We get letters. We get letters. We get lots and lots of letters.

I regularly receive email messages from other church leaders across the country who are curious to know how we do ministry at Granger Community Church. I’ll try to share some of those questions and my thoughts from time to time. I thought we’d open up the mailbag today to see what’s on people’s minds.

Letter #1 – Do you allow non-believers to serve in any area of ministry? –from "K" in Sugarcreek, Ohio

Well, this is an interesting question, K. I think it depends on the ministry role and the influence that person has over others. Obviously, as a church, our primary mission is to help people take their next step toward Christ. That means if we’re looking at a position in the church where someone might have relational influence or leadership influence or congregational influence, we certainly want them to be Christ-followers.

There are a number of serving opportunities in the church, however, where "non-believers" can volunteer. Examples at Granger might include helping at the food pantry, building a Habitat home, passing out service bulletins, playing the guitar, or directing traffic. Some people don’t connect with God until they connect with others in a serving relationship. It’s through that relationship that they begin to consider the claims of Christ. That’s why we try to make available some easy access ministries across the life of our church where just about anyone can serve.

Letter #2 – What are some suggestions for starting a Saturday night service? –from Kevin in Aurora, IL

Actually, Kevin, this is one of the topics we cover in Simply Strategic Growth. Let me give you some quick thoughts:

• Don’t do anything on Sunday morning that’s not also offered on Saturday night.
• Make Saturdays unique by offering more than people might get on Sunday morning–more music, more food, more drinks, more fun for kids, etc. Check out the Saturday Night eXtras at Granger.
• Advertise what’s happening on Saturday night to your Sunday morning crowd. Newcomers may not be aware they can have a better service experience on Saturday evening that allows them to sleep in on Sunday.
• Challenge people to shift for six months. The vast majority of people who’ve done this at Granger would never go back to Sunday now. They love Saturday evening services.