Do you remember the now famous scene from the Australian classic, The Castle? Good aussie bloke, Darryl Kerrigan, is fighting to retain his house, his castle, from being annexed into the expanding Tullamarine Airport. His lawyer, Dennis Denuto, attempts to argue the case in a court of law and finds himself way out of his depth. When asked to cite grounds for his case, Denuto states, “It’s the vibe.” He’s no expert on constitutional law, but he senses – as do others – that what is happening to the Kerrigan family is unfair and unjust. He can’t put his finger on it, but something isn’t right.

Research suggests that same kind of reaction takes place when newcomers and seekers enter into our church communities. Studies out of Canada indicate that these people are not critiquing the service, the preaching, or the facilities. In exit interviews, seekers could not always pinpoint what they liked or didn’t like about the church community. It was communicated more in terms of what they sensed and experienced – the “vibe” – that would lead them to return.

So, let’s ask the question: What’s “the vibe” in your church community?

Here are some ways you can begin to unpack that question and grasp some insight into this matter.

1. What is the feel in terms of environment and culture? Have you ever been to a church gathering that felt as if you just entered a time warp? It’s as if during this meeting, if you didn’t know better, you’d think Gough Whitlam was the Prime Minister and television would be airing first runs of Young Talent Time. People pick up on this. If the church seems out of touch with present day reality, people will intuitively question whether this place is capable of dealing with the complexities of 21st century issues. To examine this even further, insiders can be immune to picking up on this vibe. What may seem like a perfectly acceptable look and feel may be communicating all the wrong cues to the uninitiated.
2. What is the mood and the atmosphere? Another way to look at this is by asking is the feel positive or negative? Do the people here seem happy? For this reason, I believe that the worship service does well to strike a chord of celebration. When people leave was there a sense of hope or hopelessness? If people sense that people of faith are no better off than them, we’ve lost. If they sense that we have nothing to offer them beyond doom and gloom with a God twist, that won’t see them return.
3. What are the people like? Seekers are asking, “Are these the kind of people I can see myself hanging out with?” “Are these the kind of people I want in my life?” . People sense this and respond accordingly. For this reason, most consultants will tell you that if you want to know the type of people you can best reach for Christ, look at the people you already have. It’s your best indictor as to who will stay around. This is why in growing congregations, you don’t have just “one group”, but multiple “cells” that co-exist and interact together within the community of faith.

What people sense and know intuitively will impact a fellowship’s capacity to exercise ministry. Answers to questions like who can we effectively reach and who will stay are found more in the guts than in the head.