Creating the Right Vibe in Your Church

I love leading our church and I equally love helping churches increase their impact in helping people find and follow Jesus.  As a pastor, practitioner and a consultant, I have learned the value of systems and strategies. But there is something else that I consider a high value for churches and that's the vibe churches gives off. Every church has a vibe; an energy or an expression. People can usually sense it right away, especially new people.  

Whenever I secret shop at churches, the vibe of the church is the first thing I notice. What did I experience when I arrived on campus? What did I sense when I entered the building? What vibe did hospitality give off? Were people genuinely happy I was there? 

The environments where people gather to worship or have community should have an expression of "You are welcome here!" There should be evidence that families and children are valued. The ministry approach, language, methodologies and aesthetics influence the energy and expression that people feel. Here are a few thoughts around both good and bad vibes that I have experienced. 

• The Vibe that People Must Behave Before they Believe: Jesus was clear in scripture that churches exist to help those who are [spiritually] sick, not those who are [spiritually] healthy (Luke 5:31). Churches should provide an environment where anyone can attend, regardless of their spiritual condition or beliefs. Depending on where people are in their spiritual journey, some people require more time before saying yes to Jesus. Pastors should teach with the idea that unchurched people are in the room. This isn't a call to water down sermons, but rather delivering it in such a way where unchurched people are invited into the conversation. This allows the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work in the hearts of those who have yet to meet Jesus. And by the way, if their behavior isn't aligning with Christianity on the front end, don't fret. Behavior follows believing, not the other way around. 

• The Religious Vibe: There isn't a more poisonous vibe than religion. Churches should value people over our policy or traditions. In the Bible, Pharisees and other church leaders had a major problem with this. They wanted everyone to conform to their rules and cared nothing about the well-being of the people. This was the opposite vibe of Jesus. As a result, the religious leaders rarely “liked” Jesus; most hated him. Matter of fact, it would be the religious leaders that would put Him to death. Christianity isn’t about following rules; it’s about following a Savior. In Acts 15, we read about non-Jewish people who wanted to follow Jesus. The problem was, they didn’t know about all of the religious rules and traditions. The church leaders weren’t sure what to do with them. In Acts 15:19, after much deliberation, they finally made a decision. They said, “Therefore it is my judgment we should not cause difficulties  for those among the Gentiles who turn to God…” In other words, they asked the question, “What traditions and practices are we following that makes it difficult for people follow Jesus?” Another good question is, "What are we willing to stop doing as a church that may help unbelievers attend and potentially meet Jesus? Those are questions every church should ask. 

• Children are the Church of Today: One of the most important vibes a church can give off is "we value your children!" While it’s true, our churches will be led by the next generation, our young people have an active role today. When churches understand this, they invest in their children’s ministry. The right investments can bring a great return. If you win the kids, you'll win the city. This means we must ensure kids have an experience to hear the gospel on their level (while having lots of fun). Students should be encouraged to participate in small groups and serving. Nothing creates an exciting vibe like the presence of students serving and participating throughout the church. When churches invest, engage and equip kids and students, there is an obvious evidence that family is a high value and there is no healthier vibe when you're wanting to reach young families. 

• Be a Church that Makes Sense: Nearly 90% of churches in our country have less than 70 people in attendance. That is a scary stat. One of the greatest challenges for many churches is simply becoming relevant. When the vibe is dated and smells like yester-year, our environments become sterile and stagnate. While our message should never change, our methodology should be ever-changing. Attempting to reach new people with old practices will always result in churches growing older by a generation and attendance decline. There is nothing as disturbing than the absence of a crying baby in the congregation. Jesus was always relevant. He used relevant language in relevant ways, to share an ancient message from an eternal God who loves the world. This means our teaching styles must make sense; our worship must make sense; our engagement with guests must make sense. 

A final thought. A constantly changing world will always require the church to ask, "What can we do differently? How can we be relevant to the next generation" Don't look at this as an obstacle, but rather an opportunity. God has you and your church here on purpose, for a purpose.