Sunday Blunders
churchmarketingsucks.com recently did a poll of 400 of their readers to ask them which Sunday blunder irritates them the most.
The top irritations, at least among the respondents were:
- An irrelevant, rambling sermon (38%)
- Unfriendly greeters ( 18%)
- Typos in bulletins and on worship slides (18%)
- Services going long (7%)
- No altar call (5%)
It’s interesting that none of the respondents expressed concerns about the quality of the coffee and doughnuts. So much for Starbucks bringing people to church.
Looking through the list I noted that in my circle of fellowship long services (certainly more than an hour and 15 minutes) are almost a trademark and in many ways a badge of pride, however, there is a huge difference between a long service and a service that is dragged out.
Tipos are irrititing - and every precaution should be taken to avoid them. One useful practice is to have three sets of eyes proof all communications for the public. A bit of a mea culpa here, we generally use two.
Even the term "unfriendly greeters" is an oxymoron. I would add to that list "robot greeters", you know, the ones who extend a hand and robotically say "Welcome to church" in a monotone without even looking you in the eye.
The big one on the list is the "irrelevant, rambling sermon." Having sat through more of these than I care to remember there are a couple that stand out in my mind’s hall of infamy. One lasted approximately 2 hours and was the product of a preacher who felt the need to "straighten out" the ministers who were present at a sectional fellowship rally. It was a rambling concoction that had the listeners begging for euthanasia after about 30 minutes. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your view, everyone was too polite to leave. In another situation the preacher was clearly done with his prepared notes but didn’t feel like the congregation had yet come to the proper emotional response. The 45 minutes that followed seemed like a lifetime as he mashed on every conceivable hot button in an attempt to put the sermon and the service over the top. It never happened.
So, I’ve learned some lessons. From now on:
- Clear, concise sermons.
- Check for tipos ovr an dovr.
- Give all greeters a happy pill before service.
- Keep the service short (btw, 1 1/2 hours is short in my circles.)
- Have an altar call.
- Don’t worry about the coffee and doughnuts. (Not that I really was - we don’t serve them anyway.)
What are the top blunders that irritate you?
I could add:
- Worship leaders who preach between songs.
- Singers who before they sing start with "I didn’t really get a chance to practice (even though I’ve known I’m singing for a couple of weeks) and I’m having a problem with my voice, but you pray for me."
- Vampires who want to suck the life blood of focus out of leaders 5 minutes before service starts.
- Preachers who admit their lack of preparation in their opening remarks and then spend 30 minutes or more proving it.
- Facts that are not checked in the preparation of a sermon make people wonder what else is incorrect. Let’s face it, there are no bathtubs filled with ice cubes and the victims of kidney thefts and Procter and Gamble is not satanic.
- People with blogs who think they know it all.
Leave a comment with the thing that irritates you the most in church - I know there are a lot more out there.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.