Defining the Blue-Collar Blindspot (cont.) The Calendar Divide
The Calendar Divide
The modern Evangelical movement doesn’t come to blue-collar country. By country, I mean the average blue-collar worker’s schedule as compared to the average church’s schedule. Conflicting schedules prevent blue-collar parishioners from participation in most or all church activities. Sadly, this leads to fewer blue-collar parishioners in attendance and thereby reduces the perceived need for odd-schedule Bible studies and worship services. This creates a cycle where a police officer who works a 6-am-to-6-pm swing-shift might only make it to church once a month, at best. A factory worker who does an 11-pm-to-7-am overnight shift might never come to church in the first place.
[This is an excerpt from my book, The Blue-Collar Blindspot in it I dig deep into how Christian Media tacitly ignores blue-collar workers and the dignity of human work. I’ll be posting more each week till I’m through the whole book.]
Anyone who works weekends can basically never make it to church. Anyone who works evenings can’t make it to Wednesday night service. If their days off aren't on the weekend, they can't attend weekend events. Precious few churches have Bible studies or worship services in the middle of the day in the middle of the week, or very early in the morning. Law enforcement officers normally work rotating twelve-hour shifts. Corrections and factory workers tend toward fixed eight or twelve hour shifts in the evening or overnight, with weird "weekends" in the middle of the week.
If we are not to neglect the gathering of the saints, we need saints to gather with. If one or two members of your congregation work weird hours and attend when they can, what church-related events could they invite their co-workers to? That Bible study they have to miss work to attend? Or that worship service in the middle of their sleep schedule? When was the last time a church scheduled a Bible study for 4 am at a gas station? If you want to reach blue-collar workers, you have to go where they are, when they are there. For a blue-collar worker, IHOP or Denny's at 1 am might be the best place and time for a Bible study. It doesn’t need to be weekly; once a month would be a Godsend when nothing is the standard fare. To witness and disciple you must go to a person’s country; go where they live—when they are there—and be available when they are available.
[This is an excerpt from my book, The Blue-Collar Blindspot in it I dig deep into how Christian Media tacitly ignores blue-collar workers and the dignity of human work. I’ll be posting more each week till I’m through the whole book.]
Today was a much shorter excerpt than before, because I really feel this Divide and the Next are important enough to each be their own post. I’ve missed so many church events due to working evenings and nights over the years. Every congregation knows the one or two cops who are only ever there once every couple weeks. More needs to be done for those that keep our civilization running. The single mom who works the night shift at the local gas station needs to have Church events she can attend.
If you’re interested in assessing your ministry or outreach, to know how blue-collar friendly it is, just pick up my free Ministry Assessment Tool it will allow you gauge what color your collar is and give tailored advice based on your score.
I’m also working on a deep dive that I will release next week around Wednesday. It’s a complete guide for Catholic Creators on how to use scripture to reach Protestants. Be on the lookout!