I recently read a story about a man who, in an attempt to find out what other churches were really like, visited 18 different churches on consecutive Sundays.

He always sat near the front of each building. After the service he would walk slowly to the rear then return to the front and back to the rear again using a different aisle. He was neatly dressed, smiled pleasantly at other worshippers and he would make it a point to initiate a conversation with at least one other person. He would also remain for coffee if it were served. He used the following scale to rate his reception:

• 10 points for a smile from a worshipper.
• 10 points for a greeting from a worshipper.
• 100 points if a worshipper exchanged names.
• 200 points if he was invited to another service.
• 1000 if he was introduced to another person.
• 2000 points if he was invited to meet the pastor.

On this scale 11 of the 18 churches earned less than 100 points.  5 churches received less than 20 points. His conclusion was this: the doctrine may be Biblical, the singing inspirational, the sermon uplifting, but when visitors find that nobody cares if they are there, they are unlikely to return.

 I can tell you that this is true. How easy it is to be friendly with our friends, rather than to reach out to those who are new. There is nothing worse than standing on the outside looking in, liking what you see, but realising that you are not invited to be a part.

In the last year City Church Sunday attendance has increased by approximately 112%. This is above expectation, and if this trend is to be maintained we will all need to make the decision to look out for the visitors and newcomers in our church with genuine love and friendliness. We will all need to play our part in ensuring good integration into our family.