The vocabulary of a football team is very different from those who have never played the game. Years ago, I was an Emergency Medical Technician standing on the sidelines of a junior high, seventh grade, football game. During the game, the coach called a time out and the team huddled around him.
The coach started describing what he wanted the defense to do, when they went back out on the football field, after the time out. But the coach was only receiving blank looks on the faces of his players, as he talked. Finally, he said to them, “Does anybody understand what I am talking about?” Some of the kids said no, but most of them just shook their heads no.
Going to church, for a visitor or a new Christian, can be just as intimidating, as a bunch of kids that don’t know what the coach is talking about, during a time out, in a football game.
Don’t just invite new people to church, take them with you. You can also tell them you will wait for them at the front door. Then sit with them. Show them the books in the pews and what they are used for. Help them find the hymns that will be sung that day and the scripture readings.
Some people that have never been to church won’t know where to find John 3:16 or any other scripture. They also won’t know where to take their kids or where the bathrooms are. Help them.
That junior high football coach was way over his football player’s heads that day, when trying to tell them what to do. But to his credit, after the player’s said no, we don’t get it, he simplified real quick and the kids went back in the game and did what he said.
When you see that blank look, from people new to church, jump in and help them and keep it simple.
