Be sure and listen to the great songs to lift your spirit
In previous articles I have written about some little things that visitors will not overlook, and pastors do so to their own peril. In this blog we will deal with four very important things that one cannot afford to overlook.
The first of these is the sound system. I have been in the ministry long enough to know, that if anything drives a pastor to the edge of insanity, it is the church sound system. The pastor is responsible to inform those in charge where the volume is to be set. This decision cannot be left to anyone else.
I visited a large church recently, and after the service, I received a copy of the service on DVD. That morning, a trio was singing. They were accompanied by a guitarist, who did a superb job. However, when I got home and played the DVD, the mikes for the trio were not on. All I heard was a guitar solo. These kinds of mistakes should not happen. This was human error, and visitors have a different view of it than old church members.
Train workers how to operate the equipment. Once the sound and dials are set, they should keep their hands off them. It would be wonderful if you could convince visitors to lay the blame at the feet of the sound operators, however, they will not. It will be laid on the pastor.
A second area of embarrassment is in the matter of song books. I know of nothing worse than asking people to turn to a page in the hymnal, and then discovering there aren’t enough available. This may seem like a small matter, but believe me it is not. That is just another reason the songs should be projected by Power Point, if possible. The pastor must walk around and see that each area has an adequate number of books, and they should be in good condition.
The same thing said about song books, could be said of Bibles. If you have unsaved guest coming to your church, the odds are, they do not have a Bible. Make sure Bibles are also in the pews. Inspect them to see that they are in good condition.
If a church is serious about reaching the lost, they must insure that Response Cards are provided. These cards should be designed to, not only communicate with visitors, but they should provide for members as well. I suggest that the cards be filled out by members and visitors. Visitors should not be pointed out, or ask to introduce themselves.
The card should be filled out just before the sermon, and completed at the end of the sermon. People will indicate their response to the sermon on the card. After the cards are filled out, the offering should be taken and the cards placed in the offering plate. These cards should cover every need your people might have. Contact Pastor Jason Murphy for card temples ,and how to make them work in your church. (http://www.opendoorbaptist.com/index.aspx.)
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.