Monday, August 16, 2004

Short post today

Just a quick share and response. I visited with a fantastic church this past Sunday whose elders asked this question: If our church were to suddenly disappear would anyone in the community care or even notice?



This question wasn't meant to make them ashamed, but to simply re-evaluate and has led to some amazing steps in outreach.



It's a question worth asking; if your home church were to suddenly disappear, would anyone in your community care or even notice?

Monday, August 9, 2004

All Signs Point To No

Our church in North Carolina regularly receives copies of The Christian Chronicle, and the cover of one of the most recent issues caught my eye. There was a picture of a church meeting, taken from an outsider perspective (through the window of the front entrance). Two large signs were taped to the glass of the window; one read "NO...CANDY OR DRINKS PAST THIS POINT...Thanks!" and the other "TIP TOE TIP TOE IN GOD'S HOUSE".



Now, I'm not looking to pick on a specific church since I have met at (worshipped with and worked for) churches with a similar message (if not the specific sign). My question for all of us is this...where was the WELCOME sign? I understand having some rules about food and such, but do we want that to be an outsider's first (and maybe last) interaction with us? If someone visits my house I may ask them to take off muddy shoes or not to sit on the arm of the couch, but it isn't the first thing I say to them. Hopefully they pass through my door with a hearty "Welcome" and feel it is sincere.



My follow up question would be this; are we doing enough to make our guests feel welcome? I'm not even talking about seeker services or a complete overhall of worship styles, I'm talking about making them feel welcome to visit and participate with us in what we do. Does the guy walking in off the street feel welcome?



My fear is that all signs point to no.