Category: Uncategorized

Why Pastors Should Keep Track of Weekend Worship Service Attendances*

boy-in-church-RULING

I recently joined a discussion with a few pastors about the importance of tracking weekend worship service attendance.

In our conversation, it seemed everyone agreed that weekend attendance:

  • Is the most obvious measure of success.
  • Is fairly easy to track.
  • Is easily understood by most church leaders.

However, as we were about to move to another topic, one pastor, who may have been playing Devil’s advocate, asked the following question:

How can we justify counting people in our worship services when King David got into so much trouble with the Lord when he conducted a census?  

He was referring to a story in 2 Samuel 24. The scripture indicates that the Lord was angry with Israel and caused the king to want to count the people of Israel and Judah. The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21 actually reports that it was Satan who caused David to take a census. However it took place, it’s possible that David’s sin was not the counting, but pride associated with the numbers. Joab even tried to stop David from ordering the census, saying:

May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now!  But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?  2 Samuel 24:3 NLT

After reading both accounts, it seems that King David might have been:

  • Putting his trust in the numbers of his people rather than in the Lord.
  • Taking his eyes off of the Lord when earthly success seemed evident to all.
  • Stealing the glory of what the Lord had reserved for himself.

Whatever the reason, before the Lord’s punishment of David for the census was completed, a 3 day plague swept through Israel killing 70,000 people. (One could easily wonder how they knew the number of people who perished without enduring more punishment for counting). I’ve made lots of mistakes about lots of things in church work, but never anything that’s caused even one death (that I know of), much less 70,000.

So is it wrong to keep track of your worship service attendances?

Interestingly enough, until that pastor asked that question, I had never compared knowing the attendance in a worship service with King David taking a census of Israel. It could be because many of the churches I attended while growing up posted the weekend attendance in the worship center for everyone to see. Another reason may be because the Bible is filled with examples of people counting.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Here are a few examples:

  • The total number of Jacob’s descendants moving to Egypt was 70 (Exodus 1:5).
  • The Levites killed about 3,000 of the Israelite brothers after the incident with the golden calf(Exodus 32:28).
  • On the day the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, about 40,000 were equipped for war and crossed to the plains of Jericho (Joshua 4:13).
  • The 4th book of the Bible is Numbers.
  • The Lord limited Gideon’s Army to 300 when he attacked the Midianite camp  (Judges 7:1-8).
  • Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen (1 Kings 10:26).
  • Jesus broke bread and fed 5,000 men plus women and children (Mark 6:44) and then later fed about 4,000 men plus women and children (Mark 8:8).
  • On the day of Pentecost, 3000 were added to the number of believers in one day (Acts 2:41).

How did Jacob know he had 70 family members with him when he moved to Egypt? You can bet with a family that large they stopped to count everyone before journeying forward each day.

How did Gideon know the Lord had left him with only 300 men to help in attacking the Midianite camp? Someone must have counted.

How did Jesus and the disciples know that there were 5,000 men present when Jesus broke the bread and fish? One of the disciples must have counted. They would want to know because that’s a whole lot of people to serve even if the food is being miraculously multiplied.

Still not convinced?

I asked my social media friends why it would be important to count worship service attendees each week. Here are a few answers I received.

– Counting your weekly attendance helps you celebrate what the Lord has done and also helps keep you accountable for pastoring the people with whom God has blessed you.

– You count your offering, right? Why wouldn’t you be as faithful with the people resources God has entrusted you with?

– Tracking and then studying the numbers can help you spot trends and know your congregation…  It can also help you see decline before it is full-blown. Numbers in organizations are like numbers on a growth chart for a child in development. They’re indicators of what’s working and what isn’t.

– It can be used for message traction. One church I was in before learned that too much effort went into teaching series openers. There was a large (15%) spike in attendance for the first message compared to the others. It helped us re-tool how the series were put together.

– I’m responsible for the team setting up for communion each month and let me tell you, counting is important. Our church attendance kept rising, but no one ever told me so I didn’t buy enough supplies. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have to tell congregation members they can’t participate in the Lord’s Supper because you’ve run out of juice?

– Being able to look at trends and seeing low attendance periods helps church leadership know when they need to step up marketing, promotions, etc…  It also helps to know that sometimes a slump is just prime vacation time.

While being surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses to the benefits of tracking attendance, I must say that keeping track of worship service attendance numbers is not only beneficial, but is an absolute must for any pastor desiring to serve and lead in a thriving, healthy ministry.

All this being said, here are some practical steps to remember when keeping track of attendance:

1.  Tell the truth. If all of your attendance numbers begin with the phrase Evangelistically speaking we had… something needs to change. Lying about your attendance is like cheating on your eye exam. You’re only hurting yourself.

2.  Count in the second half of the service. It’s my experience that the number of people you have in the building at the beginning of your service is no indication of how will be there by the end of the service. (This is a different problem for a different article). For accuracy, have someone count in the second half of the sermon. People are normally seated during this time and they’re easier to count anyway.

3.  Create an easily accessible graph for your own reference. Doing so will allow you to compare attendances quickly and efficiently.

4.  Compare attendances from season to season, year to year, and finally Sunday to Sunday. Consider the why’s regarding your trends.

willie_nelson_300-ce334a713e79fc578ae600e305ad72bc67b5be21-s6-c30

Willie Nelson once said When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. It’s uncertain if keeping track of your ongoing weekend church attendance will turn your life around. However, it is certain that those you are counting are God’s blessings for you to evangelize, disciple, and lead.


Happy counting!  

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , 2 Comments

The Culprit In The Sanctuary

soundboard

“There must be a culprit in the sanctuary,” I thought.

The video equipment had been set up and taken down by the same faithful volunteers for close to a year and a half without any problem. Now, each week, throughout the service, the video system would suddenly lose connection for a second or two and then return to normal. It started happening once every five minutes or so, then the problem grew steadily worse.

Pastors, leaders, technicians, and volunteers were all baffled over the situation. Over the course of several weeks, different teams tried updating the presentation system, double checking the connections, updating the computer, using different computers, checking the multiple adapters, replacing a converter, checking the temperature of the equipment, and checking the stress on the cabling, all to no avail.

In the end, I wondered, “Could someone be sabotaging the system?”

Finally, the entire system was setup during the week by a small group, determined to double check every connection until the issue was discovered. However, when everything was setup, the problem could not be reproduced.

Fortunately, one of the team members received a text message, and the problem occurred. Testing a theory, he sent a text message, and the disconnect happened again. Then, the technicians realized that a phone could simply be placed near certain connection points and the glitch would occur. The team found a thicker, more insulated cable and retested the system, placing cell phones over the cables and sending text messages back and forth.

No glitch.

The culprit in the sanctuary had been found. Unseen frequencies, which had previously not been released for cell phone use, had been steadily increasing in the room as people had updated their phones, thereby causing problems in the wired video equipment.

Crazy, right?

Thank the Lord we were able to purchase higher grade, better insulated cables. We would have hated to make everyone check their cell phone at the door.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

What Christians Can Learn From The Life of Prince

Purple

As a teenager, I had a love hate relationship with Prince’s art. I never saw Purple Rain, but I knew every lyric on the soundtrack. However, I was once so convicted when I caught myself singing some of his unsavory lyrics by my high school locker that I pulled all of the tape from the cassette (yes, I’m old) and burned it in our fireplace.

But now, hearing of his death, decades away from that moment, I find myself once again perplexed by this man, but for a different reason.

In his song Raspberry Beret, Prince states his boss, Mr. McGee, didn’t like his kind because he was a bit too leisurely. That’s an interesting line in the song, but apparently, the opposite was true of Prince. He worked hard, writing songs and recording music at all hours of the day and night. He was known for waking up sound engineers in the middle of the night, requesting they come right away to record a song he had just perfected.

I read yesterday that Prince has a vault with so much unreleased recorded music that if his estate were to release one album per year of completely original music that the world could have new Prince albums for the next 100 years. If an average album has twelve songs, that means he could have around 1200 unreleased songs.

Prince apparently was never really known for doing something close to nothing.

In the book of Colossians, Paul encourages Christians to work hard as well. He writes, Work willlingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

At the end of our lives, we may not have a century’s worth of unreleased recorded music, but if we serve God faithfully and do the work he’s called us to do, we’ll have something even better, the pleasure of our Lord and Master.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Discipline, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , 2 Comments

My Favorite Illustration Giving Talk

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

One purpose of the offering introduction, or giving talk, in a Christian worship service is for ongoing stewardship education. Those words may sound dry, but the giving talk doesn’t have to be. In fact, the more interesting a giving talk is, the more likely the listener is to hear the point and apply it to his own life. In this type of giving talk, illustrations are important because they draw the people in.

Here is my favorite illustration giving talk I’ve seen to date:

Illustration Giving Talk – Wind Farms

We’re about to receive our offering. Many of you have already given online and we appreciate that. While the rest of us prepare to give and our ushers prepare to receive, I like to show you a picture.

(Show picture of wind farm)

wind-farm-hero

Wind farms like these now produce almost 3% of the world’s energy. Many of you have probably seen farms like these in your travels.

Have you ever wondered how windmills are able to capture the wind’s energy? Here’s a brief explanation: A wind turbine blade works like an airplane wing. Blowing air passes around both sides of the uniquely shaped blade. The uneven pressure around the blade then causes it to spin. The blades are attached to a shaft, which turns about 18 revolutions per minute. This doesn’t seem like much, however the shaft is connected to a series of gears, which increases the movement to about 1800 revolutions per minute. At that speed, a generator can produce a lot of electricity as long as the wind is consistent.

You may be thinking, “This is all very interesting, but what does that have to do with my offering?” Sometimes, people think that the amount they give can’t make much of a difference. Like the large shaft that only turns 18 times a minute, it seems like their gift is insignificant. However, God blesses the offerings given by people and allows the church to connect them with the gifts of others, multiplying it a thousand times over in various ways that then produce amazing results.

However, as with the wind and the windmill, the secret to this occurring is faithful and consistent giving.

Let’s pray.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing examples of giving talks which serve other purposes. I hope you will join me. In the meantime, if you have a favorite giving talk, feel free to comment or contact me personally.

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Difference Makers, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Tribute to W.O. Traywick

IMG_4947

One of my favorite people on the planet, W.O. Traywick, passed away on March 14th.

When I first met Mr. Traywick, he scared me to death. I was short for my age while he was a man of great stature with a strong deep voice. Even though he wore large, thick glasses, he had the ability to stare into your very soul. He was a staunch Democrat who taught Civics to me, a young Republican, during the Reagan Administration. 

Mr. Traywick also had a reputation of being good with a paddle. When he took a student into the hall for a discipline session, the entire school heard and counted the licks. One year, the school paper even dedicated the Dazz Band song Let It Whip exclusively to him.

By the end of my high school career, I had taken Public Speaking, Drama, Civics, and U.S. History from Mr. Traywick. I also had the honor of acting in nine plays he directed, including the classics Our Town and The Crucible. Later, when I had the opportunity to act in my first play at Ouachita Baptist University, his alma mater, he brought a group of students to watch. That meant so much to me.

IMG_4944

Mr. Traywick also served in the youth ministry at First Baptist Church, where I was a member. He once taught us about John the Baptist by serving us actual locusts dipped in honey as our refreshments. He taught my Sunday School class for a couple of years and once helped me clean the floor after I had vomited in front of my friends. That summer, on the night I made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Mr. Traywick prayed with me. I’ll never forget that.

Years later, long after Mr. Traywick’s retirement, I visited him in the hospital, hoping to bring him some form of comfort. Instead, I was the one who was encouraged. From his hospital bed, in a voice that wasn’t nearly as deep as I remembered, he told me he was proud of the man I had become.

William Arthur Ward once said, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

Winifred Otis Traywick was a great teacher. He inspired me and for that I will always be grateful.

by Categories: Difference Makers, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , 5 Comments

3 Steps For Improving Spoken Transitions

 

photo courtesy of Unsplash - Lee Miller

It was the early 90’s. I had big hair, a mustache, and huge shoulder pads in my sports jacket. In our musical worship set, I was verbally transitioning to the old praise song Behold the Lamb. I had planned to share about how John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

However, in the moment, the transition was going well, so I took it further than I had planned. Big mistake.

Here’s what I said:

“Jesus is the Lamb of God. He’s the only person who has ever lived who has lived a totally sinful life.”

And then, without realizing my mistake, I said it once again.

Spoken transitions, no matter where they fall, are extremely important for the flow of a worship service. If one goes badly, the worship leader or preaching pastor may never fully re-engage the people.

Here are 3 steps I believe can help us all improve our spoken transitions:

Think. Take time to think about what you are really trying to accomplish. Think about the words you are going to say. Think about the people who will be hearing your words. Think about what is coming after the transition.

Script. Take time to write out what you are going to say. Then, tighten it up by shortening it as much as possible. Remove unnecessary or repeated words and phrases.

Practice. Take time to rehearse what you’ve scripted out. Start by reading your what you’ve written aloud. Chances are, you’ll make a small adjustment or two. Then, stand in front of a mirror and practice until what you are saying feels more natural to you.

These 3 steps all have two words in common.

Take Time.

If something is worth being said, it’s worth taking the necessary time to make it as good as possible. Hopefully, by doing so, you can avoid telling your congregation that Jesus lived a sinful life.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

(Photos courtesy of Unsplash.com)

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Why I Continue This Blog

photo- courtesy of Unsplash - photo by Greg Rakozy

In the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, 9 nine year old Oscar says that people often treat other people like numbers, but that people aren’t like numbers at all. Instead, they are like letters because letters can tell stories.  I quite agree.

I love stories.

I’ve been in church ministry for almost 30 years, serving in churches ranging in size from 5 to 5,000. During that time, I’ve made my share of mistakes, I’ve worked with some great teams, I’ve met my share of jerks, and I’ve experienced some tremendous victories while enduring some gut wrenching losses.

Through it all, I’ve discovered that the stories are what I remember most. Stories are what help me strive to do better in what I do.

And everyone is either the subject of a story, has their own story to tell, or both.

In my blog, I’ve told lots of stories, hopefully helping others in church ministry, particularly worship ministry, in practical ways. Hopefully, these stories will better enable us all to better serve our Lord Jesus, the greatest storyteller of them all.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , 2 Comments

One of the Most Important Weekly Investments For Pastors, Worship Leaders, Speakers, and Prayer Counselors

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

Churches spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars on quality sound systems and hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars on worship facilities. Worship leaders and speakers also often invest thousands of dollars in training, instruments, and resources, not to mention countless hours in sermon preparation, worship rehearsals, worship planning, and prayer. All of this time and money is dedicated to honoring the Lord, reaching the lost, and empowering the church.

However, one small weekly personal investment can help pastors and worship leaders when it comes time to make real connections with people.

Gum.

No matter how great our upfront preparation is and will be, if we speak personally with people and they are offended by our breath, we will lose vital opportunities to share the gospel, encourage the timid, or recruit vital leaders and volunteers.

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Difference Makers, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

Prayer Service Outline Built Around the Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

IMG_4157

Last night, our church had a special time of prayer and worship in conjunction with our January Prayer and Fasting Emphasis. It was a powerful time of worship, reflection, confession, and intercession. As is usual with these types of services, we tend to go off script from time to time, so we use these outlines as a guide and ask the Lord to guide us and lead us accordingly.

I hope this outline blesses you and your churches. If you have similar (or different) outlines, please share them with me so our church can benefit from your experience.

Prayer Service Outline

Opening 

  • 2-3 Song Worship Set
  • Welcome and Offering Prayer
  • Offering as service continues

AFFIRMING GOD’S GREATNESS Section

  • Read Matthew 6:9 – “Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
  • Comment personally upon the scripture.
  • Direct the people to spend a moment in personal prayer, instructing them to acknowledge the Greatness of the Lord.
  • Pray for the people before the worship music continues.

Song about the Holiness/Greatness of God

  • Suggested song: Glorious by Bryan and Katie Torwalt

SUBMITTING TO GOD’S WILL Section

  • Read Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Ask the people to pray for God’s will to be done. Ask them to think about how often they really pray for God’s will to be done.
  • Direct the people to get into small groups where they pray for God’s will to be done in the lives of others in the group.
  • Pray for God’s will to be done in our church, in your campus, and in the lives of those present.

Song About God’s Will or His Wisdom

  • Suggested song: God I Look to You – Bethel Music

REQUESTING GOD’S PROVISION Section

  • Read Matthew 6:11 – “Give us this day our daily bread…”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Instruct the people to think of one area of their lives where they need God’s provision. Direct them to pray and ask God for His provision in this area.
  • Ask another pastor, elder, deacon, or life group leader to pray for the needs of the people.

Song About God’s Provision, Blessings, or Care

  • Suggested song: Good Good Father – Housefires

ASKING FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS Section

    • Read Matthew 6:12 – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Direct the people to pull out a blank sheet of paper (which we’ll need to provide). Have them draw a line down the middle of the paper creating two sections. At the top of the first section, have them write “My Sins.” At the top of the second section, have them write “Sins against me.” Give them 60-90 seconds to create a short list of their own sins in the first section. Then, give them 60 – 90 seconds to create a list of those who have sinned against them.
  • Lead Then, lead the people in a prayer where they ask forgiveness for their own sins and grant forgiveness to those who have sinned against them.

Song About the Forgiveness of God

  • Suggested song: How Can It Be- Lauren Daigle 

PRAISING GOD FOR HIS GUIDANCE Section

    • Read Matthew 6:13 – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Recite the model prayer with your people and comment on what it means.
  • Upbeat Closing Prayer by Campus Pastor praising God for who He is, all He has done, and all He will do.
  • Upbeat Closing Praise Suggested Song –

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

What’s Your Worship Vibe?

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

At a conference this past week in another city, a guy asked a group of us, “So, what’s your worship vibe?”

“Excuse me?” I asked. “What’s our vibe?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Who are you trying to be like?”

“We’re trying to be like Jesus,” said one of my co-workers.

“Yeah, I know that,” he said, “But what other churches are you trying to be like? Are you trying to be like Hillsong or Gateway or Church on the Move? Are you trying to be like Charismatic Baptists or Evangelicals with a Spirit-Filled vibe…”

“A Spirit-Filled vibe?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be real, it just has to seem like it.”

“Do you serve at a church?” I asked.

“Me, ah, no, I run a Christian magazine and I’m leading a break-out tomorrow.”

“Really?” I asked. “What’s the name of that breakout?”

He told us the name and I made a mental note not to attend.

Just for the record, serving in worship and church ministry is not about a vibe. It’s not about trying to be like Hillsong or Gateway or Fellowship or First Baptist or LifeChurch or Mosaic or First Assembly Anywhere.

Not that there’s anything wrong with them.

Those churches have to be who God called them to be. And every other church has to be who God called them to be.

And that’s ok.

You see, worship is not about suits and ties and formal wear. It’s not about skinny jeans and feminine shoes. It’s not about hymnals or projectors or candles or stained glass or hard pews or theater seating.

It’s about Jesus.

He is the One we should be trying to emulate.

And living that out is so much more than a vibe.

 

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com)

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Difference Makers, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , 5 Comments