When Stephen Colbert comes out on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater, there is no one in the audience that doesn’t know who he is. Yet, his first words every night are “Welcome to The Late Show. I am your host Stephen Colbert.”
Curiously, as I visit local churches, I find that almost no one introduces himself / herself to the congregation. Yes, I know, you are pretty sure that everyone in those pews has been there several hundred times and knows who is speaking to them, so there is little need to introduce yourself to them. It almost seems exceedingly formal to bother.
Let me invite you to reconsider. Why? One basic principle of church growth is that there are two congregations you must address constantly: the repeat attenders and the first-timers. Everything we do must address both groups. If we address only one group, we risk losing the other one.
We should always assume that there is someone in church who has no idea what is going on. They have never been to a worship service, they don’t know anyone, they don’t know the songs, the tunes, the Lord’s prayer, or even who Gloria Patri is, (and is Patri short for Patricia, and why does she have two first names?)
Consider how helpful it would be for new visitors if everyone who addresses the congregation for the first time in that worship event introducee himself / herself first:
“Good morning! I am Lucy Liturgist and I will be leading some of the worship this morning. Will those who are able please stand and join me in the Call to Worship?”
“Good morning! I am Paula Pleasing and I am the director of programming. Let me take a few moments to share with you some upcoming events in our church.”
“Good morning! I am Pastor Prime, the Senior Pastor here at St. Paul’s by-the-gas-station. Would you join me in a time of prayer?”
“Good morning! I am Pastor Vari Jung, the Youth Director of our church. Would the children come down and join me for a Children’s moment?”
You get the idea. Current members will not even notice the introduction, they will have heard it many times. But new attenders will notice and be grateful for the introduction, even if the bulletin already has names in it. They will feel much more comfortable knowing who is speaking and his / her role in the service and the church.
This simple action by your staff and key volunteers makes your church much more accessible to new people visiting your worship service. If they didn’t catch the name the first week, they will hear it again the next week and grow more comfortable each week.
It is terribly easy to forget to do introductions, and it can become a sloppy habit. When a Senior Pastor stands up early in the service and fails to identify him/her-self it tells a new person that this is a congregation that doesn’t expect new visitors and it may be that new people are not really encouraged to engage the current membership. But it is easy to start up again and encourage your staff and key worship leaders to do the same.
This should be done at every event held at the church: Vacation Bible School, Senior luncheons, jazz vespers, preschool parent meetings, etc.
This simple act will make your new visitors feel much more comfortable at all of your events, and especially Sunday worship. It will also help them to feel more familiar with the key leaders in your church, making it far easier to become a regular attender and member.