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Church is all about buzz. The good news is just buzz—buzz about the kingdom of God come today. Sure, Jesus called people to follow him, but he also sent them out to the ends of the earth to spread the word about the reign of God. That’s the literal meaning of the word apostle—to be sent out. And don’t forget that just fifty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, his first disciples were set on fire by the holy Spirit—they were so buzzed that onlookers reportedly attributed it to drinking too much Manischewitz. Read it for yourself in Acts 2.
Being a Christian…being a church…is not a passive recreational activity. It is active, lively, passionate, buzzy. How do we make our congregations buzzing with the good news? The answer is simple—we involve our people.
We involve our people in worship. Liturgy literally means ‘work of the people’. Are people at our services participants or spectators? Are they actively engaged and engaging in worship, or are they following along in the book and mumbling monotone responses in bold print? When we look out at our congregation during worship, are the people looking down at their bulletins or are they looking right back at us?
And what about preaching? There was a time when I would preach behind a solid, wooden pulpit, standing on a little platform. I would read my sermon dramatically, making appropriate eye-contact with the congregation as I worked my way down my carefully composed manuscript…a manuscript printed in double-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font (complete with one inch margins). I was careful, scholarly, and sometimes even interesting. But I wasn't engaging the people. I had to change.
So, I shed the manuscript. Oh, I spent as much if not more time preparing my sermons because now they had to be delivered without a parachute. But the freedom was rewarding. I could engage my people—ask them questions and listen to their answers, bring them on a journey, use them as props and sermon illustrations, and so on. People had permission to listen, to laugh, to object, to puzzle, even to derail a sermon. Now, more than ever, I believe my preaching can buzz.
But buzz is more than Sunday morning gatherings. We have to honestly ask ourselves how involved our people are in doing the ministry of the church. Try this: the next time you have a church committee or team meeting, look around you. If I’m honest, I see the same faces I see on most other committees. The same 10 or 20 percent actively engage while 80 to 90 percent watch and wait and maybe even avoid. That’s not buzz…that’s burnout. We can only challenge this 20/80 rule by reaching out and getting more people involved.
How well do you know your people, and how well do they know each other? Do you know what people do for a living? What are their hobbies? Where do they like to hang out? How do they unwind, have fun, and socialize with friends? What gifts and talents have they been blessed with by the holy Spirit that energize them, motivate them, send them buzzing? If our people aren't engaged, they won’t be involved; if they aren't involved, they won’t buzz. And church is all about buzz.
If a congregation is to succeed, it must be the talk of the town, the place to see and be seen, the social and religious highlight of any person’s week. And people can’t help but spread the word. Create a congregation with buzz. Involve your people.