I live in Shawnee, Oklahoma. On any given Sunday morning, there will be a significant percentage of the population that gets up early and heads to a church of their choice.
But according to one survey by Lifeway, they may not know what kind of church they are attending.
For about three decades, new churches have carried names like Life Church, Crossings, Elevation, The Rock, or Harvest. Even one of the largest Southern Baptist Churches in America changed its name from Highland Village Baptist Church to the Village Church.
The trend grows from the idea that unchurched people don’t want to attend church. One pastor I know claims there are a number of people who are “allergic to stained glass.”
Apparently, these people hate the idea of going to a typical First Baptist Church and seeing people in choir robes and coats and ties. They feel better in a less formal setting, with more contemporary music and guys wearing cargo shorts and untucked shirts.
I know there are plenty of churches around – especially here in the Bible belt – so finding one with a style you prefer isn’t going to be too difficult.
I don’t buy into the whole stained glass allergy theory though. If a person is “unchurched,” they aren’t coming in just to see a pastor sit on a stool and reference pop culture. I don’t think the problem with most of these denomination-claiming churches is that they are too formal.
There is a breakdown in today’s church. Everyone wants to talk about what is keeping people away, but no one talks about the elephant in the room.
People choose churches because of how they are ministered to. Yes, the pastor is an important part of the church because they deliver the focal message each week. Yes, worship style is important because that is part of the experience of the service.
But the number one thing that attaches a person to a church is how loved they feel in that church.
Greeters are a great idea. But if only the guy with his name on a badge and the title of greeter speaks to you, you don’t feel very welcome.
The phrase “church home” is an important thing to remember. If you want people to join the church, the church needs to meet them where they are. I know the times my family has felt most the part of a church has come at times in life when people supported us through tough times, celebrated good times with us and became a real extended family.
If you care for people, teach them well and truly minister to them, I don’t think they will care about the name on the building or the color of the glass in the windows.
Are you really going to fool people into going to a church? Does a typical “seeker” really fall for it?
I can only imagine the conversations:
“Hey honey, they are having a meeting at a new place called Paradox at 11 Sunday morning. Do you want to go?”
“I guess. What kind of meeting is it?”
“They sing and then a guy talks about God for about 22 minutes and then they take donations and we go home.”
“Okay, as long as it isn’t a church.”
It is pretty simple. If you hear hoof beats, don’t think zebras. If they sell tacos, nachos and burritos, don’t think pizza place. If you are a church, be a church and call yourself a church. If you belong to a denomination, let people know.
If you are really being a church and not just doing church, no one will care what the sign says.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: You can't fool people into going to church