You attended all six membership classes. Piece of cake. Filling out the membership application and meeting with a couple elders was no problem. Being voted in at a quarterly members meeting? No sweat! Now you’re ready to take a swim in the deeper water of fellowship at PBF, connecting in more meaningful ways. Wonderful!
You may have noticed lately, however, that PBF has been growing at a rapid pace. This is a tremendous reason to rejoice in the Lord, as this increase has come through faithful proclamation of the gospel rather than leadership ingenuity. It’s also a reason to understand that church life as a bigger fellowship requires a variety of alterations. Gone are the days of printing a handful of bulletins and a single individual being able to distribute them with a smile and brief conversation. As membership swells and ministries flourish, there is a greater likelihood of folks, especially new, getting lost in the mix of church life. The elders are acutely aware of this, which is why I am offering this 5-point post to help newer folks learn the many avenues of getting connected and remaining so at PBF:
Connection #1: Employ the church directory.
From any app store, PBF’s directory can be downloaded. Just search “Instant Church Directory.” The logo has a green background with a white church icon in the middle. Once downloaded, you can insert your email address (as listed on your membership application) and create a password. This will grant you private access to the membership directory.
The directory affords several opportunities. It provides a list of all PBF leaders, including areas of ministry oversight. Have a question about a particular ministry? Click the contact information in the app to send a text, email, or place a call. Having the contact information for every member also grants the opportunity for new members to strategize about who to sit by on Sunday mornings. Select a handful of names Saturday evening and locate those individuals on Sunday. Introduce yourself. Get to know one another. Mix it up the next week. You could also begin to invite members over for dinner (or be invited). One of my personal favorite features of the directory is utilizing it as a prayer app. Weekly, the app serves me well as I pray through the membership roster and send messages of encouragement in real-time. With a church our size, it will take some time to get through the list. Remain persistent, though, and you’ll see friendships develop quickly and deeply.
Connection #2: Come early; stay late.
Life is busy. We often rush to church on Sunday mornings and hurry home (or to a restaurant) at the last “amen.” Showing up early is a very pragmatic technique, however, to get connected. It’s an opportunity to strike up casual conversation with others who arrive early. This includes both those in leadership and non-leading members. As you talk life with those around, listen to what others are talking about. Are they discussing upcoming events? Desires to participate in a specific ministry? For some of us, this mean pushing beyond the bounds of introversion-like tendencies. The reality is, though, God has purposed for us to gather to serve and build up one another (Heb 10:24; Eph 4:11-16). Come with eagerness and intentionality to meet new people, learn about ministry opportunities through dialogue, and broadly observe what takes place before the commencement of Sunday school classes and the main service.
Not only does arriving early prove beneficial, but sticking around after the service is extremely edifying. Both in the auditorium and in the foyer you will encounter swarms of people who have just been energized by God’s grace through God-centered prayer, Bible-focused preaching, and Gospel-driven singing. With having plenty of conversational fuel in the tank from the service (and Sunday schools classes), you are ready to emphatically engage others in intentional dialogue. Don’t wait for folks to come to you—though they will. Locate folks you haven’t conversed with before and ask what they learned from the sermon. Ask them which of the songs was helpful to them. Ask how you can pray for them. If you ask and learn they don’t have lunch plans, go out together. It is through these encounters—new folks engaging seasoned folks and seasoned folks engaging new folks—that we will grow in unity and learn of ways to impact the kingdom through serving each other. Is it uncomfortable to strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know well? Perhaps. It shouldn’t, however, for the sake of Christ’s honor, keep us from crossing the boundary of comfort in order to play our part in the life of the church.
Connection #3: Consistently access all avenues of information.
On any given week, we likely won’t have the privilege of contacting each of the individuals with which we have entered into covenant. To do so would afford us the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of what is happening in the life of PBF. If we make a habit of accessing the resources below, though, we will be profoundly educated concerning ministry happenings:
Midweek Memo
This is an email sent to members every Wednesday morning. It includes the current week’s birthdays, links to the most recent sermon, podcast episode, and blog post(s). Current ministry events are also listed, including pertinent details. If applicable, sign up deadlines for various ministry opportunities are embedded at the end.
Church App
PBF’s app can be downloaded from any app store. Search “Providence Bible Fellowship” and look for the PBF icon located in front of picturesque clouds. This tool grants members quick access to an ever-growing bank of resources and sermons. You can also click on the calendar icon at the bottom to view upcoming events, listed approximately 6 months in advance. Among other helpful features, a shortcut to PBF’s sign-up webpage is placed toward the top. This is an efficient way of learning about PBF happenings, as well as opting in to participate in such efforts. Push notifications are also sent throughout each week, informing members of important church-life content. Be sure to have notifications turned on in your phone’s settings.
Sunday Morning Resources
As a push notification and email, detailed event information and sermon notes are distributed to all members. Though the length of the document may give some pause regarding their willingness to digest all the content, it is of prime value for all members to know what is taking place as well as pray for all efforts to make Christ known and treasured.
Website/Sign-up Page
PBF’s website (providencebiblefellowship.com) not only provides general information about doctrinal positions, ministry efforts, and contact information, but it serves as a portal for folks, new and seasoned, to get connected to the ministries of PBF. A healthy habit would be to visit the sign-up page (providencebiblefellowship.com/sign-up) before or after every Sunday service.
Quarterly Membership Meetings
These gatherings historically aren’t the most well-attended gatherings, but they easily should be. At these meetings we recite and renew our church covenant with one another. We learn of and pray for ministry endeavors. We stretch ourselves by acquiring news about ministry needs, thus asking the Lord if we could be of use. One of the features is voting in new members and being the first to have their contact information. This allows us to quickly display hospitality and eagerness to get folks assimilated into the life of PBF.
Prayer Gatherings
Time has not been spent highlighting particular events at Providence, but the monthly prayer gathering is the place to be if you are looking to get deeply connected. Through a laid-back atmosphere, this is an easy outlet to meet new people, pray with new and seasoned people, and simply enjoy fellowship in ways that may be difficult during busy and often loud Sunday morning gatherings. This event occurs the first Wednesday of each month, 6:30pm at PBF. As was mentioned above: come early; stay late.
Sunday Morning Announcements
Though they may seem at times to be a service tack-on, the elders strategize as to what announcements will be highlighted. Announcements serve as a quick reminder of current happenings and prompt to seek greater knowledge and participation using the means outlined above. While the slide is on the screen, feel free to take a picture using your phone.
Connection #4: Pray about and press into servitude.
In a recent video I watched, a pastor commented to those he was counseling that it was his desire they come to church not to sit, soak, and sour, but rather to sit, soak, and serve. It may take time to get plugged into a formal ministry due to in-place policies or lack of need, but pray for willingness and zeal to serve where needs arise. Currently, many needs exists in the children’s ministry. Don’t feel equipped? We’ll equip you! The elders regularly review each new member’s “service areas of interest” listed on their membership application. This data translates into equipping and mobilizing every member in an area of service. If not immediately plugged in, patience is required. If unable to get new folks plugged into a desired ministry area, flexibility is required. At the end of the day, however, we will ensure everyone is serving in some capacity. Healthy members are active members, and at PBF there is a role for every member.
Connection #5: Troubleshoot in community.
If you are new and attending PBF studies, small groups, and/or other ministry events on a regular basis but still don’t feel connected, let us know. Send an email to an elder. Schedule coffee with an elder. Let’s troubleshoot together. The elders, like many seasoned members, are busy adjusting to life as a bigger church. This means the enemy is also occupied with attempts to thwart unity. If something seems off, we can (and must) work through it together. We’ll be stronger if we do! If you have ideas that might prove effective, please send them our way. They may or may not be implemented, but they will all be prayerfully considered.
This post is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully it’s helpful. In God’s kindness to PBF, He is giving us more opportunities to make a kingdom impact in our community and beyond. Everyone has a task. Everyone is desired to be connected. Let’s press into the Lord, praying and working toward deeper connections, greater fellowship, and meaningful service.
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