112. Attendance vs Engagement
Ministry month is ending today. All our team leaders have finished their team presentation as of last Sunday and have been trying their best to recruit members.
It all began with renewed sense of purpose of team ministry. Those who have a role on Sunday almost always grow in their faith and relationship with others. I looked at the list of people who are having problems in their faith. I don’t think it is a coincidence that most of them do not have a personal ministry on Sunday. At first, I couldn’t pinpoint why that was. But as I kept on reflecting on the idea of “body of Christ”, it all made sense. Not functioning body parts do not properly receive nourishment from the body because inactivity is often a sign of “disconnect”.
It is this interconnectedness that people often ignore or forget in the church dynamic. The Christian life is by design relational and relationally depend on one another. Those who are functioning are not only giving but receiving. Because if a body part is functioning, it is a sign that it is connected to the body, ready to receive. That is why those who seem to serve the most in the church are actually receiving the most because they are deeply connected to the body.
As I think about my own Christian journey, I find that there were many ups and downs. There were even times that I absolutely felt nothing when I went to church. However, one of the main things that kept me in Christian faith and eventually helped me to find my purpose was serving in team ministry. When I didn’t feel like going to the church, my sense of responsibility in serving the team I was part of got me up from the bed and go to church.
According to recent statistics, church attendance is declining. In one hand, this is a good sign because it reveals two things that used to be hidden.
First, Christians are becoming more unclear about why they need to go to church. People used to believe church attendance was a responsibility if you are a Christian. Not any more.
Second, it means that church needs to make it more clear for people why they need to come, which is to join the church’s mission through serving in team ministries on Sunday. One pastor said, “engagement is now the new attendance.”
Ultimately, the reason why we make effort to create ministry opportunities for our members is for their own benefit. It is because personal ministry not only strengthens the church, but it also strengthens our faith. If you have been struggling in faith, consider joining a team and start functioning this coming year.
