Dear Bearcreekians,

Leadership Network did a survey of several large congregations. One of the results was that there are at least five different paths in moving from spectator to participant an attendee at worship will take:

1. Inward sense of call or spiritual prompt 22%
2. Personal invite from someone I knew 18%
3. I took initiative to look for opportunity 11%
4. General announcement 9%
5. Personal invite from someone I did not know 4%

As I said, this was with large (over 400 in worship) congregations, so I don’t know if it applies to us. But as we think about how we help each other “move toward being completed in the love of God,” i.e. being on the discipleship road, I found it very helpful.

1. Most folks choose to move into a deeper discipleship because they are prompted in that direction by God. We can help each other by helping to listen to God speak in our lives. The time of silence may be the most important part of worship.
2. Nearly as many folks move to a deeper relationship with God because someone asks. We can help each other deepen the relationship with God by asking each other to discipleship when we discern such an ask is God’s desire. This means we need to listen not for God’s movement in our lives, but in the lives of others.
3. Fewer folks actually go looking for an opportunity. We live busy lives and, unless they are somehow interrupted, we do not look for something new to do, even if it is worship, study or service.
4. General announcements and invites from strangers move a puny 13% of folks into discipleship participation. This would seem obvious since there is no real relationship in an announcement or a stranger’s ask.

So in the end, what matters for us and the salvation of the world is our relationship with God and each other. But we knew that.

Shalom, Dave O