Friday, October 31, 2008

All Star Survey .. Part II

Another thing we saw on several surveys had to do with music. A number of people yearn for the traditional hymns.

When we decided several years ago to try to reach people who weren't already in church, one of the major changes had to do with our worship style, and music in particular. Study after study, plus personal experience, tell us that unchurched people are uncomfortable with traditional hymns and church music styles- they simply don't get it.

Our music is chosen to be both doctrinally sound and in a style that will appeal to a wide variety of the people in our community. It is more a "rock band with horns" sound, with prominent drums and bass. it's uptempo and takes advantage of the outstanding musicians and singers God has sent us.

Remember, our Sunday Worship Gatherings are primarily "living room" environments- a place an unchurched visitor can feel comfortable and welcome. It is designed for those folks, the outsiders, not so much for insiders.

Load your favorite style in your iPod, but celebrate Sundays with a style that will appeal to the people we are trying to reach with the all-important message of the Gospel.

Hal Hunter

Saturday, October 25, 2008

All Star Survey.. Part I

We have carefully reviewed all of the All Star Surveys. If you haven't already participated, you can click here to complete the survey.

We are going to use this blog to discuss some of the results.

Several people mentioned they thought we ought to be be doing an invitation or altar call. First, we may need to explain what this is for those who didn't grow up in a church that does this.

An altar call or invitation is usually given at the end of the service. The pastor invites people who have made a spiritual decision to come forward. It is usually accompanied by music, lasts several minutes to perhaps ten minutes, with periodic exhortations from the pastor to those who may be considering a decision.

We stopped doing a traditional invitation several years ago, and we did it for several good reasons.
  • There is no Scriptural mandate for it- it is first documented being used in a form we would recognize today during what is known as The Second Great Awakening, a great period of revival that began in the 1820's.
  • Many people find it intimidating to respond to a spiritual call in the presence of what might be hundreds of strangers. Remember, public speaking or doing something in fron of a crowd, is one of the greatest fears of most people.
  • It can lead to "emotional" responses, rather than genuine responses to the Holy Spirit.
In fact, at the end of every Worship Gathering, people are invited to talk to Pastor Ken, me, or a member of the Prayer Team. Also, we encourage people to contact us by telephone, email, or to come by the office during the week.

Almost every week we speak at length with someone who has questions or who has made a spiritual decision of some type. We are not missing opportunities by not doing an invitation- we are simply eliminating the intimidation factor.

Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

HVAC update

A week has now passed since the air conditioners were looted for copper. We thought maybe an update would be appreciated.

Q- Have the police caught anyone?
A- No; and they are not likely to. We are told this is a very common and wide-spread crime, but our police are already stretched thin and not able to give a lot of manpower to a non-violent crime when people are being murdered in our community almost every day. Pray for both situations.

Q- Are the repairs done?
A- About 85% as of today, and almost certainly will be 100% by this weekend.

Q- What has this all cost?
A- The damages have totaled just over $52,000 so far. Almost all of this has been paid by insurance. However, some additional costs will not be covered by insurance, and will eventually come to $4,000 or more.

Q- What are we doing to prevent this from happening again?
A- We are having alarms installed on all the equipment- this accounts for much of the additional cost. We are also increasing the amount of security lighting, adding some locks and taking some other steps we would rather not discuss publicly to discourage a repeat.

Q- What can I do to help?
A- Prayerfully consider your financial support to the church. With our already under-funded budget, this makes things even more difficult.

Hal Hunter
Administrator