When to cancel church.
24 hours ahead for storms.
12 hours for ice/snow
Do not drag your feet praying for the weather to shift. At some point you have to be honest about what you’re trying to protect by forcing church.
I DO think a commitment to consistency is essential. And I do think we need to toughen up in general. But when it’s time to cancel, it’s been clear for a while, only the leader is dragging their feet and typically for the wrong reasons.
You win ZERO prizes for being the only church open. Your attendance from it would be falsely inflated. You’d have only gained other sheep… for one day. And no one really thinks you’re that tough. It’s not a bragging point.
Why cancel church?
Safety (BUT it’s not your top priority. Stop saying that.)
A point of value contradiction… when you can no longer provide the type of experience you promise and hope for. Aka, your people aren’t coming anyway.
How to cancel church?
Email
Social media
Text/phone tree
*** ALL of these, not one of these. And ALL of these within the same hour. Get it out.
Top down
Staff and Leaders
Leaders to teams
Social Post(s)
Email to all engaged people in the database in last 12 months.
Post again every 6 hours (including stories, organic shares from insiders, etc…)
What to explain?
Don’t overthink this. Don’t justify your decision. By the time you’re considering canceling, EVERYONE knows why. Literally no one is surprised by WHY you cancel. Some may just be surprised THAT you canceled (good or bad).
Over-justifying your decision doesn’t build buy-in and confidence in the church like you think it does. So just be decisive, clear, and move on to the next week.
I like this example. Get to the point. Everyone knows. And we know what comes next.
Contingency engagement? Do you need to provide an online option?
An online experience is ok IF it already exists.
But DO NOT feel obligated to create something. Your creative team, your people, and even your family will not thank you for that. And if you weren’t the boss, you wouldn’t watch either. Don’t lie. We all remember what you did in 2020 when you slept late, gave the pulpit to the youth guy, and went to the beach between passively watching (and copying) Todd, Furtick, and Wilkerson sermons.
I DO think it’s good to encourage people to still “be the church” in whatever want you would naturally say that.
For example, “Go love on your neighbors and help each other if anyone loses power or trees.” Or “Stay inside but check on your friends” when the roads are icy.
And it’s always beneficial to ask people to share their pics/posts and tag you. “Show us what you and the family did to maximize this bonus time together. Can’t want to see it.”
Last, ask yourself what you’re trying to protect.
It’s typically the offering, the attendance averages, or the ego from having worked “so hard” on that new sermon you now have to postpone.
Let that go. Your people will be back. And if not, it wasn’t the ice or storm. They left long ago mentally. And that’s for a different post. :)
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