Tag: attendance

Posted in Ministry

How to survive a lousy Sunday

Posted on by William Douthwaite
By a lousy Sunday, I mean a dramatic drop in attendance. This year we’ve been averaging about 275 in worship each Sunday, but this past week, only counted 175 in attendance. Worst turnout since June of 2006. As unsanctified as it sounds, pastors tend to obsess about such things. If we’re not careful, it becomes personal, as if the numbers were a direct reflection of our performance.

Reasons for the anomaly? Plenty to be sure. First of all, it is the middle of the summer. Even I was among those absent, having left town to take the high school youth group to the national youth gathering in New Orleans. There’s always someone sick or tired. Or entertaining guests. Cars that won’t start. Mental health days. Malfunctioning alarm clocks. Hangovers. Perhaps an information leak that the elders were leading the worship service and there wouldn’t be any communion that day.

I guess if I can embrace the ridiculously high attendance figures on Easter Sunday, I should accept the dips, too. An even better idea is to stop counting. Then it wouldn’t be an issue, would it? Until someone asks for an average attendance reports. Or wants to know how many worship folders to print.

Worst worship attendance ever: when all of Jesus’ disciples ran and left him alone. His passion was the highlight of his message and no one showed. But it was still effective. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

From now on, when someone asks me how big our church is, or how many come to worship, I’m going to say, “I’m not sure; how many do you think there are?” I’ll just let someone else worry about it.

Posted in Life

Flexing our Easter muscles

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Over the last few days, I’ve read lots of recent Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets about how great everyone’s Easter was. I think it’s interesting how we pastors feel the need to flex our muscles and speak of how many attended worship services, how many people got saved and how full the parking lot was. Just like we do at the gym. Hey, I’m as prone to that as anyone, but it suggests an interesting question. Does Easter Sunday really have anything relevant to say about your church? Can it be used as a measuring tool for the effectiveness of your ministry? We certainly act that way, but I’m not so sure.

Yes, our Easter Sunday attendance is higher than any other Sunday of the year. But I believe this is more of a cultural thing than spiritual. Going to church is something you do on Easter, along with buying a new dress and eating candy. It’s a ritual repeated at Christmas, and in part, on Mother’s Day (when mom asks, “Why don’t you come to church with me today?” and you feel like you can’t say no.)

If that’s the case, then Easter Sunday says nothing at all about the church or ministry. Having said that, it might make you wonder why we put so much into this one worship service per year. Think about it. We invest a lot of time, energy, and money in preparing music and messages, purchasing lillies, and trying to impress someone. And experience has taught me that everything will return to normal next week. Spring break will be over. Families will return home. All the special flowers will be gone. And the candy will be eaten.

This is not to say that I don’t think Easter Sunday is important. The resurrection of Jesus is the one fact that gives oomph to every other gathering on the first day of the week. It is the one certainty that turns our morning into dancing and our sorrows into joy. It is the one thing that can truly brings us to life. But Easter worship itself is really just an anomaly. Something that boosts our average attendance statistics (and hopefully, our offerings). It’s very much like free pastry day at Starbucks. Bat day at the baseball stadium. Fourth of July fireworks. You attract a crowd for a day, but it will be back to business as usual.

So if it’s not Easter, what is an appropriate tool for measuring the effectiveness of a church’s ministry?