I recently read an article about an Omaha church that paid people to come to worship. Covenant Presbyterian Church of west Omaha paid eight people to participate in a Sunday worship gathering. After worship, these same people were asked to complete a survey about their experience.

This Midwestern church, affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and led by Pastor Jeremy Grant, ran a small ad in the Omaha World-Herald back in the spring of this year. More than 30 people responded. According to the Associated Press on JournalStar.com, one of the volunteers was a retired woman who reported that she needed the extra $25.

Those who volunteered their time were asked to fill out a survey tailored to determine whether or not their worship experience was uplifting, inspirational and meaningful. Joe Davis, a Florida-based church consultant, said the survey would give Covenant Presbyterian Church an outside opinion that’s worth more than the total money paid to the volunteers.

I’ll admit it up front: I’ve never heard of a church doing this before. It seems clever enough. I’m sure the leaders who came up with the idea thought it was innovative. I would really like to know what those paying spectators had to say and if their feedback was helpful to the church leaders.

Obviously, we do not pay our members or any of our visitors to come to Marble Collegiate Church. I know I’ve only been here a little over a year but to my knowledge, we’ve never done that! Those who come to our worship gatherings and other programs come because they want to be here. At Marble, your presence is not only welcomed but needed as well.

My colleague, Rev. David Lewicki, wrote on this subject in his Tuesday blog, “Your Gift of Presence.” In it he writes, “…the importance of your presence at church is not really about whether you think the church is the best or only vehicle for your relationship to God. Being at church—your presence here—is a response to God’s presence in your life…we show up here, to worship, pray, eat, learn, etc. because God shows up for us.” In addition, Rev. Lewicki points out that our presence, as the Body of Christ, gives strength and encouragement to others who have gathered as well. In effect, presence—our own and each other’s—is a reciprocal, practical blessing.

The early church understood the importance of presence. In Acts 2, we read about those first believers and how they were consistently present for each other. Not only were they in awe of God’s work through the apostles, they also gave to each other as each had need, broke bread and worshiped God together on a daily basis (vv. 43-47a). In Acts 2:47b we read: “And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” God grew the church because of faithful people who were willing to consistently practice the art of “showing up.”

How will Marble Church continue to grow in the future? How will our stewardship campaign be successful this year? Will it be our zeal for worship and kindred love to each other? Will it be our fervent prayers and fellowship together? Will it be our willingness to share our time, talents and treasures? Yes! Yes! & Yes! May we continue to practice presence and seek to be as contagious as those early church believers, attracting people not to a building, program or even a campaign but to a person—Jesus Christ.