When The World Wakes Up, the Church Goes to Sleep…

We had a great day at Connexus yesterday.  A record or near record crowd (I don't see all the numbers Sunday)...great feedback.  Lots of new families.  As any lead pastor, staff member or volunteer might be, I was pumped as I drove home.

But then this irony struck me - hard.  We start setting up church before 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning.  Trust me, everyone but our volunteers and a handful of gas station clerks are asleep.  As I drove off of campus after lunch, the world is waking up, the parking lots at malls are filling up.  And we're winding up, putting it all away.  It's like we missed each other.

I'm not suggesting that we should move worship off Sundays or even off Sunday mornings (churches that have tried it rarely see great results).  If unchurched people are going to attend a service, it's probably going to be on Sunday mornings. I'm not even saying we should be open 24/7.  That can often just mean the church becomes a cocoon - a retreat from our friends and neighbours.

What I'm thinking about this morning is that I hope there is plenty of evidence of our faith left on Mondays (and Wednesdays and Saturdays).  What a shame it is if as the world goes to sleep, the church wakes up and as the church goes to sleep, the world wakes up.

What do you think is the most effective way to personally and collectively lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus when the world is alive, awake and fully engaged?