I get a lot of requests from outside groups to come to our church. I’m not sure why we get so many…but we do. My regular “cut & paste” response to outside groups who contact us is.
Thank you for contacting us about this potential opportunity. We consider each opportunity with care. While I appreciate your request, we will decline at this time. We will keep your information on file.
I typically respond this way for several reasons.
- Outside groups are typically needing a venue to perform/promote/market themselves (it’s rare that a group will leave a lasting impression or assist the church with it’s local ministry in a large way)
- Typically the groups need a venue for an evening that isn’t good for drawing a crowd or conflicts with current ministry
- It’s a lot of extra work on our end to host a group (meals, lodging, cutting checks, counting offerings, promotion, tearing down the stage, setting up the stage, tearing it down again, setting it back up, tech personnel to run audio/visual, correspondence leading up to and afterwards, selling merchandise in the lobby, money box security, security in general, etc.)
- Typically the groups aren’t requested by more than one or two TBC’ers, groups need to be pushed by someone other than me to make it a success
- I usually have a hard enough time getting through the cycle of volunteer musicians we already have
Please don’t misunderstand…outsides groups can benefit a local church ministry greatly (for reasons I haven’t mentioned here). I’m simply stating this is my typical response. I’ve been involved in many “church tours” over the past 20 years . It’s where I got a lot of experience of what to do, what not to do, and a foundational knowledge of local churches. Where would I be without these opportunities?
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Twitter- bryannelson: Let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. http://t.co/rtNMKgGd
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[...] to say “yes” to outside music groups at your church I’ve mentioned before why we turn down just about every request from an outside music group at our church. But there are times when saying yes to outside music groups is beneficial. There [...]