churchy small talk.
We start out singing worship lifting His praises, then the offering plate gets passed. And what happens next? It’s the moment some of us possibly dread… and though the term “dread” may seem harsh, being put on the spot to shake a stranger’s hand, smile and exchange niceties, all to be forgotten within a few fleeting moments later is actually a pretty accurate description.
How can we make the most of the “turn around and shake your neighbor’s hand” time in church?
I recently have resolved to make it more about quality and not so much the quantity of people I can manage to introduce myself to within the given amount of time. What can I learn about them, how can I make them feel so received at my church and what can I possibly do to remember their name so that next week, I see them and can say “Hey Cindy! How was your week working at your job that I know about cause I asked what you did for a living last week and I genuinely cared?”
I posed the question today on-air and here’s how you responded:
“We’re Big On Hugs.”
“Peace Be With You.”
Feel free to leave a comment below with your suggestions, concerns, and thoughts.
Love you heaps,
LJ
May 16th, 2008 at 10:04 am
It’s kind of a funny thing to me. I’ve often wondered if the pastors use this time to “cram” for the sermon. I know when I was in high school and in college, if I wasn’t totally prepared for a test, I’d cram in that short 3-5 minutes window before the test started. Maybe that’s what pastors use the “Meet and Greet” time for.
It’s like “Ok God, I need something inspirational, and I got 2 and a half minutes, whatcha got for me?”
On a little more serious note, I know what you mean. I’ve never really had problems talking to people, even strangers, but even so, during that time of the service, I most often find myself chatting with my wife, or a really good church pal. Something I have to remind myself, is that even if I don’t know a person well, or know them mat all, we are both at church. So I know that right there, we have a common ground. And its what should be the strongest of “common grounds”. We love God, and we are there to worship Him and learn more about Him.
-Jason