Is your church answering the call?

Rev. Jack Balgenorth.  Photo courtesy Glenn United Methodist Church

Sheila sat at the conference table with me and she was frustrated. "I phoned and emailed every one of the churches on my list." She said, "Of the 50 that I called, there are still 28 that have never responded."  Sheila was puzzled, "What if I was someone trying to attend their church?"

Sheila is a member of a conference level committee that I consult with.  The group sent out an important electronic survey to access the communications capabilities of each local church in the conference.  The plan was to use the data to help better equip those without good communication tools.  Half of the churches responded immediately.  The remaining were split equally among the committee members to be personally contacted to complete the survey.  Of the 400+ churches, approximately 25% of them failed to call back or return an email.  The committee was now less concerned if churches had websites, than if they would answer a telephone call from a seeker.*

In a time of declining membership, we need to ask; can 25% of our churches afford to discourage anyone who has finally worked up the courage to call a church by getting a recorded message or a phone that rings forever?  

Let me make clear, I am not trying to throw stones.  Everyone, myself included, fail to return phone calls or emails from time-to-time. Balls get dropped.  But the failure to return phone calls does raise a critical issue for every local church.  Churches are in the "people business."  To succeed they must connect on a very personal level. It is a big step for people to call a church.  We must be prepared to answer that call.


What message does it send when a potential visitor calls and their call is not answered?  What does it say when a caller can only get a recorded message?  One church a committee member called still had its July events announcements on their answering machine. Many churches may want a website or social media, but when seekers call, everyone needs a telephone that gets answered by a human being.  How do you staff for that, particularly in a church that has no regular office hours, or perhaps, no office staff?  There has to be a solution.

"My cel phone number is on both of our church signs." said Jack Balgenorth, our newest committee member,  "I take the calls personally and I usually get 2 or 3 a month."  Jack is the pastor at two United Methodist churches, Ganges UMC in Fenville and Glenn UMC, in Glenn, Michigan. He noted that seekers truly appreciate having a pastor that answers their calls and many end up attending his church. "My churches are located in rural areas," he explained, "Most people will never pass them.  So If people find me, I can't afford to miss their call."

• How accessible are you by telephone to someone wanting to learn more about your church?  
• Would a call to your church be a personable experience? 
• Are your calls routed to a general mailbox? If so, could you offer a cel phone number for the pastor? 
• Do all calls get returned?  

These are important questions every church, small or big, needs to take time to discern and then act upon. Hey, got to go!  I think my phone is ringing.



*Seeker:  An individual searching for a place of worship to attend.

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