Ben Mack knew about church—but not Lifesong’s version.
The Massachusetts man felt “burnt out and bummed out” from other churches where he encountered people wearing their Sunday best and “acting like Christians for the day.” The underlying message Mack perceived: “We’re doing something right—and you’ve got to change.”
But people at Lifesong Church in Sutton, Mass., welcomed him warmly. He didn’t sense an expectation to act differently; he felt loved. His faith revived. “I didn’t realize that anything like that was even out there,” says Mack, who now looks forward to Sundays.
Lifesong pastor, David Payne, is from the characteristically friendly Midwest, pastoring in the stereotypical individualistic society of New England. People there sometimes believe that they don’t really need anybody’s help, and that the good things in their lives are due to the work of their own hands.
Payne watched as “non-encounters” took place in the churches: “You show up, and you see each other, but don’t speak.” But he wasn’t keen on that coldness, nor the idea of being the classic, angry New England pastor.
He and his wife, Ginelle, wanted to see Psalm 122 happen: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” He asks, “What would that [gladness] look like?”
It would take a warm culture where everyone is welcome—and they found that such friendliness helped drive growth, too.
Their greeters, such as the ones who welcomed Mack, are carefully chosen, not just trained, according to Payne. And they ask genuine questions because they want to know, not baited ones that uncover attendees’ faults, according to Mack.
People again and again express surprise at such genuine care. Payne calls it “shock value.”
“We hear that all the time: ‘I can’t believe I actually matter; I can’t believe you really want me here,’” he says.
And it’s people, not programs, who will reach those who don’t know God.
Communicating that belief—telling congregants that there are people who are “far from Christ, but close to you”—increased attendance over the past year and a half, according to Payne. “We saw a rapid growth rate.”
People are warmly welcomed, yes, but a third main reason for growth happened when Lifesong moved from its string of temporary homes that included a movie theater, and anchored itself into a new facility.
The unspoken message to the community because of that building, according to Payne, is that Lifesong isn’t a fleeting tune: “They’re here for me.”
“The church isn’t going anywhere,” he says.
LIFESONG CHURCH
Sutton, Mass.
Senior Pastor: David Payne
Twitter: @David_Payne_
Website: LifesongOnline.org
Founded: 2006
Affiliation: Nondenominational
Locations: 1
A 2015 OUTREACH 100 CHURCH
Attendance: 1,013
Growth in 2014: +256 (34%)
Fastest-Growing: 46
