Getting it right.


True independence and freedom can only exist
in doing what’s right. –Brigham Young


There is always someone willing to tell you: you’re doing it wrong! Most of the time, they really don’t have any authority to say so, but they do it, anyway. As a church, there are as many ways “out there” to “do church” as there are people. Some work; others, not so much. But we keep trying, and wondering why visitors aren’t beating a path to our doors.

Recently, hundreds of folks who visited a church and never came back were asked why. What bothered them about the churches they visited? Here are their Top Ten Answers:

  • An unfriendly/ awkward stand-and-greet time;
  • Unfriendly church members/ regulars;
  • Unsafe/ unclean children’s areas;
  • No place to get information about the church;
  • Bad/ out-of-date church website;
  • Poor signage;
  • “Insider” church language;
  • Boring/ bad church services;
  • Members telling guests they’re in the wrong pew;
  • Dirty facilities. 

This week, take time to look around. Ask yourself: If I were attending for the first time, is there “enough Jesus” here to make me want to come back? Then invite a visitor-- and see if they agree. . . .


Monday Think of the world around us is God’s sanctuary. Where could we do a little fixing up?
Psalm 23

Tuesday As ambassadors of the Gospel, how do our words match our deeds? Are we the best “greeters” for God’s Kingdom work? Jeremiah 1:4-10

Wednesday Do we truly believe and practice what we preach? (And is it truly the Gospel of God’s Love?) Where might you need a little shape-up? Psalm 71:1-5

Thursday How difficult is it for you to accept criticism or correction on a personal level? (How might you change?) Isaiah 58:9b-14

Friday Going into the weekend, what are you looking forward to most? What are you considering putting off till . . . forever? Let God help with your list. Luke 13;10-17

Saturday As you pray for yourself, ask God to give you God’s eyes to view the world, and especially, God’s children. Psalm 103:1-8

Sunday Now’s the Big Chance. After thinking during the week, look around. What needs help? What does your church do really well? Hebrews 12:18-29

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one. –Hans Selye

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritual dehydration

  Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up. –Pearl S. Buck   The past two years (at least) have been exhausting, haven’t they? We had a pandemic that physically left us anxious and afraid. Our churches, where we go for nourishment, were closed or online longer than we wanted—and even now, we are careful. Politically, we have been divided against one another, and those wounds are still bleeding in many cases. We need to take care of ourselves. And it’s never been more difficult. What to do? How do I make time in our busy schedules—for me ? The simple answer: Whatever it takes. Remember when we would fly to a vacation destination? How the flight attendant would remind us that if the cabin loses pressure, the oxygen masks would drop down out of the ceiling? And that before we offer to help anyone else, we need to have our own masks in place ? Good advice for life in general. Today: Pause. Take inventory ...
Read more

What are you waiting for?

  The waiting is the hardest part. –Tom Petty   We spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for the coffee to finish dripping. Waiting for the light to turn green. Waiting for the next available agent. It’s inevitable, really. We cannot always be first, and if we aren’t first, we’ll have to wait. But I think the more important thing is to ask yourself: How am I at waiting? Do I find myself getting anxious and fidgety? Am I worrying about things not going the way I really need them to go? Is my attitude rubbing off on people around me? The best way to wait is not to worry where we are in line, or gripe about wasted time. The best way to wait—is to be right there , in the moment of waiting. The disciples waited in fear; we wait in hope. Why not use this waiting time to pray? Welcome God’s presence into your heart. Ask God to bring you into the moment. Inquire what God would ask of you in this moment . Thank God for wisdom, patience, humor. . . . Take a d-e...
Read more

Don't be afraid.

Living is a great deal more than simply not dying. It is carrying out a mission, committing oneself to fashion some meaning that will attain eternity. –Leonardo Boff When asked, “What are you afraid of?” we offer a myriad of answers: snakes, spiders, flying in an airplane. But when pressed, many people, believers and non-believers alike, will admit that the one thing they fear most, at the core of their being, is death. Most of us enjoy having control over our lives, and frankly, we have very little control over, or way of knowing, how or when our earthly journey will end. And we have even fewer concrete answers about what will happen next. We have the profession of our faith and the occasional “crossing-over” story—but. No wonder death is near the top of that list. But sometimes, as I look around, it seems like people are less fearful about dying—and more afraid of living. Really cutting loose and enjoying our time together as human beings privileged to live in God’s am...
Read more