Does the Church REALLY Have Back Door Problem?

If the question is unfamiliar or doesn’t make sense, let me take a moment to explain.  Every church is in the business of reaching people.  Church leaders are constantly asking, “How do we connect with more people,” “How can we better reach our community,” “What can we do to get more people to come to church?”  All of these questions are focused on getting more people to come through the front door of the church.

Once new people arrive, the concern shifts to keeping those prospects (I don’t like the term, but that’s the lingo.).  The first questions are outward focused; the second questions are inward focused.  “How do we connect people in the church?”  “How do we get more people involved?”  “How do we get people to buy into what we’re doing?  All of these questions are focused on keeping people from exiting the backdoor of the church.  “

Put it together and here’s the debate: (1) How do we get people to come through the front door as prospects, (2) How do we keep people from going through the back door unsatisfied?”

I’ve been thinking about this situation for a while.  While on sabbatical, God gave some perspective that I feel is relevant.  Stated simply, the problem is that we start with the wrong question. 

The question should not be, “How do we get people to come through the front door as prospects?”  That’s a programming issue.  The real question should be, “Why are we trying to reach people at all?”  That’s a missional decision.

Are we trying to get people to come to church so that the church will get bigger?  As wonderful as it is to have a growing church, that seems like a pretty silly reason for outreach.  Not only can people tell when they are notches in the “growth gun,” but I would hate to think that I’m investing the best years of my life to insure that the attendance graphs continue to go up. 

Are we trying to reach people so that they can be saved?  That may seem like a biblical reason, but let me play devil’s advocate.  What happens after salvation?  Once a person is saved, why should it matter if they go out the backdoor of the church?  If the goal is just salvation, the person can leave with their “fire insurance” and the church can pat itself on the back for doing a great job.  IF…the ultimate goal is to see people saved.

Some churches want new people to stay to share the load of ministry.  The local church runs on volunteers.  We need people to give, serve, lead, and go—voluntarily.  If people do not stay, then the church will eventually cease to exist. If our incentive for closing the backdoor is needing people to help, then wouldn’t that make our ultimate goal preservation?  It makes an interesting circular argument.  We want to reach more people…so that more people will stay…so that we can reach more people…so that more people will stay…  You get the point.

The church does not have a backdoor problem; we have a mission problem.

When a local church does not understand the mission of THE CHURCH—we try to corral Christians instead of develop disciples.  We’re asking the question, “How many can we gather together?”  The mission requires us to ask, “How many can we train and send?”  One approach soothes our need for success; the other approach impacts the world for Christ.  The first question requires us to entertain people in order to keep their interest.  The second question requires us to train people in order to send them equipped. I repeat my first statement.  The church does not have a backdoor problem; we have a mission problem.

The mission of every New Testament church is to make disciples.  That mission should impact and influence everything we do. 

• Why do we want people to come through the front door of the church?  Answer: Our goal is to make disciples. 
• What should we do after a person comes into the church?  Answer:  Our goal is to make disciples. 
• Should we worry about closing the backdoor of the church?  Answer: No!  Our goal is to make disciples.

It’s hard to encourage people to go to the nations when we are simultaneously saying, “Stay where you’re at.” 

I know that this post goes against everything we hear in conferences and read about in church growth books.  However, as you walk away from this post, I have several questions for you to process.

•  Is it possible that God wants the backdoor open so that we are always mindful to go?
• How would discipleship be different if the church were to say, “We may only have this person for a year—how can we best train them for when they leave?”
• If a church is discipling people to know God, to strengthen their marriage, to lead within their family, to make wise decisions, to connect with other Christians, to make a difference for the Kingdom, and to live fully as a disciple of Jesus Christ—should we have to beg them to stay? People gravitate to things that add value to their life.

I don’t expect people to embrace these thoughts immediately (if ever).  It’s easier to embrace the concept of disciple making than it is to engage in the process that makes disciples.  But hopefully, there is a piece or two that resonates with concerns you’ve already felt.  If that is the case, ask God how He can use you to start the conversation in your church.  Chances are—other Christians are wrestling with the same concerns.  May we be bold enough to speak and gracious enough to do it in love.