The Least Involved People in a Church Give the Church the Most Advice

“We should have more potlucks.”

–people who were not at the last three potlucks
@FailingPastor

You could switch out “potlucks” and put in picnics, Sunday School classes, church services, choir rehearsals, etc. The people who want more of a thing are usually people who aren’t at those things, which is why they want more.

Trust me, if you came to our church’s potlucks, you wouldn’t want more of them.

It is amazing how frequently the people who tell you what to do have the least concept of what’s going on in the church.

There is a connection between not coming to things and giving advice. Skipping church events gives a person a guilty conscience. Going to things would ease that conscience, but going to things requires going to things. People are too busy for that.

So instead of going to things they will give advice. Giving advice means they are above all the rest of you. That’s probably why they don’t come to your stuff; they’re too good for it. “If you did it my way though, the way an intelligent person would do it, I’d totally be there.”

The best thing to do is call them on it. Do exactly everything they want. Then have the event set up exactly how they said and then notice they didn’t come. Or, if they do, no one else does because no one wants to do their weird thing. One way or the other, it’s not going to work.

Want to know why it doesn’t work? Because nothing in my church works!

You can advise my church all you want, it aint happening. People aren’t coming. You could have the best event planner in human history plan an event at my church and hardly anyone will be there.

I keep things simple. I keep it low key and casual. If people want to come; they come. If they don’t; they don’t. Everyone is cool with this.

I’m not going to play games. I’m not going to market and use manipulation. It’s just: This is what we’re doing; it’d be nice if you showed up.

They don’t show up, but they do give advice. I take the advice, usually I ignore it, unless I’m playing the game of doing it their way to prove a point. I carry on. Me and the 5 other people who always come to everything will enjoy it just fine.

People who come to all the stuff never give me advice; they’re just enjoying their church. It’s kind of nice. I do wish more people would try it. They would enjoy it. But alas, the enjoyment of skipping and being an authority is too much for most to overcome.

Oh well. More desserts for me.

“The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.”
–Proverbs 26:16