Eliminate These 3 Words To Be A More Welcoming Church

Hey, it’s Brady,

When I was in high school, a church I visited had a mahogany desk in the lobby.

It was lovingly referred to as ‘The Fellowship Center.’

The problem? It was unmarked.

On the day I visited the church, the pastor kindly said from stage:

“If you’re new today, I’d love to meet you at The Fellowship Center after service.”

When service was over, I bumbled around the lobby sheepishly trying to find The Fellowship Center. Until a kind woman realized what I might be trying to locate.

I’ll never forget the first time I visited the church I still go to today. I was new in town.

The pastor kindly said from the stage,

“If you’re new today, we’d love to connect with you. Just go to the blue wall in the lobby that says Connect.”

When service was over, I saw a giant blue wall in the lobby and went directly there.

Insider language can build culture. But it can also be a barrier - especially when it’s used in early interactions.

Have you ever gone to a fine dining restaurant, looked at the menu, and immediately thought to yourself, “I definitely don’t know half of these words.”

That’s intentional. If you know, you know. If you don’t, maybe you’re not the type of diner that belongs at this restaurant.

Remember:

The language you use becomes the culture you build.

And if your first interactions with people are laced with insider-jargon, it can create unnecessary distance between your church and the people you’re trying to reach.

The Online Church Myth Debunked

Does online church negatively impact in-person attendance?

That is the question we have *all* been debating for close to five years now.

And finally, we have some great data to help us get to the bottom of it.

We're joined again by Ryan Burge from Graphs About Religion to help us untangle it all.

Get the answer here.

Thanks as always for your time, attention, and trust. Talk to you next Thursday. - Brady Shearer