People Spots Online
Produced by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries

Chuck and Penelope Shrine attended Smithfield Church regularly for a decade.  Chuck sang in the choir.  Penelope served on the church's council.  Both were Sunday school teachers.  They began to miss a Sunday a month, then two, then three, and finally after eighteen months they were gone.  Pastor Jacob Milden has a simple answer for his elders.  "Chuck and Penelope are no longer interested in a close relationship with God or spiritual things!  Their increasing absences and final withdrawal was their fault and evidence of obvious lack of interest in their spirituality.”

Many blame the people who stop attending or lose interest in their church.  The burden of responsibility was placed on the absentees.  However, much responsibility for drop-outs must be born by their church.  Absentees are hurting people.  They believe the church has failed to meet their needs.  It matters not whether you believe they have received appropriate ministry. I am asking you to make a major paradigm shift (a change in a core value or principle belief).  If somebody stops attending your church or a new family begins to attend and then doesn't stay, its not their problem; it’s the church's problem!  It is recognized that you can't keep everyone, but this shift is required to make the changes required by an effective caring ministry.

Chuck and Penelope were going through an extended period of personal problems.  The real root of their problem was the building frustration brought on by the increasing pressure Chuck encountered at work.  Penelope's pain was rooted in Chuck's hurting.  Both had sent verbal signals to the pastor and key members.  One didn't have to be extremely sensitive or observant to recognize the tension in the Shrines’ lives.   A church, consciously or unconsciously, controls its make-up by eliminating undesired people through refusal to provide ministry. 

It was the Shrines’ perception that all their pleas had been ignored.  One day Chuck said to Penelope, "No one has paid attention to our pain.  I wonder if they'll miss us if we're gone?"  Pastor Milden didn't call or visit.  No other members of the church made any contacts with this family over the eighteen months it took them to drop out.  Finally, after eight consecutive absences, the Shrines made a conscious decision to give no more money to Smithfield Church.  They no longer considered themselves to be a part of that church.

The story of Chuck and Penelope Shrine has been repeated countless thousands of times across America in the past decade.  What action is triggered because a participant of your church has been absent for 17 weeks?

Implement a bulletin ministry

The following is a plan for implementing the bulletin ministry in your church:

1.  The bulletin ministry begins by carefully recording individual worship attendance.  A worship attendance log may be prepared on a computer with the names of everyone who attended worship in the last year.  Persons would then carefully and quietly record attendance of all who were present.  Passing out attendance cards may provide another method.  Each person fills out the card and returns it to the ushers or places it in the offering place.  The attendance cards tend to work better than the pew pads.  The bottom line, by whatever method, the church must know who is attending and who isn't.  There's no option on this fact. 

2.  A bulletin with a hand-written note is sent to any household that had no members present on that Sunday.  The note is essential.  If only the bulletin without a note is sent, the effort loses about 80% of its impact.  The note must be positive and should indicate something personal.  It should imply the message was written only for them.  This adds the personal touch.  The person writing the note should sign it. 

3.  Carefully record who has been sending bulletins and who has been receiving them.

4.  The bulletins are only discontinued upon the request of the recipient.  Should someone say, "Please don't send me anymore bulletins!" you simply don't send any more. Or you stop when they have received bulletins for 52 consecutive weeks.  Should the members of a household miss 17 weeks and then attends, the count toward 52 starts over again.  Should persons receive the bulletin with a note when they are sick or on vacation?  Everyone who is absent receives the bulletin regardless of the cause of absence.  All receive the same care.

5.  Recruit persons who can write very positive notes to assist in this ministry.

6.  This project may be financed by having a stamp offering on any fifth Sunday which occurs four times a year.  The stamps would be used in the ministry of the church.

Remember, you are acting out of love for your people.  How did the good shepherd know that there were only 99 sheep in the fold?  He counted them!  Not only did he know that a sheep was missing, he knew which sheep.  The good shepherd knows the sheep by name.  The shepherd said, "Oh, it was Jacob!  Every time we come down the ravine, he turns left."  Because he knew which sheep was missing he knew where to look for it.  Good shepherds not only know that sheep are missing they know which sheep and go in search of them.

Good Books to Read:

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Also see:

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Read about Jim's seminars and books.

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October 14, 1998. Volume 1, Issue 14.  People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants.  It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.  Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.

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