Do you know what a church employee does?

When in Youth Ministry, I had youth ask me what I did all day long.  To them, I was there for 2 hours on a Tuesday or Wednesday night and that was the extent of my working.  They didn't see the hours that went into planning the calendar, to keeping the website updated, the meeting upon meeting upon meeting that I was privileged to attend.  They didn't know that sometimes people would just randomly come in, sit down and talk for an hour or so.  They didn't know that I spent hours figuring out how the youth group meeting would go or studying for the talk I would give that night.  They had no idea about such things.  To them all I did was show up on Tuesday or Wednesday, hang out with them and then go home.  Easy job.

HA! Is what I say.  A couple of years ago, I was asked by the Personnel Ministry Team to list everything that I did.  It took up a full 8 1/2x11 sheet of paper and that was probably not comprehensive.  It was enlightening, for me at least.  I know it took a couple of people by surprise.  Which leads me to my question.  Do you know what a church employee does?

The average church-goer, never really gets to see what happens in the church building Monday through Saturday.  The typical church-goer just comes on Sunday morning, spends an hour or so in worship and 20 minutes chatting, maybe 45 minutes in Sunday School and then goes home.  There are the occasional church luncheons or meetings or potluck dinners but rarely do they pop into the church during the week and spend any large amount of time.

If they did come in and sit, maybe in the Administrative Assistants office, they would find that that person doesn't just put the bulletin together for Sunday morning and answer the occasional phone call.  They would find that the Administrative Assistant is responsible for keeping the copy machine, fax machine, postage machine and any other machine in the office operative.  They would find that the Admin schedules everything that happens in the church, hands out keys and instructions on using the facility.  They would follow the Admin around as they put out little fires all day long, IE "Help, there is no microphone set up!  Where is the video projector?  Where is the coffee pot?".  They would see that multiple people come to the door every day, some church folks looking for a little help, some people from the community inquiring about using the facility, some people from the community looking for a little help, some people just trying to sell the church something.  I'm wearing myself out...

They would hear the phone ring again and again and again.  They would listen to conversations about who was using the social hall last and why things weren't put away.  They would listen to complaints about mistakes in the bulletin or newsletter or complaints about the job the janitor is or isn't doing.  They would see the Administrative Assistant wade through email after email, answer questions about events in the church, building usage or things such as "what was the scripture reading from last Sunday's service?"  They would also see the people who stop by for a little bit of counseling...not from the Pastor but from the Admin!  Just stopping by to talk is common in a church office.  And really, what does that person have to do anyway?  They just generate the bulletin for Sunday mornings. 

Do you know what a church employee does?

Freedom

For the first time in 12 years I don't have to go to church every week.  It is a new kind of freedom that I haven't had since those two years I was away at college and chose not to go to church.  At that point and this point there were similarities.  Both times this freedom came after being involved with church on a deep, deep level. 

The first time I took a church break it was after some intense years a church elder, volunteer, committee member, worship team member, etc.  I was 22.  I was tired.  I took a break from church (NOT GOD) and enjoyed every minute of it.  When it was time to get back into regular church life, about two years later, I knew it.

This time has been different but no less freeing.  It took about two weeks before I decided to go to church again.  Another few weeks went by before going again.  Last week I didn't go to church and then this week I started noticing something.  I started noticing an antsy feeling, like something was missing.  Ah, yes.  Church!  Worship!  I missed it!  So today we went.

Worship was good, the sermon was good, the people delightful, warm and personable.  I came away refreshed.  I also came away appreciative of the freedom I have to go to church when I want but also be able to stay home from church at times too.  I appreciate the freedom.

Which got me to thinking.  I am a Church Chick.  I dig church.  I loved working for the church.  Not every second but in general I loved it.  As time went on, though, I began to resent having to get up on Sunday morning earlier than I got up the rest of the week, to go to church.  I wanted to be able to stay home every so often, not just while I went on vacation.  I wanted to be able to go to church someplace else occasionally and not be responsible for so many aspects of the worship service, just purely worship!  There were definitely mornings when worship would have been much better if I had just stayed home...hmmm...there's a thought. 

What would happen to our churches if every 7 weeks or so (random number just go with me) told the Pastor, the Worship Leaders, the musicians, the Children's Director, the Youth Director, etc., to NOT come to church?  Not expect them to take vacation time or a personal day, just wrote it into their contracts that one Sunday every 7 weeks they were to not come to their church of employment.  They could stay home, they could go to church someplace else, go away for the weekend, but one Sunday every so often they would be given the freedom to worship how they needed to worship.

Maybe some churches do this already.  Maybe that's why many churches have Sr. Pastors and Associate Pastors.  I don't know.  It just struck me at how amazingly empowering and freeing that would have been to be given one Sunday away from the church of my employment.  Maybe the bottom line is that it would have been pretty powerful for my church to say "Your relationship with Christ, your spiritual, emotional and mental health, is more important than leading in worship here every Sunday.  Take a week on us.".  I don't know for sure.  I'm just chatting.

Those praise songs

A few weeks ago I visited a church.  They combine their worship services for the summer and every other week the worship team or choir leads in worship.  The week I went it was the worship team. They were good, I knew the songs and sang along.

During the sermon the Pastor made a comment about singing "praise choruses" (which is ancient wording but I digress) and hymns at the beginning of the service.  A lady in the row in front of me quickly leaned over and said to her husband "we didn't sing any hymns!".  I automatically labeled her as part of the crowd that can't stand "Those praise songs".  I had to apologize (in my head) later when I realized she was probably of the opposite crowd.  The Pastor was unaware of all this happening and continued to use his illustration of praise songs and hymns in the sermon.  He was making the point that we all have a frame of reference when it comes to certain things in life.  We operate out of what we know. 

The Pastor talked about going to a meeting with church leaders and having a discussion about the type of music that is used during the service.  He asked the leaders "Where do you get your music from?"  The answer was awesome.  The church leaders said "We have a bunch of people here who have never heard hymns.  They didn't grow up in church, they don't have that background.  So they wrote songs using the style of music that they know."  They operate out of what they know.

Now, I've been in on the debates about Hymns versus Praise songs.  I, personally, have no problem with praise songs.  I grew up singing hymns, I can sing hymns in harmony without batting an eyelash, but I really prefer praise songs. They sound like the songs that I listened to as a teenager.  They meet me where I am.  Some of the lyrics to praise songs are inane...some of them just sound wrong when I'm in a funky frame of mind (see the chorus to "I'm trading my sorrows") but let's take a good look at some of the hymns and their lyrics and I'm willing to bet that there are inane and kind wrong sounding hymns out there as well. 


Praise songs vs. Hymns has been one of the biggest issues in the Church in the last decade or two and as I mull over the conversation between the church leaders as outlined above, I'm wondering if the issue isn't really about the style of music or the lyrics or the beat or the drums, guitar, bass and keyboards.  I'm wondering if the issue really is about new people coming in the door and suddenly changing things to so that the church operates as they are used to, as opposed to operating the way that the long-term tenants know and are familiar with.  I think that's probably closer to the truth.  Instead of coming into the church and becoming like everyone else in there, this new crowd came in and changed things up, operating out of what they know. 

Change is hard.  The reality is, though, that the Church must embrace some changes in order to be making a difference in this world.  Allowing gifted people to write songs out of their knowledge and understanding of God in the style that they are familiar with is a one way of opening the doors to the church and saying "Come on in, you are welcome".  It's simple and yet so complex.

When you walk in the door--comment

For whatever reason the comment function on this blog is being a little, well, challenging...so those in the know just email their comments and I post!

Here's a comment from Meg:

 

I have to say for myself, a fellow introvert, there are times when I specifically chose to attend the BIG church because I know I will blend in, and not be noticed. Not that I need to be invisible; it’s more of a “I’m having a Jesus moment here; please respect the bubble” kind of thing. It’s more of an inward worshiping time. I think many of us (dare I say…. You and I?) have been more involved with the other, the outward worshiping, how to present it, how to smile enough, but not to much, and the socially engaging part. Both have their benefits, and both are needed I think. When I need the space I go to the big church. When I need loves and hugs I go to the small church.

 

That being said, I agree about a warm welcome. All.The.Way. With the understanding of course, that there are ‘welcoming’ people who are so OVER zealous in their greeting/creeping that people will never walk back in for that reason too.

 

Tricky course it is. Amen and Yay! To the wide variations of churches, denominations, services, worship styles, music styles, and personalities. I believe God is alive and well in all of them. That’s good news. :)

When you walk in the door...

I'm doing a little church hopping lately.  For many different reasons, going to church where I used to work just, well, doesn't work for me anymore.  I am now in the position of "testing out" a bunch of different congregations, hoping to find a place to settle for awhile...or not.  Part of me is really enjoying not getting up on Sunday's and rushing to church.

Anyway, I am, by nature, an introvert and so seriously shy sometimes that going to someplace new totally freaks me out.  Especially if I have to go somewhere alone.  I've had back up (thanks Mom!).  I've also chosen to go to church at places that I know people.  I thought going to places where I know people would make it easier.  So far, I've had interesting results.

At one church we hadn't even walked in the door and we were greeted with exclamations of welcome.  We knew the greeters, we knew some of the people being greeted.  Walking inside the sanctuary I was spotted by three different people, two of whom enveloped me in huge hugs of welcome (we're so excited that you're here!).  After the service several people greeted us, chatted with us and generally made us feel very welcome.

Another Sunday at another church, we walked in the door and a couple of people said hello.  The Pastor was there and shook our hands.  The usher handed us bulletins, while talking with the people gathered around him but there was nothing else said.  During the service we were greeted, because we were instructed to greet people around us and after the service, well, my friend came up and said hello but really no one else.  It was easy to walk out the door feeling disconnected.

Right now, if I had to choose churches just based on how welcoming the people were (and I knew people, many people, at both churches) I would be going to the first church.  Which makes me wonder, how many people walked through the doors of my former church and never felt welcomed or encouraged to come back? How many people walk through the doors of churches every week and never feel like they connect because no one makes the effort to connect with them?  It's something that all churches need to think about.

My experiment will continue.  There are a few more churches that I'm going to visit.  I'll be interested to see what happens when I walk in the door.