Even though the NFL relented from its harsh stance against churches showing the Super Bowl, our church decided that we would be better to spin out our gatherings to homes of members in hopes that unchurched friends might feel more welcome and more likely to participate. We had two sites last year and branched out to 5 sites this year. Also, our sites were age graded 1st – 5th grades were invited to the home of some faithful children’s workers so they would have something special and their parents would be free to mingle at their parties. Youth went to another house, Young adults, Median adults and Senior adults all had other gathering places.
We like this model because it is a step toward decentralizing our “programs” and creating more opportunities for conversation. Eventually, we would like to get to a place where each small group chooses how to incorporate our Missional values into its own gathering and use the Super Bowl as it chooses. (We are not yet utilizing small groups, but hope to transition within the year.)
As I told the church the week prior, it isn’t about the game, but about conversations that build relationships that open doors to the Gospel. It’s always about the Gospel.
Well, what did you do? Why did you do it? How did you do it? What happened as a result?
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Kent House
on Feb 2nd, 2009
@ 11:48 am:
Art, we have 10 LIFE groups (cell groups) which meet on Sunday night in lieu of Sunday evening church services (we have no evening services on our church campus proper). Each LIFE (Living In Fullness Everyday) group was asked to tailgate during the ball game, which was shown on a “whited” wall in our family life center. The LIFE groups were designated a table with members of that LIFE group bringing food of their choosing. Door prizes (footballs, jerseys, etc.) were given only to guests who had been invited by LIFE group members (no church members were eligible for door prizes). Everyone “grazed” on each LIFE table. We registered 24 guests and enrolled 17 more people in our LIFE groups (14 church members and 3 non-church members). Our goal was three-fold – to promote our LIFE groups to church members and non-church members; to introduce our new spring studies in LIFE groups, which begin Feb. 8; and to involve our church in relational evangelism. One other thing; we produced our own commercials prior to Sunday’s game, some of them being silly and some promoting different church ministries, and played them during the commercial time of the Super Bowl.