go.
3. Create spaces for involvement.
Those who have chosen to become followers of Jesus really want to be involved in church life. This has been a surprise to me as a church planter. Because we are such a new church (eleven months old at the time of this writing) and our structure is not well developed, we have lots of places where these new followers of Jesus are able to test out their gifts. And they are asking to be involved! I’m realizing that churches need to be structured in such a way that newcomers can participate and make a contribution to our life together. A woman named Kate was leading worship a few months after she made a commitment to follow Jesus. One other woman with a publicity background is helping with flyers and a brochure that we created. Someone else is helping with copying audio files. We invite them to participate as they are able to, and we have places for involvement. I’ve realized how important that has been for us and for them.
4. Interview new believers.
I want to model the importance of choosing to follow Jesus. I recently interviewed a new believer as part of my sermon. His words were a testimony to what I was talking about in the sermon, and he was longing to tell others about the difference Jesus has made in his life. We want our church culture to be one that celebrates that kind of life change, so it’s highlighted in our worship. What this also models is that our congregation includes people who haven’t been “churched” all their life.
5. Use clear language in bulletins, conversation, and worship.
As a pastor, I get a lot more time to speak publicly each week than others do. I want to model in the way I speak that we shouldn’t assume that others know what we are talking about. I heard a pastor say a while back, “This Bible story, which you all know…” I try to briefly provide background to biblical texts, and this gives listeners insight into the context. I enjoy reading Eugene Peterson’s background to various books of the Bible in The Message. His explanations don’t assume that readers have a large knowledge base of Scripture. I also try to be creative in the styles of communication I use. For example, because many people in our culture learn visually, I often use things like movie clips to illustrate what I’m talking about. I’m not doing this to be trendy, but because I am longing for others to understand God’s love for them. I want people to know that this is a place where they can bring their friends, that they won’t be entering a culturally foreign land.
6. Ask members if your church is a place where they would feel comfortable bringing their friends.
The answer to this question will give you a lot of insight into your church culture and help you to determine what needs to change so guests will feel included. Some congregations have Bring a Friend Sunday. Friends can come on other Sundays, but sometimes they are more comfortable about visiting if they know other guests will be present. If your church had a Bring a Friend Sunday, are there things that you would want to do differently in and out of worship to make them feel welcome?
In the past month I have been overwhelmed by the stories of people whose lives have been transformed by a relationship with Jesus. I do my best as a leader to model a way of doing church that says God’s party is for them as it is for all of us, and their stories of transformation make it all worthwhile.
Jim Loepp Thiessen is the pastor of The Gathering, a new church in Kitchener, Ontario. Some of the stories of changed lives can be read on The Gathering’s Web site at www.thegathering.ca.