I recently attended an event that is scheduled monthly. I arrived a few minutes before it was to begin and as I entered the room, no one was there. I waited for several minutes to see if anyone would show up a few minutes late, and no one did. The month before it was just the pastor and I. This month, I sat alone.
It is a chance that we all take as we serve in a small church, especially during the summer. Planning an event and having no one show up. It can be discouraging, but we must keep our focus.
In the scenario that I began this post with, showing up to a planed activity and no one being there, I could have been upset. Instead, I figured that either it was cancelled and I did not hear the announcement (i.e. my fault) or possibly that the organizer got distracted and at the last minute could not make it (i.e. “life” got in the way). No matter what happened, I was able to accept it and not let it bother me.
There was another time where a weekly youth meeting had no youth attend. 
On the surface it was discouraging but as I looked closer, it was a time when we could rejoice. There were just four youth in the group. One was practicing for an Easter production at another church. Another was visiting a Christian College to see about attending it, and the other two were doing similar things for God. Isn’t that what we want the youth to be doing? Learning to serve Him as adults. I was able to turn it from disappointment to joy.
I have scheduled events where we were not sure how many, if anyone, would show up and the volunteers were ready for what ever number showed up. That time there was one family and my volunteers ran the event as if there were more. It was amazing!
I have also scheduled events trying to accommodate schedules and once the date was announced people started saying they could not make it, yet some still could attend. Other leaders were encouraging me to switch the date to the following week when others could attend. I considered it but opted not to for several reasons. One, to switch the date would send a message that the people who could not attend the original date were more important than those who could. Secondly, as the date approached, many who said that they could attend the proposed new date would not have attended. I held the event on the original date and we had a great time.
So what can be done to try to prevent a “no attendance” event and when it happens, how should we react?
- Try to schedule activities around known school and other events, but keep in mind that even that does not always work.
- Do not plan too many activities, i.e. overbooking families
- Evaluate if it is the planned activity, or the date that is the reason for the low, or no, attendance and try not to duplicate that reason.
- Do not take it personal! Chances are it is not you, rather the activity or the date that conflicts with other schedules
- Prepare yourself and your volunteers that how many show up is not important, but rather how we reach out to who is there, and that there may be times when no one will show up – whether Sunday mornings or for a special activity – but we still need to be faithful and prepared.
I once had youth leaders who polled the few youth that participated and they knew that no one was planning to attend on a certain evening so they had nothing prepared. That night they had two visitors with nothing prepared to reach them or engage them. It broke my heart!
If it has not happened to you yet, then there is a good chance that one day it will. Be prepared, don’t take it personal, and focus on what God would have you do.
