Eleven minutes.
A study found guests in a church decide in the fi rst 11 minutes whether they are coming back. Visitors make that decision between the time their feet hit the parking lot and the time they enter Sunday school or the sanctuary.
Well, for one thing, that lets the preacher off the hook, as he has not appeared yet for the sermon. This is really surprising because not much happens in the fi rst 11 minutes. Perhaps the fi rst hymn is sung.
We expect people to evaluate the experience.
What kind of hymn? Type of greeting by the ushers? A bit of the sermon?
People are funny. Are we so busy greeting the ones we know that we leave the visitor out in the cold?
Are we so busy getting a message to Mrs. Jones that we reach over the visitor and ignore him? Can welearn anything from the civic club here? How do we know if he is a visitor?
Are we listening to him?
He might be saying “my mother is critically ill” and in the din we might say “That’s fine - see you next Sunday.”
Be friendly - seriously friendly. It will warm someone’s heart.
THE REV. ANDREW HALL HAS BEEN AN ORDAINED PASTOR FOR MORE THAN 70 YEARS. HE SERVED FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FAYETTEVILLE FROM 1952 TO 1970. HE NOW PREACHES AT ELKINS COMMUNITY CHURCH ON THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH.
Religion, Pages 12 on 12/01/2012