So What Faith

Greg Smith

National Back to Church Sunday – September 12 (#0134)

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The group of people known as de-churched or previously churched has risen significantly in recent years.  To help welcome these folks back into the life of a local congregation, LifeWay has created an event called National Back to Church Sunday, which will be held on September 12.  Individual congregations of all denominational traditions and those with no such affiliation are invited to be a part of the event and to register their participation with the National Back to Church Sunday website and interact with others on the facebook page. 

The website provides extensive rationale for the event, including the following:

  • Most Americans have been to church, and yet only 20 percent are regular attendees. – The American Church in Crisis
  • 82 percent of the unchurched are likely to attend church if invited by a trusted friend or relative. – Dr. Thom Rainer
  • 50 percent of the current U.S. population would be candidates for a Back to Church Campaign.  – Gary L. McIntosh, D.Min., Ph.D.

    • To date, over 2800 congregations have registered to participate.  Each registered congregation will engage in an invitational campaign of their own design to encourage visitors to attend on September 12.  For those seeking additional planning help, LifeWay provides (for a charge of $49.99) a Back to Church Campaign Kit.

    So What?

    For years, congregations have sought to capitalize on the most effective marketing tool: personal invitation.  Often, pastors and other leaders encourage active participants to invite friends for a “Bring a Friend Sunday” or other special Sunday morning worship experience.  As a result of recent research, increasingly these efforts are being replaced or at least supplemented by those designed to invite people to attend something than a worship service.

    A search based on my zip code found only one congregation within a ten mile radius that has registered to participate in National Back to Church Sunday.  While I am curious to attend and see how I would be welcomed, I have already agreed to preach at Naples United Church of Christ that morning.  (I welcome anyone who has not been an active part of the life of the church to come and provide me feedback as my message will focus on Christian unity as an essential component of our followership/discipleship.)

    • What is your reaction to National Back to Church Sunday?  Would your congregation be inclined to participate in this event or one like it? Why or why not?
    • Does your congregation have any intentional outreach designed to reintroduce de-churched or previously churched people into the life of your faith community? If so, what does it look like? If not, would you consider gathering a group of people (ideally including at least a few who are currently not participating in the life of a church but who once did) to envision what this would look like?
    • Does the assimilation process look different for newcomers who are (1) changing from active participation in another congregation to yours, (2) unchurched or those with no previous experience in a local congregation and (3) de-churched or previously churched who have been inactive in church life in recent years?  If so, how so? If not, why not?