When No One Shows Up
We are called by God to be faithful, not successful.
I’m getting ready for the Easter Sunday sermon and the text preaching on is Mark 16:1-8. The passage ends with the main characters running away from Jesus’ tomb. Scripture says they were filled with terror and amazement.
I can understand having these two seemingly opposite feelings because it’s the same feeling I have whenever I get ready to teach. I don’t have problems preaching because even though I’m in front of a crowd, I’m doing it on my own and I tend to engage in solitary activities. But teaching a Bible Study is a bit more unpredictable; I never know how the people will respond. Sometimes they are engaged and can’t stop talking. Other times they say little.
And yet, I get excited preparing for things like Bible Study. Even if it’s hard and I’m looking at the clock, I am sort of jazzed in wanting to share what I’ve learned and hear what others have learned as well.
So it’s always a gut punch when after facing your fears and putting the time in to prepare for a Bible Study or a book study…
…and no one shows up.
In my 20 years as a minister, one of the things I’ve had to contend with is dealing with the emotional ups and downs. One of those downs is when you plan something and no one shows up. It’s a bruise to the ego, to be sure, but it also makes you wonder if what you are doing matters. You want to share all these insights you have about what you learned and you’re hoping others are interested as well and then you find out that maybe they don’t see things the way you do.
I’m not the only pastor who has experiences like this. I’ve heard stories of other pastors pouring their hearts into something only to have it blow up in their faces when no one shows up. And that hurts because it feels like no one cares.
It feels like no one cares, but that doesn’t mean no one cares.
At the end of the day, we can only be faithful to God and to those we are called to serve. I prepare a Bible Study not because I want to show off how much I know, but it is to help people learn more about who God is, to help them grow in the faith, and to be there when they have questions about the passage or about God and this crazy thing called life.
Digital Ministry specialist Ryan Panzer wrote a memorable blog post a year ago about what to do when no one clicks on your church-related content. Being a church media professional, I understood the article. I’ve created content where hardly anyone reads the article or watches the YouTube video or Instagram photo. Just like with the Bible Study, I wonder if anyone cares. But Panzer adds that just because they don’t access the content right now, doesn’t mean they never will. “We create content not because it generates clicks and influence, but because it creates a consistent presence. We write, record, and publish not to achieve fame, but because it’s a consistent form of witness for the 21st century church,” he wrote.
I want the instant rush, but sometimes all you are going to get is nothing…right now, at least. But a minister is planting a seed and being a faith presence. Both of those things, seeds, and presence take time. People may not notice now, but they might later on. And even if they don’t respond, what matters is taking a step in faith. God never said we would be successful.
The Bible Study I prepared will be put to use somehow. The video of my sermon will be watched in time. All I can do is be faithful and then send what I have done out into the world.
And let God handle the rest.