Planning Your Easter Service

[John Dobbs]

Should the Easter service be the extravaganza of the year? Not according to Searcy. "If you pique people's interest with an out of the ordinary Easter service, you are setting them up for disappointment when things go back to normal the following week."

He suggests that the regular preacher preach, the regular worship leader lead. 

I know some are planning special services.

What would you say to Searcy about his perspective?

John

[john alan turner]

There's a wise, old adage that may apply here: "What you win 'em with is what you win 'em to."

[John Dobbs]

Amen JAT!

john alan turner said:

There's a wise, old adage that may apply here: "What you win 'em with is what you win 'em to."

[James Nored]

Very true, John Alan. The question that has been asked in the missional/attractional debate is, can you start a church attractionally and then make it missional?

I'm not really comfortable with a pure divide like this, and missional--while it can certainly be a strategy--is fundamentally a theological understanding. Yes, there is an outward thrust to the church, and Jesus left heaven to come to earth. I am for the primary strategy of outreach to be going out, literally. But there were many things that Jesus did that others found "attractive" and drew people to him, such as his healings and feedings. I consider myself in the missional movement and strongly believe in its theological underpinnings. However, some of my missional friends seem to think that any inviting of people to worship is somehow not good. By this reasoning, inviting someone to our home be attractional and therefore bad--you would have to only go to their home to be missional.

It is not solely the physical location that determines whether something is missional. It is more of a theological mindset that has strong strategic implications than a strategy on its own. I would say that inviting the unchurched to worship is never a bad thing to do. We are sending out a 15,000 piece mailer to Easter, and will be giving our members 2000 cards to use to personally invite people to come. I think that the main thing that needs to be watched against is what the message is in the invitation. Are we trying to get people to switch churches, telling them that they can get a better product with us? Or are we inviting them to experience the love and joy of the Christian fellowship and gospel message, which includes a radical call to discipleship?



john alan turner said:

There's a wise, old adage that may apply here: "What you win 'em with is what you win 'em to."

[James Nored]

John, I am planning on having our regular guy preach. That way they won't be disappointed the week after Easter. They know what they'll be getting! :)