Breaking down barriers and inviting spiritual seekers
Nearly 100% of churches consider themselves inviting to new people wishing to get involved and join their congregations. But often we consider our faith communities inviting without considering what we are truly inviting people to when we open our church doors. We may feel like we’re offering communities of connection and discipleship while we unknowingly put up barriers that keep seekers at bay.
As United Methodist leaders, it is vital that we consider how we remove the barriers that keep spiritual seekers from encountering the value and connection available in our congregations while we create clear pathways to engagement for newcomers to our communities.
Defining the invitation
When many of us talk about “inviting people to church” we are implicitly talking about inviting people to a worship service. The worship experience is the central event in the community rhythm for many churches–but it is not always the most sought-after experience for someone who has not been engaged in church.
If the defined goal of our invitations is to get people to show up to worship, then we might be fighting a steeply uphill battle. Today’s spiritual seekers are often looking for more than a Sunday service; they crave authentic community, meaningful connections and opportunities to engage with their faith in practical and impactful ways. It is not obvious to them how traditional worship services meet these deeper needs. Therefore, it's essential for us to rethink what we are inviting people to when we ask them to come to our churches. Are we offering a space where questions are welcomed and doubts can be expressed? Are we providing avenues for personal growth, social justice, and community involvement? To truly resonate with seekers, our invitations need to extend beyond the pews and into the heart of what it means to connect in a meaningful community.
At the risk of sounding consumeristic, I would suggest that we focus our invitations on the value our congregations can deliver to spiritual seekers. Namely, we offer connection, a sense of personal value and feelings of united purpose.
Overcoming barriers
There are several barriers our religious communities unintentionally assemble that keep spiritual seekers from hearing our invitations and from feeling the inclusiveness and acceptance our congregations offer.
First, we unintentionally make it difficult to get to know our churches. In today’s environment, information is easily accessible on demand. We can know a lot of things about an organization or establishment before we ever set foot in their facilities or meetings.
In my family, before we visit a new restaurant we generally do some digital research: we view the digital versions of their menu, look at pictures to see what kind of environment the restaurant offers and we read some customer reviews. I doubt we’re alone in this practice. And I doubt that we’d be alone in admitting we often do similar research when considering whether or not to visit a new store or view a new TV show.
Have you ever thought about if this kind of information might be available to someone casually researching your church? We don’t have menu items to peruse, but we are able to let people know what it is that we offer and what they can expect when paying us a visit.
In order to remove the barrier of know-ability, we need to make information available about how new people can sample our community and how they can ultimately become a part of it. We also need to paint a realistic picture of what our community looks like in practice–this means sharing authentic images of our community (and not hiding behind stock photos to fill out our websites and social media pages). Also, do we invite our members to share online what they find valuable about our churches?
Another barrier we assemble relates to how we speak about the future. The last several years have been challenging for our United Methodist connection. The challenges will continue. As we speak about those challenges are we speaking with a sense of foreboding and fear or are we communicating a sense of hope and optimism for the future? Spiritual seekers who visit our churches are unlikely to make a commitment to membership if congregational leaders speak more favorably of the past than they do about the future.
Lastly, we assemble a barrier when we haven’t detailed a clear path for new people to engage. Are we actually ready to receive new people? If our process of inclusion and involvement is not clearly defined, then we risk leaving seekers feeling like outsiders. Do we have membership classes to share? Can we offer mentorship programs? Is there a way to ask pastors and leaders questions? Answering these questions about a pathway of inclusion will help to remove the barrier of unintentionality.
Plan the path
It might help to put yourself in the shoes of someone new to your community of faith. How would you find out about your church? What first steps would you take in order to get involved?
It would also be good to invite your current members to share their stories about the church and their pictures. Ask them to share reviews on Google and Facebook. Have them provide pictures of your congregation in action for use on your website and social media platforms.
For more ideas on inviting seekers to your congregation and defining a path to membership, check out our “Welcoming and Invitation” section on ResourceUMC–your one-stop spot for resources for leaders in the United Methodist Church.
The Rev. Ryan Dunn is Minister of Online Engagement for United Methodist Communications. Ryan manages the digital brand presence of Rethink Church, co-hosts and produces the Compass Podcast, manages his personal brand, and obsesses with finding ways to offer new expression of grace.