Hatch, Match, Dispatch: Make the most of every opportunity

Churches tend to focus on Christmas and Easter as the main opportunities for outreach. They are times when many people who are only vaguely connected with the church will show up for a service.

But there are other, less well-resourced opportunities that go on week by week, which draw many people who are not yet Christians into church: infant baptisms, or dedications; weddings; and funerals.

These have been dubbed as hatch, match and dispatch services by some pastors. Those who only enter church on these occasions are sometimes called “four wheel Christians”—they only show up in a pram, a wedding car, or a hearse.

But whatever the reason they are there, baptisms/dedications, weddings and funerals are opportunities to reach out, share the gospel, and show something of the warmth, love and grace of the Christian family. As Paul tells us: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4 v 5).

I was first switched on to this when I attended the funeral of my uncle Harold. He had not been a church-goer, so I wasn’t really expecting much from the sombre gathering at the crematorium. How wrong could I have been. The duty minister who took funeral was nothing short of brilliant. With a deft and warm touch, he showed kindness to the family, and a generous spirit towards my uncle and his life. But he left no one in any doubt about the judgement to come, and the need to get right with God while there is time. He handed out evangelistic booklets at the door. And I left rejoicing that the gospel had been proclaimed.

To this end, we have just published two new evangelistic booklets for weddings and dedication/baptism events, to join the booklet we produced some time ago for funerals.

• Love that never fails by Tim Chester is designed to explain the good news of the gospel to those who are celebrating at a wedding. It explains that love is a gift from God to be enjoyed. And even though human love fails, God's love will never fail. 
• Life that lasts forever by Tim Thornborough explains the good news of the gospel to those who are celebrating the birth of a new child. It explains that life is a gift from God, and that God has provided for us all that we need to live a joyful life now, and enjoy him forever.
• Hope to carry on by Peter Jackson encourages those who are bereaved, or who are attending a funeral, to think about the world to come. It explains what God has done so that we can have real hope even in the face of death. It shows that death is not the end, and how you can have real hope—both now and for the future.

One key feature of all these services is that people often have a lot of hanging around to do. They arrive early, take in the architecture, listen to the music, and chat with those they are sitting near. But often time drags on, and guests sit wondering what to do. Putting these booklets on seats or in the pews before people arrive is just as (if not more) effective as offering them to people at the end of the service—they are certainly likely to get read.

Some churches and ministers are overburdened with the need to service these regular events. For other churches, they may be much rarer. But whatever the frequency, these carefully written, designed and targeted booklets are a great way to make the most of the opportunity that these occasions present.

Next week we’ll be starting a new series on the blog looking at making the most of the evangelistic opportunities that funerals, weddings and baptisms/dedications offer—come back to read more ideas from pastors and minsters working in a variety of contexts.

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