Those who study crowd dynamics tell us that people are most comfortable sitting in a crowd that is between 60-80% of seating capacity.  Why would anyone decide to study such things as the optimal percentage of attendance to number of available seats?  Do you go to college to get a degree in seating?  I can hear someone how boast, “I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Seating.  I’m not working on my PhD dissertation titled The Sardine Syndrome: The Intrapersonal Relationships Between Rear End Proximity and Event Attendance.’”

My guess is there is always that one math geek in the Sociology Department who wants to show off.  Math people are that way.  They show off.  They do so because they can. The rest of us are just glad we can count to ten.

Seating Capacity

To accommodate the attendance at a recent church event, our men stepped in and put out extra chairs.  Then after the event, volunteers took out the extra chairs and reset the Worship Center to its normal weekly configuration.  Now, our average attendance falls comfortably within our seating capacity, as it is called.  We even have plenty of room to grow before reaching that supposed dreaded 80% threshold. 

The American church has grown enamored with attendance.  When pastors get together, one of the first questions that arises is “how many did you have in church Sunday?”  But attendance is fickle.  Attendance the next Sunday after that recent event at our church dropped 67%.  Church attendance no more guarantees spiritual effectiveness than eating KFC guarantees you will lay eggs.  Statistics also show that people today consider themselves “regular church attenders” if they attend some church function at least once a month. 

Sending Capacity

Another statistic, however, is much more important that seating capacity.  You see, it is exciting to draw a crowd.  Everyone, especially me, gets excited over larger than average attendance.  But Jesus did not commission us to get people to come to church.  Instead, He commissioned us to BE the church going out into the community.   

We tend to measure our success or failure on how many people we get to come to church.  But Jesus did not commission us to come to church.  He commissioned us to be the church on the go, every day, everywhere.  Church is not the place we meet on Sunday.  Your church doesn’t have an address.  The church meets at a place with an address.  But the church is Jesus’ followers scattered about living out there faith in everyday life.

So my challenge is this.  Let’s celebrate a blessed Homecoming Day and rejoice that many of our old friends came TO church that day.  But let’s be even more zealous to BE the church throughout the week.  Let’s celebrate our SENDING capacity more than our seating capacity.

To make it personal, what will YOU do this month to BE the church outside the walls?  

Bible Reading:  Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 28:19-20 (note the first word)

Read also: When the Church Sign Goes Bad