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(I wrote this under the influence of
Carl Varnell's article "Faith Promise: How It Compares With Other
Methods of Missionary Support," in Forward (October-December, 1996,
p7,16).
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User-Friendly Churches
Some churches have coffee bars (I’ll take an iced mocha) in
the lobby to raise funds and provide refreshment before and
after church. They have twelve-step programs so people
understand what they should do to get certain deliverance or
blessing. Many have child care in a separate room so that
people can enjoy the service without restless kids wailing or
fighting. Some have a variety of services: one traditional and
one contemporary. A church could even expand to four services,
all in different styles: a youth service Saturday nights, VERY
youth oriented; a very traditional service Sunday morning, an
early Sunday afternoon mellow contemporary service; and a
country/Southern gospel service Sunday night. This way, they
can reach all parts of the community. People respond to
different things.
Seeker-Sensitive Services
Evangelistic services are designed so that the guest will not
feel awkward in any way. The songs are chosen carefully. The
speaker speaks in a relaxed tone of voice.
Interpretive Worship
This means having the words of the songs so much at heart that
you start acting them out as you sing. Some churches have this
in a patterned way, add multi-media presentations, use dramas
to reach our increasingly dramatized culture, and for music
use praise bands |
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