Church Visitor Retention: White Elephants

Church Visitor Retention: White Elephants

#church #white elephants #visitor retention

Is there a white elephant in your church? Maybe several?

Do white elephants affect church guests for whether or not they return to visit?

What are white elephants?

What Are White Elephants? I know two categories of white elephants: (1) holiday white elephants and (2) church white elephants.

Holiday White Elephants. Ever go to a white elephant Christmas party? Usually the party-goers bring a nicely wrapped gift that looks great on the outside, but inside is an object that the giver finds utterly useless and laughable. The thing that (s)he wants to get RID of!

Church White Elephants. Have you ever heard anyone say, "There is no perfect church!" Well of course, because church is attended by imperfect people. I have heard people laughingly joke that if you find a perfect church, do not go in it because it will no longer be perfect! Usually, when church is joked about in this manner, it is because there is a white elephant (or maybe several) inside the church. You know, a certain problem (or problems) that everyone realizes is present, but NO ONE talks about it. That's a white elephant!

Church Examples. The first real church example, on the surface, seems to be spiritual. Church members are concerned because they are losing members to nearby churches. They once were the largest, most on-fire church in town. Now they are just treading water while nearby churches have vision, direction, energy, and momentum. Members have been drawn to these other churches. Theologically, they believe that God would never allow anyone to go to hell. In fact, if you ask, they tell you that they have never met an unsaved person. Hence, they do no outreach into their surrounding area. The pastor of this church is the feminine gender, schooled and ordained by their denomination. Sermons given are those published by the denomination. There is an elder board of mostly Yes people, and one elder who is not afraid to discuss problems. What is their white elephant? Are there more than one?

The second real church example, on the surface, seems to be administrative. Strong believers come for a while, but eventually leave, in search of something more. Attrition is high, perhaps 75% or higher over the last 5-10 years. The church's dual pastorate is a couple, husband and wife, and the church is non-denominational. They rationalize attrition as "the Lord's pruning" to get the church ready for a higher spiritual level. One will usually hear, "The sermons are great, but…" "The pastors are wonderfully dedicated, but…" What is not being said may be key to the attrition problem. Whenever any problem is brought up, the pastors answer with, "We feel certain we are following the "rhema" Word of God and therefore are doing nothing wrong." There are no recognized elders or deacons. Pastoral and administrative decisions are made by consulting one other trusted couple. Different programs have been tried through the years, but eventually fizzle due to unfocused administration. The church is generally unstructured. Hence, they have no outreach into their surrounding area. They pray for "drive-bys" to unexpectedly drop in for church. What is their white elephant? Are there more than one?

How White Elephants Exist. I have seen white elephants happily exist for years. I have run across white elephants in churches, schools, and even businesses. They quite successfully thrive in closed settings. White elephants are deafening in their silence as they are swept under rugs.

White Elephant Solution. A GREAT solution to white elephants is communication! Communication that is open, wholesome discussion, open-minded, honest, humble, gracious, patient, and free of defensiveness and reprimand, or negative emotions of any kind. In short, positively and proactively transparent. Every church should have a White Elephant Room, that is open to anyone on a regular schedule, attended by pastors, elders, deacons, and anyone else the Word of God describes as church leadership. White Elephant Rooms should begin with prayer and end with prayer. All leaders should be willing and lovingly open to receive anyone who comes through the door. All problems or complaints should be received as having legitimate validity, and the person presenting the problem accepted as a valuable contributor. BTW, any recitation of any problem is a reverse suggestion of how a resolution can be achieved. All solutions arrived at should be based on mutual consent of all parties concerned. This white elephant room should be so superior in wisdom and so trusted in fairness and openness, that even legal matters can be brought for resolution, as spoken of in Corinthians in the Bible. These are the beginnings of original and true ecclesia as practiced by the first century church.

Total Church Evaluation. The white elephant room is a great place for total church evaluation. Assessment is the success of any organization. Assessment reveals what is happening well, what is weak, and what is non-existent. Any weakness can be turned into a strength through broadening strengths to overtake them. There is wisdom in a multitude of counselors, and in the church, there are those with spiritual wisdom and elder qualities. (Article cont'd.)

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Church Visitor Retention Introductory Webinar — Honor your visitors as Guests!

Pastor W. joined the Kingdom Visitor Retention Program and gave it one of its greatest compliments. (Actually the compliment doesn't really go to the VRP program or its instructors, but to Pastor W. himself and his church.) About half way through the program, he commented that he had been attempting to educate his church into doing outreach and had been unsuccessful for over 10 years. But upon taking his church through the friendliness exercises, they became very friendly with visitors on the inside. Friendliness became very comfortable to do. With natural ease, they took their friendliness to the sidewalks outside the church. And voila, just like that, the whole church started doing outreach! The community was all buzzing over the changes in his church. In a few short weeks, the VRP program did what a decade of sermons was attempting to do!

Church Visitor Retention Introductory Webinar — Honor your visitors as Guests!

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(Article cont'd.)

The Kingdom Solution. We here at Kingdom have written a curriculum called the Visitor Retention Program. I know all about this program because I have been one of its instructors for the last 3 years since it began. The VRP program begins with assessing how well your church is organized concerning receiving and retaining visitors, and session by session for 12 of them, evaluates every critical ministry to reveal all your strengths and weaknesses. Open and honest communication ensues. Lots of information is presented on how weaknesses can be transformed into strengths, and how all affects visitors, regular church members, and surrounding communities. In short, your church people become so well schooled in 5-star friendliness and service within that they automatically begin to do it on the outside (outreach).

Positively or Negatively, You ARE Talked About. How would you like your church to become an outstanding beacon and well connected with your community? How would you like realtors to say to prospective home buyers, "You've got to buy a home near that particular church and become part of it, because what they do for our community is outstanding!!!"? Anyone can recognize lower levels of excellence such as mediocrity and poor, but can you tell me where the boundaries of the highest levels are? Our VRP program leads you on the path of never-ending excellence!

Happy Sheep are Incurable Talkers. Did you know that happy sheep are incurable talkers? The sad thing about the two churches described above is that their communities know all about their white elephants. They are much talked about outside the churches. I've overheard these conversations. Their white elephants are as plain to believers, unsaved, and unchurched alike as if they are painted on their outside church walls and on billboards around town. Conversely, what if your church was so positive and proactive that your members COULDN'T HELP but brag about being a member?

You CAN have both! Both insiders and outsiders bragging about your church. Which means they're bragging on God! WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Experience Kingdom's Introductory VRP Webinar!

EXPERIENCE KINGDOM'S CHURCH VISITOR RETENTION INTRODUCTORY WEBINAR — Visitor Retention Program — Honor your visitors as Guests!

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Church Visitor Retention: White Elephants

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