What I Learned at the Tennessee Aquarium

Last Monday we took Eyasu and Abreham to the Tennessee Aquarium.  Eyasu loved the penguins and Abreham loved looking at the fish.  We had a great time.  However, I couldn't help but notice some things beyond the animals, fish, and birds ...

1.  Great environments attract crowds.

Downtown Chattanooga used to be a rough place and definitely not a place for families.  Through visionary leadership and bold leadership the aquarium was planned and built.  Downtown Chattanooga began transforming into a pro-family, pro-business, pro-community environment.  It is a case of "if you build it, they will come."  However, I think it is more a case of if you build the right environment they will come.  Families want safe, fun, clean places to go.  Kids want to discover new things. Businesses want to be well located.  The aquarium helped create perfect conditions for these things to occur.

As I think about the church, I believe strongly that the un-churched are open to a safe, welcoming place to hear about biblical truth in understandable ways.  They want to explore and discover without fear of condemnation and rejection.

On the other side, the past 8 years have shown me that active Christians want a place to bring or invite their un-churched friends to attend.  They want to bring people to church and help them begin steps of faith.

Like the leaders who brought the aquarium to Chattanooga, we in the church must constantly evaluate how to create environments that address the spiritual "itch" of our culture, bringing God's truth to people who are searching for it.

2.  Great service helps a crowd become committed.

The aquarium staff and volunteers are well-trained and generally proud of their work, proud of their mission, and focused on the people that come.  One lady shared with me some "insider" knowledge about when they fed the sharks because she wanted to maximize my experience (I'm sure she shared it with others too).  The staff took note that we had young children and offered special assistance and help.  The result this "above and beyond" service? People keep coming back and they tell others about their experience.  In other words, they become more than a crowd ... they become committed.  I talked with one patron who has season passes! I mean seriously, how much fish can you take?  But it's not just about fish.  It's about a positive experience created by an attractive environment that is staffed by passionate people.

What makes a church effective is so much more than good music, good programs (or ministries), or good preaching.  Ultimately, it is people who touch and impact other people.  In Acts, God always worked through people to impact other people.  The result? A crowd was attracted and many became committed to Christ.

3.  Don't underestimate the power and potential of volunteers.

I was amazed at how many volunteers the aquarium used.  They were everywhere and doing a lot of jobs that you would think "deserved a pay check."  But apparently, the aquarium is able to recruit and deploy volunteers, and the quality of the experience does not suffer ... in fact, it is enhanced.

The church over the years has gravitated more and more to letting the so-called "professional" Christians do the work.  Lay people think they aren't qualified and staff members think they are the only ones who can do it and do it right. But when you read Ephesians 4:11-12 you realize the church is to be run and built by its members who are equipped and empowered by its staff!  If a big fish tank through great leadership and an exciting vision, can empower volunteers so effectively ... just think what the church that Jesus Christ founded can and should do through its people!?!?!