Have you ever watched a team of jumpropers? The two with the rope start swinging it in motion and get their rhythm. As they are swinging the rope, the third party (or parties) watch carefully. Each time the rope goes by, they get a little closer, and once they get the rhythm, they jump in!
It's really all about creating a system, being synchronized, having good instincts, and anticipation.
As I think about how we "do" church and how we appear to the guests who walk through our doors each week, it occurs to me that churches work much like this jumprope team, and I suspect there may be two kinds of "jumpers."
One type of guest/jumper that will walk through our doors, and instantly get it. These guests will watch carefully, study the rhythm of how we operate and as soon as they get it, will jump in! They are familiar with church and will know what to do.
The second type of guest, will walk in and instantly see teams working together. People are talking, drinking coffee, signing up for events, dropping their kids off in a class, and are instantly overwhelmed. They are not familiar with this system. It looks "clicky" and makes them feel back in high school again and how hard it was to "fit in." They stand back and watch but never feel the tug to jump in. Nobody asks them to join in, because they are just expected to!
As a church community, how do we keep the "rhythm" of our jumpropes going, while also welcoming others to jump in!? Just as our "jumpers" have to anticipate our next move, we need to anticipate theirs. Its about being in sync. It's about being focused on one thing, while not losing focus on what is going on in your "peripheral."
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