Family Devo: SEEKER-FRIENDLY CHURCH SERVICES

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn.

A typical family arrives at a church on Sunday and sits down. Mom and the kids slide into a pew, and Dad sits at the end near the aisle. They look around at all the new faces and feel a bit uncomfortable. 

A young mom with two kids, a little boy of four and a girl who's two and a half, comes to church hoping to get closer to God. She struggles to keep her children quiet, worried she might be bothering others or that her kids might be too noisy. 

Families from different church backgrounds come in. They're not used to our way of worshipping, which might confuse them. 

We don't want them to feel out of place because if they do, they might not come back. Then there's someone who has never been to church before. They've already faced a lot of fear just to step inside. If they don't feel welcomed, they might not ever return.

Here's what's important:

1. First, the main focus of our church services isn’t visitors. It must always be on worshipping God. It's not really worship if we're not focused on Him, first and most.

2. Second, we should support each other as fellow church members. As Ephesians 5:19 tells us, the secondary purpose of our worship is to teach, correct, and build up each other.

But, after we ensure these two things are done right, we can also make our services "seeker-friendly." This means:

• We expect and look for new people.

• We welcome them warmly.

• We help them feel at home.

A good church service follows the Bible, has a reasonable order that changes a bit now and then to keep things interesting but is otherwise stable and predictable, and where everyone smiles, greets newcomers, helps them feel like part of the group by being friendly, answering their questions, and showing them kindness. This helps new people feel found and welcomed, and hopefully, they'll stay and become important members of our church family. 

Every church should think about how to make guests feel welcome during services. We're here to represent God's kingdom, so we really care about everyone who comes through our doors. Jesus told us to go out and find people, so those who come looking for God on their own are very special. They might just become valuable members of our church community.

Discuss:

• How can we make our church services more welcoming to people visiting for the first time?

• What do you think is the balance between focusing on worship and making sure guests feel included?

• Can you think of a time when someone made you feel really welcome at an event or place? How did they do it, and how can we apply that at church?

This week, we learned about our top priorities when we come together as a church for worship and Bible study. Let’s say a special prayer and ask God to help us seek those still lost apart from Jesus everywhere we go, and especially when we go to church. 

—JLP


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