The Spring Woodlands Church of Christ has spent considerable effort molding our worship time into a form that is scriptural, yet contemporary enough to reach the unchurched. Most people first attend our church because a friend invites them. They are not sure what they, or we, believe, but they need a place to belong and they are invited. They come with lots of questions. Through the process of hearing the gospel and participating in worship with believers, they find themselves being drawn into a relationship with Jesus. It's at this point that we found frustration. We realized that we couldn't differentiate between the "transferred Christian" and "the unchurched attendee" coming forward to place membership.

Do either of these scenarios sound familiar? After a particularly good invitation, a visiting family will make their way to the front row with the request that they are ready to place membership. One or more of the elders are gathered around whispering to each other. They wave the preacher over with the predictable question, "Do you know if they have been baptized?" The singing has stopped by now and all eyes are on the front, raising the level of anxiety. Finally one elder bends over and asks the family only to find out that they have been baptized as babies. The elder then has to report that a family has come forward to place membership, but they will need more study. Many times the awkwardness of this scene keeps the seeker from ever coming to a mature relationship with our Lord.

Another all-too-familiar occurrence is that a family will place membership and find out a few weeks later that your church does a few things differently from their old church. Many times they will call a meeting with the elders and ask them to explain themselves. If the explanation is not satisfactory, then all too often one of two things happens: the family leaves your church family disappointed or an attempt is made by the new family to bring about the change they feel is necessary. Either one of these responses takes energy on the part of your elders and staff and leaves all involved with a bad taste in their mouths.

What if there were a process where new families could learn about your congregation in a relaxed environment among fellow seekers? Each family could evaluate their personal views and expectations for church involvement. Your leaders could clearly state what is expected for membership to take place. After some profitable time together, all leave with a new vision for your congregation and an excitement of the possibilities that exist. If this sounds desirable to you, then it's time you looked into starting an "Introduction Class."

Why We Began an Introduction Class

We, at Spring Woodlands Church of Christ, have a defined mission, vision, and strategy for our congregation. We believe that not all churches of Christ are exactly alike and we want seekers and transfer members to be fully aware of our commitment. It is a core belief in our leadership that Christians should commit themselves to a church that they can fully support and one that brings them fulfillment. If there is constant friction between the goals of the leadership and a new family, this fulfillment is rarely found.

We are reaching out to more and more unchurched people. This calls for a time when we explain the heritage of the churches of Christ. It becomes proactive to talk about issues like the observance of the Lord's Supper weekly, baptism by immersion, and a cappella singing. These issues can be addressed in an open forum where questions can be answered and confusion limited.

We believe that the Spring Woodlands church has its own compelling story that needs to be told. It is useful to say to new members that God has high expectations for our congregation, so we in turn hold high expectations for new members. I love to stand in front of a room full of people and share with them why I love my church and why they will love it also!

How to Begin an Introductions Class

Although there are several models being used for Introduction Classes, it is best to tai br your class to the specific needs of your congregation. Some prefer to meet for several sessions during the Bible class hour or even during the assembly on Sunday morning. We have found it best to meet during the assembly on Sunday night once a month. We meet only for one hour so we have to cover a lot of material in a short time.

We begin two weeks before each class with announcements at each worship service and in the bulletin about the times of the next class. The invitation to place membership has changed, and each week visitors are invited to attend the next Introduction Class if they are interested in membership. The week of the class, the church office sends out letters of invitation to all the visitors in our area who have attended worship services since the last class. We will also send a different letter to those we invited last month who didn't attend the Introduction Class. This list is given to me and to the deacons working in this area, and we call each per son on the list and extend a personal invitation.

We hold our class in the fellowship area of our building. This allows for an informal atmosphere and a convenient place for some refreshments. Each month we have a host who greets each visitor and gives him or her a name tag and introduction book.

The introduction book contains a brief history of our congregation and the churches of Christ. It then reviews our elders and staff (we provide pictures). We have a separate section for our mission, vision, and strategy. The strategy section includes a description of our worship services, our small groups, and our ministries (which includes all our deacons and ministry leaders). We then explain the section: "Where Do You Fit In?" Here we define the path that we encourage all visitors to take. It is: Community-unchurched and occasional attendees; Crowd-regular attendees; Congregation-members; Committed-maturing members; Core-ministers, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, teachers, etc. Since most of those in attendance are in the category of Crowd and wanting information on how to move into Congregation, the next section deals with our "Expectations for Membership." We conclude the book with the Spring Woodlands' commitment which is: I will protect the unity of my church; I will share the responsibility of my church, I will serve the ministry of my church; and I will support the testimony of my church. A survey is handed out, and we ask them to complete it before leaving. The survey asks how we can help them further; if they would like a visit, a study, or to place membership; how they came to visit Spring Woodlands; if the class was helpful; etc.

The surveys are tabulated and kept on our church computer so we can track each attendee. If they have a specific request, we give that information to the proper person or ministry. If they want to become members, we will announce them to the congregation the next Sunday. At this point another ministry takes over and works at getting them involved. Some churches use their introduction class to assimilate new members, but best for us.

The results of our Introduction Class have been wonderful. We have found that most of those interested enough to attend will eventually place membership. The class has also worked as a great tool to identify many unchurched attendees for Bible study and baptism. We have found that many come as seekers without a strong feeling of doctrinal concerns. If they like your church, most are open to studying the Bible and agreeing to your church's expectation of membership.

Our Introduction Class has been extremely positive for our congregation. New members seem to join with a clearer understanding of our direction and mission. We have found that people appreciate being a part of something that has high expectations. God is blessing our growth and outreach. The Introduction Class has played a role in those blessings, and I highly recommend it.