Hey Church Family,
Hard as it may be to believe, as I write these words we are just 21 days away from Easter! This month I wanted to take some time in this space to prepare us together for this unique time for our church with the hope that, by the end of this letter, you will join me in being
expectant for all that God will do this Easter at FBC.
Why am I expectant for Easter? Simply put, because Easter is the
single greatest opportunity that churches across the country have to share the hope of Christ each year with those who are far from God, and don’t regularly walk through the doors of the church. There’s just something about Easter that brings people out to church.
To illustrate this, allow me to share a story with you from a few years ago. Kayli and I had arrived to the Easter service at our church a little bit behind schedule, so ended up having to sit in some overflow seating in the lobby. Just as the service was beginning in walked a group of loud, cursing, 20 something’s, dressed not so church-appropriate, if you catch my drift. This group grabbed a table right next to Kayli and I and spent the service swapping stories about their wild night the evening before of bar-hopping and general debauchery.
At the time,
I was amazed. What in the world were these people doing at church? They clearly didn’t attend regularly, and even more clearly didn’t really want to be there (arriving late, talking throughout the service, etc.), yet there they were. Years later though, I now understand, these people were at church because
that’s just what happens on Easter. People show up who you’d never expect to show up! Perhaps to please their grandma, or maybe to make a good impression on that girl they just met, who knows their reasons.
One thing is certain though: each and every Easter churches like ours have the
unique opportunity to share the hope of Christ with these people. More than that, we have a
God-given mandate to do just that as we seek to make disciples of those who join us, and in so doing, fulfill our Lord’s Great Commission. Below are a few of the ways we are seeking to do that this Easter, read on to see how you can play a part!
A Seeker Sensitive Service
One of the main things we’ll be doing this Easter (and every year for the foreseeable future) is making our Easter Sunday services as seeker-sensitive as possible. What’s that mean? Simply this: that we will be as creative as possible in engaging the hearts and minds of all who come through our doors for the first time with the gospel of Christ. Now, it’s time for a confession. If I’m being honest I’d much rather just do a traditional, easily repeatable Easter service each year. Sing some classic songs celebrating that He lives, read some Scriptures, preach a little bit, that’s a great Easter Sunday for me.
So, why not just do that? If that’s my preference, and I imagine that it is many of yours as well, why not just make that the plan for our Easter celebration? Friends the reason I’m unwilling to do that, as much as I may personally prefer it, is because the eternal destinies of those who will walk through our doors this Easter are worth
sacrificing our preferences for. So this Easter, instead of giving first-time guests just another “been there, done that” Easter service, Aubree and I are working hard as we can to create an unique Easter experience which presents the gospel message in a new, and unexpected way for all to hear. We believe that this is the best way for us to reach as many people as possible with the hope of Christ this Easter. It is my hope and prayer that each of you will follow suit, and join me in laying down your own preferences for the sake of those who aren’t here yet, because they’re worth it.
You Had Me at “Hello”
In addition to laying down our preferences together this Easter, there’s another great,
simple way that we can drastically increase our chances of seeing people respond to the gospel and start to call our church “home”. That sounds pretty good right? The crazy thing is that all it takes to increase our chances of that life change happening is
stopping to say “hello” to any new face you see on Easter Sunday. People are looking for a place to belong, and a church our size has an incredible opportunity to offer them one as they don’t just become another anonymous attendee, but are instead welcomed as part of our family.
Studies on people’s responses to churches show that the single biggest determinant in whether an individual will visit again is their perception of how
friendly or unfriendly the church was. Those same studies show that the most common way friendliness is judged is by the number of conversations the visitor had, and that six or fewer conversations feels “unfriendly” but seven or more feels “friendly”. We aren’t talking about life-changing conversations here either, a simple, “Hi I’m Grant, what’s your name?” does the trick just fine. Friends this Easter let me encourage you to be
as bold as possible in introducing yourself to those who you don’t recognize; your conversation may just be the difference between a one-time guest or lifelong church member.
Praying With All You’ve Got
Last but not least allow me to encourage you to
pray with all you’ve got in these weeks leading up to Easter. The goal that God has laid on my heart for us this Easter is that we would share the gospel with at least 300 people on Easter Sunday. That’s the kind of goal that can be brought about by prayer, and prayer alone. So pray boldly, pray frequently, and pray expectantly. If you haven’t already please make plans to join us for our
Prayer Walk on Friday April 11th at 6:00 P.M. Last year’s Prayer Walk was one of the most powerful experiences of the year, and this year’s promises to be the same.
Friends the best is yet to come; and should we become expectant together in dying to our preferences, welcoming each guest as warmly as possible and praying fervently and without ceasing, this Easter will be one to remember.
For the Harvest,
Pastor Grant