Comments for New ways to communicate with members at http://pres-outlook.com , comment 1 to 1 out of 1 comments http://pres-outlook.com Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:25:55 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://pres-outlook.com/reports-a-resources/for-church-officers/5709.html#comment-3532 Earl Johnson is right in urging us to find better and more effective means of communicating with members. The church consultants I have spoken with always seem to name communication breakdowns as a problem for most churches. However, it seems to me there are bigger problems. Rev. Johnson cites some common examples for people being absent: 'They may be visiting their own families, attending the regional Junior High track meet or band festival, be at a picnic at the lake, or squeezing in time to get groceries and purchasing a new prom dress at the mall.' Maybe the real issue here is not communication but priorities. Buying groceries and picnicking at the lake should not supersede the worshipping of God with your local church. If we make it possible for members to be a part of the church without ever making an effort to attend are we not accommodating and enabling some unbiblical choices? Maybe we make it too easy? Maybe sending a DVD to people who are too 'busy' with other things affirms some form of 'idolatry.' While podcasting and DVDs are great (and probably necessary) they are no substitute for worshipping in community. Maybe we should actually communicate some expectations to our members? Maybe we should challenge people to examine their priorities? Maybe if worship was significant enough we wouldn't need to worry about so many people absent. (I believe 25% is well below the denominational average and certainly well below 75% we see) I believe being present is being community. Wasn't it Woody Allen that said, '80% of life is just showing up?' We must always be looking for more effective means of communicating, but not to the extent we make it easy for folks to cut themselves off from the body. There is nothing new in this tension. As the writer of Hebrews recognizes: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). - Doug Hucke Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:00:00 +0100