How aware are you of your church’s vibe?
In bringing people who are estranged from God back to Him, there are only two ways we approach that: we either attract them or we go find them. Dave Workman Click To Tweet
And if we do this in the context of a community of believers, we either create environments designed to attract people and/or we develop missional or incarnational communities embedded in the area that we want to reach. And frankly, both approaches are closely joined at the hip.
Let’s think both/and for a few moments.
Consider your own neighborhood. When you first moved into your neighborhood, you probably didn’t knock on your neighbors’ doors to tell them they were going to hell. More than likely, you began “get-to-know-them” conversations while cutting the grass or washing your car. And then perhaps you invited them over to grill out. Maybe you took a big risk and even started an “explorers” Bible study. Regardless, you thought about your environment—probably straightened up the house, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, baked some great-smelling brownies, or picked up some decent wine and brie. Whatever. You invited them into your family’s emotional field.
In many ways, you were first wanting to win them to yourself…so they might know you’re fairly normal and to earn enough relational capital to share the most important thing in your life: your story and how it connects with God’s.
It wasn’t about making them an evangelistic project. That’s creepy. But it was all about love; you were genuinely caring for them…and motivated by the Holy Spirit to share the Best News of the Universe: that God loves them and was offering amnesty…that heaven had invaded earth.
Atmosphere + Culture = Vibe
But what never fails to baffle me is how often many pastors ever give a moment’s thought about the atmosphere of their church environments. Or their church’s culture…and how that’s expressed. We’re inviting people into our “family’s” emotional field.
It’s the vibe. Vibe is a term jazz musicians used for years about the feel music has to have.
It’s all about atmosphere…it’s what others feel as you do business. You can play the right notes with the hippest players on the best equipment but not have any vibe. It just doesn’t feel right.
Or imagine going to two different parties in one night. Both of them have the same elements: food, friends and music. But one of them is a total drag and feels draining…while the other one is a blast and energizing. Chances are pretty good we’ll avoid the former party at that place the next time. Vibe is critical.
Every organization has a vibe.
Families have a vibe. You can spend a few minutes in a home and quickly pick up that this family does not have a lot of fun together…or this family is so unstructured nothing is ever accomplished…or so structured that creativity is choked. If the atmosphere were such that I prefer not visiting that house again, I would say there is no vibe, at least a good one.
Every church has a vibe as well.
Your church’s atmosphere is charged with something…or nothing. What is the vibe of your church when a new person walks in?
Q. When was the last time you assessed your church’s vibe?
