Priorities

A common statement I hear from church folk is if we had more programs people would come - the whole field of dreams philosophy. And while in theory this works people forget that's more to having programs in a congregation. It takes time, money and talent. And when I say time and talent I'm not just saying that it's the minister's responsibility. I've seen that the biggest complainers about lack of programming are the ones who don't show up to things most of the time. I've heard the excuses "they had soccer, band, ROTC" the list goes on and on. I'd hate to tell people this but with the rise of social media and when your whole family are my friends I know that you are not busy with those things every weekend. You just choose not to show up. And when you choose not to show up that's when the frustration kicks in. Think about it...most people don't like to work hard to create a program to not have people to show up. Why is it okay to think that your pastor is above that? If we plan for 20 and only get 2 it's very frustrating. And all too often our job performance has attendance used as part of defining if we're being effective or not. When did activities in congregations become dependant solely on the pastor. Lets think about it...if you want there to be programs then 1) you need to show up and 2) you need to support it. If you think that programs will bring in people then you need to show up to them. New people don't want to sit in an empty room. This all really comes down to priorities...if you think things are so important then make it priority. Otherwise you need to rethink how you evaluate others and your congregation because the problem is not just with your pastor.