Connected vs. Committed

Every weekend, my role is to love people who are connected and people who are committed.

Every weekend, my goal is to convince people who are connected to become people who are committed.

(Feel free to go back and read those two sentences again. I’ll wait.)

Our church is full of connected people. Maybe they visited for the first time last Sunday. Maybe they only show up at Easter and Christmas. Maybe they drop a few dollars in the plate, volunteer to help one Saturday on a Habitat project, or have sat down for coffee and conversation with a pastor.

We do first impressions because we love the connected people. We love it when they show up, we love it when they come back, we love it when the light bulb suddenly appears over their head and they understand the gospel for the first time.

But connected is not enough.

I want to see people go from being connected to being committed. Connection says “This is a good church.” Commitment says “This is my church.”

Commitment means people move from a large auditorium to a small group. It means they figure out their sweet spot and serve on a volunteer team that exercises that gift. It means they put down roots, declare the church to be family, and officially join as a covenant member.

Connected people come and go. Committed people plant their feet and stay.

I love our connected people. I’m thrilled that they’re here and I’m dedicated to making their weekend experience the best it can be.

But part of that experience is to make sure they’re moving from connection to commitment. That they’re finding a family and discovering a purpose and pursuing a plan to give back.

Are you committed, or simply connected?

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