CONNECT

What Image Are We Reflecting?

I had an interesting conversation with my 16 year old daughter yesterday about her Psychology class. It seems they were having a heated discussion about lifestyle "choices" some people make and whether this is predetermined at birth or if it is a conscious decision made by each individual. 

One of her classmates brought in her Bible and was firing off verse after verse on why this is an "abomination to the Lord," refusing to discuss the actual topic presented. She explained it seemed like it was just this girl taking on the entire class. (She goes to a secular public high school)

"It made me sad to consider myself a Christian", she told me

I'm certain this girl felt she was just standing up for what she believed in. But instead of drawing people closer to Jesus, she came across as closed-minded and judgmental; unwilling to discuss another point of view. 

The point of this post is not about the subject matter the class was discussing. It's about being intentional in how we respond, keeping the bigger picture in mind. Sometimes we need to lose a few battles in order to win the war. 

Will those kids remember the Bible's point of view on transgender? Probably not. Will they remember a harsh and judgmental Christian? Absolutely. 

Sometimes I wonder what could happen if we spent more time reflecting the heart of Jesus and less time reflecting organized/institutionalized religion. 

Easter Opportunities

Churches—How easy is it to find what times your Easter services are being held?

We have a unique opportunity to spend Easter weekend with our son who's attending college in Sarasota, FL and looked for a church near where we're staying.

The experience of searching for a church was eye-opening and I'm guessing is quite similar to what many first-time guests experience. (And even a little depressing, to be honest)

I know it's easy for all of us to get caught up in the routine of daily stuff and sometimes forget that people not connected to our church may need a little extra help. Here's a quick overview of the process I went through:

1) Searched Google
I simply typed in "churches near <my location>"

2) Filtered by Name
I know our kids are going to want a more casual experience for a place they've never been before. Names that sounded formal or included "Holy Grail of the Tabernacle," I'm sure are great churches but not what we were looking for this time.

3) Checked the Website
100% of people who've never been to your church are going to check out your website before coming to your church. (Even if it's just to remember what time their friend said the service starts)

This is where I was amazed how few churches made it easy to know when their Easter services were held. Out of the ones I checked, it was less than 25%.

Most didn't include information at all; several listed it several clicks in (One search experience was: Gathering Times > Home Page > Upcoming Events > Sunday Gathering > Back to Home Page > Back to Gathering Times > Passion Week > Scroll to bottom, Easter Services) Just one church had an icon for Easter Services listed on the home page.

People expect websites to have time-sensitive information.

Easter is a great opportunity to connect with people who don't go to church all the time. But if we're shouting a message they can't hear, does it matter?