Church Shopping is Brutal
In June 2020, courtesy of the pandemic, our family moved from Seattle, WA, to Cincinnati, OH. We have moved often, but this was the first time we relocated for work that was not church ministry related. All other moves, we entered a new city as pastors, church planters, or with ministry jobs that had a community waiting to embrace us. This was the first time we entered a city churchless and without community.
When we left Seattle, we left a community that had loved us well through some of the most difficult times of our lives. In 2018 we opened the doors of Thread Church – a micro church in Capitol Hill, Seattle, where we had church around a table. For two years we gathered every Sunday for a meal, read through the book of Luke, took communion, and watched God heal deep wounds caused by church trauma – including our own.
At the table, I was reminded...
That the words of Jesus are enough.
That communion can take place at any table where God’s people gather.
That true, Christ-centered community is one of the most healing and beautiful gifts God gives us.
Then the pandemic. Then the move. Then Christians without community.
So, the search began, and it was brutal. A year of trying to find community, and realizing how weird and endearing church experiences can be. Sometimes it made me laugh out loud, and other times I literally found myself sitting in a parking lot crying – wondering if I could ever feel safe in a large church environment again.
Over the next few weeks, I want to share with senior pastors and church communicators what it is like to search for a church (including how vulnerable and triggering this process can be), help us rethink how we approach “guests and visitors”, and offer recommendations that serve people searching for Christ-centered community.
Let’s get started...
FIND A CHURCH NEAR ME
My church search started by googling – “find a church near me”. I encourage you to do the same and see how easy, or hard, it is to find your community.
In serving people searching for a church, I highly recommend all churches have...
A Google Business Profile
It is essential churches have a Google business profile. This enables you to be listed on Google Places and maps, add pictures to tell your story, and be informed when reviews come in. You can even reply to reviews – which I highly recommend, even if it is a simple thank you, or an “I am sorry”. It shows your guests that you are listening, active, and digitally present.
Read the reviews of people’s experiences of your church because the new person in your neighborhood looking for a church will do the same. Reviews can be the reason why someone chooses to visit or NOT visit your church.
The listing of churches near me under Google Places is where I spent most of my search time and made a significant impact on which churches we chose to visit. Take the extra time and effort to keep your Google business profile updated.
A Website
I was surprised to see how many churches have chosen Facebook as their website. I cannot emphasize this enough – ALL CHURCHES – even micro churches, need a website. Facebook is a platform best used for active members of your church. It is not a place you want to send people looking for service info and trying to discern if your community will be a good fit.
Your website is your church's doorstep. I know most churches cannot afford full-time web developers, but there are low-cost web tools and platforms for churches of all sizes. I personally recommend Subsplash, as they have one of the easiest web-building platforms I have ever worked with, and their websites and apps look beautiful, but even more important are user-friendly.A Way to Connect Digitally and Personally
Whether it is a contact us page, email, or phone number, make it easy for people to connect with you and ask questions. And even more important – make sure you respond!
One week I reached out to over 10 churches using “contact us” forms on church websites, the email listed, and called and left a message. I only received a response from 3 churches – and one of the churches responded 3 months later.
I know we can be wary of calling people, but the two pastors who took the time to call me made a significant impact and impression on me. They listened to me, answered my questions, offered prayer, and remembered me when I walked through their church doors.
Pastors and leaders, please make it easy for people to find you, and when they reach out - respond.
I leave you with a couple of questions to ponder...
How easy is it to find your church online?
Do you know who is responding to your contact us page or info@ email address?
When is the last time you called a new guest or visitor?
When is the last time you checked that the contact us form was working?
In my next post, I will share with you the four web pages I checked on every church website that determined whether or not our family visited.
Photo by Megan Allen on Unsplash