I was at a gathering of people not long ago that discussed the following ideas for increasing its membership:

• One person suggested that while we we’re out walking in our neighborhood, we should stop and get to know the people we meet and ask them how they like the neighborhood, is there anything they need, what they see as the main problems in the area, etc.
• Another person suggested that we host a get-together in a nearby restaurant and invite the neighborhood so that we can get to know each other better.
• Another suggestion was to form regular clean-up groups and focus on areas of the neighborhood that need cleaning up or other types of attention.
• One last idea was to ask an elderly or incapacitated neighbor if we can help them fix something in their home.

Now, can you guess what kind of meeting this was?  Was it a church outreach committee?  Was it a special lectureship class on “Spreading the Word”?  Was it an elder’s meeting to discuss increasing church membership?

Truth is, it was a meeting of our local neighborhood association. (We meet quarterly for meetings and about every six weeks for social events.) This particular meeting was to brainstorm ideas for getting more of the people who live in our vicinity to join us in our common desire improve our neighborhood. 

But as I sat there listening to this discussion (and offering ideas of my own), it took me back to the hundreds of meetings I’ve sat in to consider ways to get people into my church. The only ideas missing this night were door knocking and gospel meeting.

For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.                          Jesus, as recorded in John 16:8

The question common to both a neighborhood association and religious folk is how do you “win” converts to your cause? For centuries, religious people have relied on programs, signs, tracts, great music and preaching, elaborate and full-service facilities, or a number of other things to attract people to their cause. And such attractions do work, for some. But if you look at the vast majority of churches, you see members who all look pretty much the same. There are white churches; there are black churches. There are wealthy churches; there are churches of mostly poor people.  (Rarely do you see “addicted” churches where most of the members are recovering or not-yet-recovering addicts. Or churches that have a high percentage of people who struggle—at least openly—with some of the vices churches look down on.)

The refreshing thing about our neighborhood association—and something that many churches still need to learn—is that we really don’t care who is in our “club.” We’ll take anyone. And we welcome people to join us for the benefit of all who live in the area, not just for the good of the association (institution) itself. The association’s techniques for getting members are non-threatening and built on common needs, i.e. safety, pride in our neighborhood, help from time to time and more. We direct our “campaign” toward those with whom we have cast our lots—the people who live right around us, the people who are within walking distance of our front door. These are the people we see everyday, not just on Sundays. We see each other in a variety of settings: social, service projects, civic marches and more. And there is not one string attached to membership (not even the $5/year fee, which is often overlooked). I don’t know of one religious organization that offers no-strings-attached membership.

The people in our neighborhood association are decent people. They care about our city and each other. They are eager to help one another and spend many hours in service. Some drink beer and occasionally utter a curse word. But they are also free with praise and encouragement. For most, religion is an important part of their lives.  They just haven’t let their religion get in the way of fully living each day for the benefit of others.