by Luke Edwards, Associate Director of Church Development for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
In my first year of starting a fresh expression of church, I remember one Sunday when my wife gave me a healthy dish of humble pie. I was leading this new, experimental worship service with folks in their twenties who weren’t connected to church. My wife came one Sunday evening. We had only been worshipping for a few weeks together though we had been meeting (and eating) for much longer. We would gather, sing a song, read a scripture, I would give a very brief message, and then we would pray. It seemed to be going well. On our walk home that night I asked my wife what she thought about it. She said, “It was good, but I think they want to talk about the scripture, not just listen to you. Did you notice how they jumped in right after you finished?” The next week I asked questions about the scripture to the group instead of preaching and the group came alive. It was the first of many transformational conversations about scripture we would have. All because my wife was listening.
When leading a Messy Church, it’s important to never stop listening. In a new form of church like Messy Church there is always room for adaptation and improvement. By listening we see where our congregation is and where they long to be. Here’s a few simple ideas.
- Listen to Your Existing Regular Attenders
At the Messy Church gathering be sure to be attentive like my wife was. Where is there energy? Where are you losing people’s attention? Take note and come back to it later in one-on-one conversations. Speaking of which, be sure to have conversations with your people often, take them to coffee and ask them how Messy Church is going, how it might be improved. - Listen to Who Stops Coming
It’s important to keep track of who is coming to your Messy Church. One reason is that you can notice who stops coming. See if those who stop coming are willing to have a follow up conversation with you, not so you can try to twist their arm into coming back, but so you can see how the gathering can be improved. - Listen to Your Neighbors
In my previous article I gave you some simple activities for listening before you start a Messy Church. These activities still work after you’ve started one. Click here to read about them. Having conversations with neighbors outside of the church will keep you rooted in your neighborhood and help you know how to be a place of welcome for your neighbors.
Conclusion
Bishop Ken Carter has reminded me and others that in fresh expressions work (and Messy Church as well) the movement is too young to be dogmatic. We must be open to adaptation. The only way to adapt well is to listen well and listen often.