Not too long ago, a very nice family visited our church and then asked to meet me with. I sat down with them for an hour, as they told me that they were leaving their present church and were in the process of selecting their new one. They took out a checklist and began going down each item (it was three pages long), checking things off as we spoke. It was a very interesting meeting to say the least.
I don't write this to put down this couple. They were very serious and sincere and were simply doing in a systematic way what most people do in their mind when they visit a church and make their decision on attending. What's the music like. What ministries do they have. Do they have pews or seats. Stained glass or clear. Does it feel like a church to me. What are the people like. Is the pastor a good preacher. (I thought I heard them chuckle to themselves over that one.)
Again - I'm not putting this well-intentioned couple down, although they did choose another church. (Though CBC made their top-three!!) What struck me is that we have this capability in America to even go through this process. Think about that: we can choose a church like it's a couch. No wonder pastors constantly feel like their under the pressure of being salesmen for their church instead of shepherds of a flock.
Imagine being in a place where you were just happy that you could get together. Anyone have a Bible? Anyone have a song? I think this would change our concept of "church" pretty quickly.
2 comments:
yeah, church took on a whole new light for me on the Belize missions trip. everyone at the church down there was so happy to be there. is wasnt alot of people infact we doubled the attendence when we showed up. But each person had a passion about them. it didnt matter if you sang good or not, even the worship team, you sang anyways because you were singing for God. several times the guitar and keyboard would cut out unexpectedly but the drummer kept drumming and the singing got louder. the paster had a fire about him and the people listened intently to his message. they didnt pick him apart over the things they didnt like. basically, to me. it was the closest thing to what church should be. people gathered together to praise God and learn from his word. they didnt worry about all the little details, they stuck with the basics.
How about asking if how they can be a blessing to that congregation. Me Me Me
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