A “Tool” for Connecting

When I’m not hanging out with my family or working at church, you might be able to find me in my little garage workshop, building or repairing a piece of furniture. I love working with tools and wood to create useful projects for my home or for friends. Because I love tools so much, I often carry a Leatherman multi-tool on my belt. Most of the time when I have it on me, it never gets used, but there are occasions when I need a particular tool and then it’s very handy to pull out the Leatherman and put it to use.

You may not be aware of it, but every Sunday morning when you enter the Sanctuary for our worship service, you are handed a tool as well. It’s not made out of steel, and it doesn’t have any sharp points on it (though I suppose you could get cut by it). You don’t have to have any prior training to use it, and though you may not need it every single week, it’s good to keep it at hand for the times when you do need to put it to use.

What is this tool? It’s a Connection Card!

I know you’re aware of the purpose of the Connection Card that allows us as pastors to hear from you. But the Connection Card can also be used by you as a tool to help  welcome and follow-up with guests who attend. So here’s what to do…

As you identify a guest—or anyone who needs to be connected in our church family (because of course you are paying attention and taking initiative to welcome them, right?!)—as you identify that person and are talking with them, one simple question you can ask is “Did you get a chance to fill out a Connection Card?” Most likely their answer will be “no”, in which case you can whip out the extra Connection Card that you are carrying with you, show them the little boxes they can check and let them know that their information will just go to one of the pastors to follow up with them.

We get very little (sometimes zero) response from guests to our repeated announcements from the pulpit to fill out the Connection Cards. But my experience has been that when I’m talking with a person individually and then ask them to fill out a Connection Card, they’ve been more than happy to do so. So instead of recycling your Connection Card every week, hang on to one or two of them and stash them in something you always have with you on Sunday morning, then use it as a tool to help someone get more connected in our church family.

When someone whom you’re talking with fills out a Connection Card, ideally you would then walk with them to the sanctuary lobby where we will have a Welcome Ministry set up…but more on that next time…