Grace Community Christian Church

 

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Three Minute Rule (4/6/04)

Well, we did it! Wasn't it great to see so many people in church this past weekend?! I believe it's the first time in over a year that we've broken through 100! So many of you commented on just how good it was to see our service so full! Numbers certainly aren't everything, but they are something, & they certainly can be encouraging! More people on a Sunday morning means more people searching for answers to questions, more people looking for hope, more people wondering if maybe this church will be different.

This is probably a good time for me to suggest that those of us who are members or regular attenders try to remember what someone has called the "Three-Minute Rule." This rule simply states that as soon as our morning service concludes, I will do my best to talk only to people I don't know, or don't know well.

You see, although most guests decide within seven minutes whether or not they'll return to a church, the last five minutes often reinforces that decision. If noone takes the initiative to talk to them, they walk out feeling very unwelcome & unwanted. Not everyone is going to be like Michele Doyle, who bounced in here a few weeks ago & went up to people announcing, "Hi, I'm Michele, & I want to get involved around here. Who are you, & where can I plug in?!" She made it very easy for us to get to know her. But she's also very rare.

Those of us already on the "inside" here like talking with other "insiders" about all sorts of stuff: catching up on personal news, kidding each other about sports events, sharing serious prayer concerns, coordinating ministry stuff. We're all busy, we all like each other, & we just enjoy the interactive aspect of our church life. But that very same positive can be a negative for someone who's standing around, silently wishing, "Will anyone take an interest in me?"

The stuff we call "fellowship" is essential, & satisfying. I'm not suggesting for a moment that we do away with any of it. Just postpone it for three minutes! Before you walk through the door on Sunday morning, remind yourself, "It's not all about me! There are people here experiencing God for maybe the first time in a long time. God, help me be sensitive & open to them!" (I'm not asking you to mug anyone, just to at least shake their hand, & maybe even engage them in conversation. They'll make it clear how far they're willing to go with you.)

How about this for a new Sunday morning motto? "Enter a Stranger, Leave a Friend!"

Leroy Lawson says the church is the only institution in the world that exists primarily for the benefit of non-members. Your keeping that in mind for three minutes every Sunday just may make the difference in someone's life for all of eternity!


Jim Dewar --