How do visitors from outside the church experience a service? Rev René van Loon conducted research into it and presented the results on 21 March in the book Te gast in de kerk. Not dry material, but practical advice and vivid quotes that were surprisingly much more positive than many churchgoers often think! As many as a third of participants plan to return. This offers hope for the future of the church. Most visitors especially appreciated the meeting with others and the music, while they sometimes struggled with the sermon or were not addressed by church members. So learning points are definitely mentioned in the book as well.
Missionary counsellor Petra de Jong-Heins attended the festive presentation, where René van Loon talked a bit about the background and conclusions of the study and gave some practical tips.
Learning to be hospitable
Van Loon stressed that a warm reception for seeking or curious guests is very important. The question he focused on is: how do we receive them? He called on churches to invite people to a church service more often: "You may well assume that there is interest in church and faith, but also that people are willing to help you in your quest to learn to be hospitable." And in doing so, he recommends conducting your own subsequent research among guests. "Listen carefully to them, be curious and learn from them," he says.
Connecting
Het Anker in Lelystad was one of the Christian Reformed churches that participated in the study. The book includes an interview in which missionary elders Roza and Hijmissen explain why: "Because there is a lot of new construction and also the congregation itself is growing, we are looking at whether there are possibilities in such a new neighbourhood to perhaps start a kind of annex, a church plant. It would take a different form than the existing congregation. This is precisely why it is important to know what is going on among people who are not used to going to church. We think we know what is going on among them, but it is good to hear it from their own mouths." The entire interview can be found on pages 102 to 106 of As a guest in the church.
Afterglow over coffee
The Christian Reformed Church of Noordeloos also participated. "Our context is very different from that of Lelystad. In our village on the biblebelt, many people still know the Bible message, even if they no longer go to church." A neighbour from a Roman Catholic background enjoyed taking part in the survey and joined the church. Over coffee after the service, the neighbour talked about how nice it was to see the warm relationship between church members. "He did find the sermon spicy. It was about John, who lashed out at the Pharisees in sharp terms," the host recalled. "It was quite exciting to ask someone along to church," the host recalls. "The fact that it was an enquiry did make the threshold lower for me too."
Ask for feedback
What can be done with the church service can also be done with the church website: ask neighbours whether they find it accessible. Here too, outsiders are quite willing to help the church by giving feedback, Van Loon noticed. As a practical tip, he adds: when visiting the church building, show who you are, what there is to do and who the contact persons are.
Invite
Rev Van Loon calls on congregations to invite people not only on special occasions but also on ordinary Sundays. "Let people get a taste of what happens in a church," he says.
The book is an enjoyable read and provides clear insights for churches to continue to develop and be open to new visitors. Let's work together to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels welcome!
Ordering
Te gast in de kerk is published by KokBoekencentrum. The book costs €22.99.
