Volley #13

Volley #13: THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE

Clergy and regular church members know one another well, and we have plenty we need and want to talk about after worship. If there are guests or infrequent attenders present, though, those people need some clergy attention, and it needs to be quick, because they tend not to linger long.

Let’s teach our regulars to give us FIVE MINUTES following Sunday worship to seek out and have a brief interchange (it doesn’t take much, because we don’t want to overwhelm people) with those we want to get better acquainted with, before the regulars get their turn. After all, they have the whole coffee hour to share their news.

That five minutes can make a big difference to the guest. It can provide time to make an appointment for a later, fuller visit, and it lets them know they matter to the clergy, which is all-important in the medium-size congregation.