Back to Church Sunday (or not!)

We committed to an emphasis for National Back to Church Sunday on 9/25/22 at GCC. We bought banners, paid for a direct mail campaign, printed invitations, prepared greeters and gifts, boosted a Facebook ad, and our attendance was maybe not as good as a regular Sunday of worship.

If I have a Philippians 4:8 mindset, here is what went right, or what I want to keep in mind:

1. Lots of people worked very hard to prepare and were committed to inviting others to church.

2. More facility improvement happened as we prepared.

3. We did have guests!

4. We experimented, and I think experimentation is a healthy congregational behavior.

5. It's okay to want what the early church wanted--rapid Gospel advance--it's a healthy ambition for a church.

6. Events have their place, but there are no magic bullets, and most of our healthy life comes from faithful plodding in good things.

7. I don't want to give in to cynicism. God is at work and He cares more than us.

8. All worthwhile things are difficult and costly.

9. I can't control outcomes and I never want to stoop to manipulation as a church growth tactic.

10. I still believe that mindfulness to be deliberate about inviting people to Christ and Christian community are vital behaviors.

11. It's okay to feel frustrated for a minute--but then move on with a better attitude.

12. Galatians 6:9 and 1 Corinthians 15:58