Church Growth

Is the way we do church sustainable?

April 10, 2013 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church, Church Growth, Church Planting, Conflict Management, Missional Communities | Leave a comment

I have been thinking of the Church a lot and I am trying to make efforts to listen at what God is doing. I am trying to be obedient to his commands and to not stymie the kingdom of God. As I sit in auditoriums filled with hundreds of people dressed in their “Sunday best” participating in 1-2 hours of worship and class I often have a haunting question that comes over me:

IS THE WAY WE DO CHURCH SUSTAINABLE?

I can’t stop thinking about that question whether it’s listening to sermons, listening to bible classes, reading journals, writing journals, talking with churched folk, talking with unchurched folk, praying, reading Scripture, talking with missional folks….

…or just listening in silence.

I am not sure I have an answer to that question because it depends on where you are at in the way you do church. One thing I am hearing more of is that if the way you do church is about getting people to a building and all ministry, programs and involvement centers around that building then that is unsustainable. Sure you can sustain it by having people pay for the bills, pay for the ministers, and pay for the carpet you argue over but in the end it will mean nothing to the community. Think I am wrong?

I was talking with a church not long ago and they were bragging to me that 60% of their budget is dedicated to foreign mission. Within the same conversation I asked them what they thought they needed to work on and their response floored me: “Honestly Robbie we need to work on having a better influence in our own community.” I didn’t have the brass to say it but I wanted to say, “That’s because all your money is going out of your community and not into it.”

Think about your own church’s budgets. How much is invested into salaries? Probably 50% of your budget. Then you have utilities, insurance, upkeep and all of these other expenses.

At what point do you bless the community?

So I wonder if the way we are doing church is sustainable. Neil Cole has some wisdom:

In today’s Western church culture, there are three consistent roadblocks to church multiplication and reproduction: buildings, budgets, and big shots.

Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church, p. 85.

So what do you think? Can we sustain the way we have done church? Do we need to change? How can we? Where can we?

______________________

Photo Credits: James Emery on Creative Commons

The Deadly 8 Words

March 14, 2013 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church, Church Growth, Quotes | 2 Comments

But we’ve never done it that way before!

Those words will absolutely spank your ministry and your churches. I am not talking just some ordinary slap on the knee I am talking a go outside and get a branch from the tree type of spanking. I am reading a book by Neil Cole called Church 3.0 that is phenomenal. I am just in chapter three but already Neil is reshaping how I view church which is synergistic with some conversations I have had with people in the past 8 months. Read this quote from his book:

For some reason, the church is always the slowest to upgrade. Our conservative religious nature, which borders on superstition, tends to make everything sacred (especially things that are not meant to be so) and therefore untouchable. The result is that the church is often left behind, and soon irrelevant. When a ministry is blessed by God, we consider it His endorsement of the method. Long after the method is out of sync with culture and out of step with any good results, we still consider it God ’s way and keep it going—often for decades or even centuries. Making changes in the church is often considered heretical and blasphemous. The sound of the eight lethal words of church management still echo in the boardrooms of the Western churches: “But we’ve never done it that way before.”

Cole, Neil (2010-01-22). Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (p. 4). John Wiley and Sons. Kindle Edition.

So the question I have for you is this: What are you holding onto in your ministry that God is no longer blessing? What are some things in your ministry that need upgrade?

But we’ve never done it that way before?

Which is why your church is not multiplying.

Think about those 8 words and think about what needs changing.

_________________________

Photo Credits: Jon Jordan on Creative Commons

Book Review: Deep and Wide by Andy Stanley

October 16, 2012 by Missional Youth Ministry in Book Reviews, Church, Church Growth | Leave a comment

I have rarely read a book that has probed my heart as much this one did. There are two groups who need to read this book: Elders and Ministers. This has to be read if a church wants to move from irrelevancy to relevancy. Yet, he challenges us because typically when we hear the word “relevant” we automatically think “unbiblical” or “conformist.” In this book you will be surprised by and even comforted by Andy’s challenges for us to be relevant AND biblical. Some pros and cons and some of my favorite quotes.

PROS

  • Innovative
  • Systems thinking
  • Looks at vision as template instead of programs/models
  • Immensely practical
  • Uses biblical wisdom
  • Tells his background to give you context
  • Seeks for each to look at his model and adapt instead of adopt.

CONS

  • He pushes the envelope and for many this is too much for them. I see it as a con only in the sense of how the reader may take this. I also see this as a pro.
  • Preaching method will make purists cringe. He rarely preaches expository sermons and will only use a verse or two if necessary. Keep in mind that this is too accomplish his the church’s vision of being a church for the unchurched.

Quotes

  • As leaders, we are never responsible for filling anyone else’s cup. Our responsibility is to empty ours.
  • I think every church should be a church irreligious people love to attend. Why? Because the church is the local expression of the presence of Jesus. We are his body. And since people who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus, people who are nothing like Jesus should like us as well.
  • We don’t grade ourselves on size. We grade ourselves on how attractive we are to our target audience.
  • The tragedy is that what comes to mind when the average person thinks of church is such a far cry from what actually took place in the era in which the church was born. In the beginning, the church was a gloriously messy movement with a laser-focused message and a global mission.
  • It’s a shame that so many churches are married to a designed-by-Christians-for-Christians-only culture. A culture in which they talk about the Great Commission, sing songs about the Great Commission, but refuse to reorganize their churches around the Great Commission. These are often the same churches where members talk about grace, sing about how “amazing” it is, but create graceless cultures where only those who play by the rules feel welcomed.
  • Every innovation has an expiration date. At some point, new isn’t new anymore, regardless of what the package says. Eventually, new ideas feel like yesterday’s news. Bread is not the only thing that gets stale over time. Every new and innovative approach to ministry has an expiration date as well. Every single one. Nothing is irresistible or relevant forever. That should unnerve you a bit.
  • When people start with the, “Don’t preachers only work one day a week?” I have a good comeback. Feel free to use it. I say, “Think for a minute about the most stressful part of your job, the part that is the make-or-break for you financially. Imagine having to do that every week on a stage in front of your family, friends, strangers, and people who don’t particularly like you. Imagine not having the option to call in sick or reschedule because you weren’t quite ready for the presentation.” End of conversation.
  • Some of my favorite messages are the ones where I open up with a statement that makes everybody uncomfortable. Create tension and you’ve created interest. Iron out all the tension and you will eliminate interest.
  • The longer you’ve served where you are and the longer you’ve done what you are currently doing, the more difficult it will be for you to see your environments with the objectivity needed to make the changes that need to be made. The shorter version: Time in erodes awareness of.
  • People are far more interested in what works than what’s true. I hate to burst your bubble, but virtually nobody in your church is on a truth quest. Including your spouse. They are on happiness quests. As long as you are dishing out truth with no here’s the difference it will make tacked on the end, you will be perceived as irrelevant by most of the people in your church, student ministry, or home Bible study. You may be spot-on theologically, like the teachers of the law in Jesus’ day, but you will not be perceived as one who teaches with authority. Worse, nobody is going to want to listen to you.
  • The church needs leaders who are willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that we hand it off to the next generation in better shape than we found it.
  • The actual mission of many churches is Pay the Bills. No, you won’t find that written anywhere. But let’s be honest, most local churches don’t feel any urgency about anything until the money starts running out. Then suddenly they are concerned about “reaching people.” That’s when they start talking about how to attract young couples. A church can go for years and baptize nobody but children and no one is concerned. A church can go for a decade without a single profession of faith and nobody calls a special meeting. But miss budget for three or four months running? Suddenly everybody’s concerned. They’re talking about change. But not because they’ve had an encounter with God. Oh no. It was their encounter with an Excel spreadsheet that drove ‘em to their knees. Then, to add divine insult to injury, once the financial crisis passes, everything goes back to the way it was. The tragic truth is, most churches in the United States won’t change until finances force them to.

Crimson Tide Fans and the Gospel

August 16, 2012 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church, Church Growth, Discipleship, Gospel, Pauline Theology, Power of God | 14 Comments

© sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Last night I had the opportunity to speak at the Old Hickory Church of Christ on the subject, “Crafting Your Personal Vision.” I made the statement that in order to find your personal vision one needs to understand what bothers them in this world. In other words, in their heart of hearts, what do they look at and think to themselves, “This needs to change”? I made the statement that isn’t it ironic that many of the things we are most passionate about hold no eternal weight when it comes to the kingdom.

Enter Alabama Crimson Tide Fans.

I have witnessed a lot of SEC fanatics and the conference has some of the craziest fans in the world. The team that takes-the-cake are Alabama Crimson Tide fans. These people are dedicated and come in masses overtaking the Facebook, Twitter and every other social networking site. It is phenomenal and somewhat impressive. It’s also somewhat comical because these fans (every school has them…BAMA just has more) have real problems differentiating between Tide football just being a game versus the meaning of life. Remember this guy?

BAMA fans I realize you are getting mad right now and probably have websites, pictures and evidence to prove me wrong. I can hear the chorus now, “Robbie, there is a reason why BAMA has 14 national championships and your team doesn’t.” I guess so. I even think it is hilarious when I go to some of the major conferences among some of the youth ministry circles I run around in. Without failure I will see more Tide paraphernalia than any other team combined. It’s hilarious. I wish I saw more VOLS stuff there but we have had little to cheer about. I digress.

My point?

Why are we not that passionate about the gospel? What would it look like to have droves of people lining up to hear, proclaim and share the good news of Jesus Christ? I look at some other settings like The Village Church, The Church at Brook Hills, Mars Hill Church and North Point Community Church and the masses are coming to hear the gospel and I wonder, “Why can’t we do that?” I am not talking about copying models or giving up core doctrines but I think it comes down to something: passion. I wish we had 1/8 the passion for the gospel that BAMA fans have for football.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

What do you think?

Youth Ministry 6.3 Lesson #34 – Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus but Not the Church)

October 14, 2011 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church, Church Growth, Evangelism, Kingdom of God, Narrative Theology, Youth Ministry 6.3 | Leave a comment

I had the opportunity to interview Dan Kimball, teaching pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California. Dan wrote the book, “They Like Jesus but not the Church,” and has a keen awareness of perceptions people have of the church. We talk about some of those perceptions and also talk about the way the church needs to think about those on the “outside.” Dan is really perceptive on intentional, missional living as a Christian. You will enjoy.

The Dirty Seven and the Church 3 – Lying Tongue

October 3, 2011 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church, Church Growth, Church History, Church Unity, The Dirty Seven and the Church, Youth Ministry | Leave a comment

We are continuing a series of how people perceive the church and using Proverbs 6:16-19 (7 Deadly Sins) as a framework for our discussion.

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Abraham Lincoln is famous for saying, “No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”  Lying has no place in our ministries but I am surprised at the temptation there is to do it.  Not so much the blatant lies but it is the lies of omission where we do not tell the full truth of something.  Like when I tell a student I am going to make it to one of there ball games knowing I do not have the time to do it and then when I do not show up telling them, “I was busy!”  No, you should have never committed in the first place knowing you couldn’t follow through.  

Something that was frowned upon in both the Old and New Testaments was the evil of lying.  When a person withholds truth or forges the truth there is a loss of trust between the two individuals.  Growing up, I had issues with lying.  I lied to make me look better in certain circumstances and to pad my ego.  To a certain extent, there has been the temptation to do this in ministry.  Example: people in the church know I have taken a lot of courses on Greek and Hebrew and sometimes they say things like, “Ask Robbie about the Greek of this particular word.”  Now there is the temptation for me to think that I know a lot and so I can probably give them an answer that sounds like I know a lot and if I use enough “scholarly” language I can even dupe people into thinking I am an expert.  

That’s lying.  

So if someone asks me about Greek or Hebrew I will respond by giving them what I think may be the right answer but I try to refer them to people smarter and more capable than I.  I am really just (to use Mike Yaconelli terminology) a klutz in the kingdom of God and a spiritual nincompoop.  The generation we seek to reach is tired of seeing Christian leaders amount to nothing more than liars.  I struggle often with my own hypocrisy knowing I am held accountable even more than those who do not teach.  I am not an expert at what I do and often I struggle with incompetence and spiritual stupidity.  I admit that I am not the greatest at what I do and there are plenty of men (and women) who are more qualified to do what I do.  But I admit that!  I am honest and transparent about my spiritual life which is something churches need to do starting with its leadership and letting this mentality trickle on down.  

Lies can and have killed churches.  How many church splits have started with a lie or a forgery of truth?  It’s a shame.  We need to be truth-tellers and truth-seekers.  “Did you hear about so and so Robbie?”  My response should be, “No, but I am going to go to so and so to see if what you say is the truth!”  

Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.  (Prov. 23:23)

The Dirty Seven and the Church 2 – Haughty Eyes

September 28, 2011 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church Growth, Humility, Incarnation, Jesus, Pauline Theology, Philippians, Proverbs, The Dirty Seven and the Church | 2 Comments

We are continuing a series of how people perceive the church and using Proverbs 6:16-19 (7 Deadly Sins) as a framework for our discussion.

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

The first phrase we will consider is “haughty eyes.”  What does that even mean?  The Hebrew word is rum (pronounced like “room”) and is used extensively in the Old Testament (used over 190 times!) and has a wide variety of meaning.  The word basically is used to denote literal height (something is high) and can be used metaphorically to exalt or negatively to be proud (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, p. 2132).  In our context it is used with the noun “eyes” so it is referring to something negative as in looking down on someone with a sense of arrogance and pride.  What the proverb writer is saying is that the Lord hates those who think they are better than people by looking down on them.

A New Testament example of this is the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14.  The Pharisee looked down on the tax collector because he thought he was better than him.  “God I thank you that I am not like one of them.”  That is haughty eyes.  Dan Kimball in his book The Like Jesus but Not the Church shares Maya’s story:

Before my friend became a Christian, you could talk to him.  It was normal.  He became a Christian after he met a girl, and then through her got converted.  But after his conversion, you couldn’t talk to him anymore.  Every conversation was about condemning something about my lifestyle.  All he did was keep telling me things I was doing wrong.  I shouldn’t be smoking.  I shouldn’t be drinking.  He didn’t like the way I dressed or the music I listened to.  I was mad at the church for turning him into this kind of very negative person.  (p. 98).

Kimball didn’t say it (at least explicitly) but what she is experiencing is someone who has haughty eyes.  When we see someone who has tattoos, smells like cigarettes and beer and drops an F-bomb in conversation what is our typical response?  “This person is hopelessly lost!”   Our response should be one of compassion, mercy and tender care.  Instead of placing our judgment on them and their actions we should serve them which is a little like what Jesus would do (see John 13 and Phil. 2:5-11).

Instead of “haughty eyes” I advocate we put on “humble eyes.”  Haughty says “I am better than you” while humble says “I am a sinner like you.”  Haughty says, “You have to do this to come to church” while humble says, “we will take you as you come so we can learn about Christianity together.”  Haughty is a position of status while humility is an act of service.

I wonder if the perception people have on the church looks like we have haughty eyes.

Discussion Questions

  1. In what areas in our ministries do we need humility?
  2. Do you think it is fair what Maya said in Kimball’s book?  Why or why not?
  3. How have you had haughty eyes on people in the last few months?
  4. What would it look like for a church to really become agents of humility?
  5. What Scriptures speak to pride and humility?

The Dirty Seven and the Church

September 27, 2011 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church, Church Growth, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Kingdom of God, Materialism, The Dirty Seven and the Church | 2 Comments

I got an idea for a post when listening to a conversation that was, in essence, gossip.  I have been thinking a lot about the church lately which sounds a little bit strange considering thinking about the church kind of goes with my job description.  But, when I say thinking about the church I mean I have really been meditating, pondering, wrestling and struggling with the ideas of church.  I am reading a book that has slapped me across the face when it comes to thinking about what other people think about the church.  The book is The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons and his premise is that we just don’t listen to what people are saying about the church.

That has spun me in a thousand different directions as to why the church is not relevant in our current circumstance.

Gabe said, “Many churches are increasingly exhibiting less and less real influence in the communities where they’re located.  If they were gone tomorrow, one can’t help wondering if anyone would notice.”  (The Next Christians, p. 25).

Talk about a shot to the lower abdomen.  I want to begin a series of posts with the framework of, “what do you think the perception is of the church is from the unchurched?”  I was talking with a student in my office today and we discussed tomorrow’s See You At the Pole day.  While there are a lot of redemptive things about this day I poignantly asked her, “What do you think people’s perception is when they walk by and ya’ll are huddled up praying around a pole?”  She seemed to think that it would be negative, awkward and maybe even a little resistant.

So…I would like to offer a discourse on the seven deadly sins (Prov. 6:16-19) and use that as a framework for people’s perception of the church.  Sound cool?  After that I hope to give you a review of Lyons’ book.

See you tomorrow.

Memphoplin (Part 1)

June 22, 2011 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church Growth, Church Unity, Evangelism, Holy Spirit (Pneumatology), Incarnation, Jesus, Kingdom of God, Mission Trips, Power of God, Trinity | 6 Comments

For the first time in a long time I have the opportunity to blog.  I was out of pocket for most of June with back-to-back mission trips and we have VBS this week so my blogging has been pathetic at-best.  What I wanted to do is share a few stories about what we did as a church and some of the experiences we shared.

Memphis

We worked with Memphis Urban Ministry (specifically the Raleigh Community Church of Christ) in operating their day camp.  From 9am-11:30am (M-F) we had a VBS where they participated in “Walking through Jerusalem.”  Each day they got to experience a different marketplace and learn about the culture when Jesus was on the earth.  You could tell that the kids were absolutely amazed at what they saw and experienced.  Jerica Briggs, one of the hardest working individuals I know, operated the day camp while we were there.  She had a special gift from God that enabled her to reach the students in a way not many could.  In the afternoons we helped with various activities and assisted the staff in whatever capacity we could.

There are more specifics to what we did but I want to share with you one story about one of the inner-city children.  Jerica explained to us that the Raleigh community looks like a nice neighborhood (and it did) with nice suburban homes (there were) but the problem is that when the black folks started going out of the city toward the suburbs the white folks left (white-flight).  As a result, the gangs moved in and crime has escalated in areas outside of Memphis.  One example is the story of John Doe (not his name but I want to keep things private) who, at the age of seven, aspires to be in a gang.  When asked, “What do you want to do in life?”  He said, “be in a gang.”  He already knows the gang symbols, the gang colors and the Tuesday before we came his house was “shot-up” by another gang because his dad was in a rival gang.  I have experienced some rough kids in my day but this one has to top them all.  There was no respect for authority, he did not trust us, and he could care less about the songs we sang or the games we played.

Yet, toward the end of the week, because of one of our adults Clay, this rough kid started singing and participating in the games.  I could tell that a change was occurring in his demeanor and he (though he wouldn’t admit it) actually wanted to be there.  I can’t speak for the teenagers but only speak for myself in saying that I have failed in reaching the inner-city communities of Springfield.  I have falsely assumed things about them (like they don’t want to listen) yet they, in my experience, were more hungry for the Word than I was.  Any affirmation or praise that we gave them was soaked up like water in a sponge.  They were more than willing to learn and even showed signs of absolute brilliance.

The problem with these mission trips is that we go thousands of miles on thousand dollar budgets to get an experience on reaching the poor yet we fail (miserably I might add) at reaching people in our own backyards.  I think there are some serious reasons we are not reaching our inner-city folks like we should:

  1. Racism – Not everyone is a racist but I believe there are many who still cannot worship with people of a different race.  Not only is that ethically wrong to be like that it is biblically wrong (see Matt. 22:37-39; Col. 3:1-11 to name a couple).  Mixed in with this idea of racism there may be the assumption that we have an African-American church in town that can reach “those types of people” while we can reach “other types.”  Something is incredibly wrong when brothers and sisters in Christ cannot worship each other based on skin-color or socio-economic status.
  2. We are not set up to reach people like that.  I think this assumption is correct.  If you look at our church buildings, most of them are set up to suit the member’s needs.  After all, the members are the ones who pay to keep the building in operation.  You have these massive buildings that say nothing more than, “Look how much money we spent on this building!”  to make matters more difficult, our attire says, “You have to own a suit or a dress in order to show up for services.”  That may not be the intention but that is there is assumption.  Then we say, look right…dress right…then act right and then you can come to our services.  If someone was addicted to crack the last place they would go is a church.  Why?  Because they have it all together right?  Someone got upset at me one time because I did not wear a tie on Sunday night while I preached.  I looked at them and said, “Why aren’t you wearing a tie?”  ”Well that’s expected of a preacher to wear a tie not me!”  I said, “Where in the Bible does it say that?”  The argument quickly fizzled and the point I made was that we are never going to reach inner-city folks if we do not set up our building, worship and mentality to address their real needs.

Of course, all of this is operating under the assumption that we need to bring them to a location.  What would it be like to grab a few people from church and on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights bring the church into the community?  Chew on that for a little bit…read the gospels and Acts to see where I am going with this thought pattern.

I am going to pause here because I feel like this is enough for now.  The experience opened my eyes about ministry and how we as a church are not being mission-minded like we should.  Tomorrow I will talk about Joplin.

Strange Brethren (Part 1)

December 27, 2010 by Missional Youth Ministry in Church Growth, Church Unity, Visiting Churches | Leave a comment

My friend Rusty Pettus has a series on visiting churches that I thought was excellent (read the latest one here) but since we were on vacation I thought it would be helpful to share my thoughts/experiences of visiting a sister congregation.  First of all, it is humbling visiting other churches because as I am critiquing every move this church makes I am reminded that visitors are doing the same thing when they come to Main Street.  That is humbling!  Here are some things that the church did well on that I was thankful for:

  • The “seasoned” elder – This guy was amazing and went beyond simply introducing himself as he looked at my daughter Amelia and said, ”You have a beautiful dress sweetheart.”  She blushed and smiled like she had been asked out on a date for the first time.  It was great to see.  He also announced our names before the congregation and other names of those visiting as well.  We were amazed at how friendly this church was in introducing themselves to us. 
  • Familiar patterns – It is good to be able to visit a church and not have to worry about what will pop up next in worship.  Not that I disagree with what other churches are doing but sometimes it is easier to just worship in a familiar way without being uncomfortable in another setting. 
  • Family oriented - I could tell that these people loved each other very much.  Some churches I have visited I could tell immediately that these people did not get along as they dispersed immediately after the closing prayer.  This church family stayed after a while and talked to each other, to me and to other visitors.  It was really  warm and welcoming.

Although they did a lot of things very well some things could have been improved on…

  • Facilities – this is where Main Street struggles as well in that it was like a maze getting to classes since it was an old style building.  To make matters worse we were a little late and there was nobody to direct us to class so we had to find our own way using their mapping system.  At least they had a map…Main Street does not. 
  • Mediocre Class - This is very important to me as a father and as a minister.  I asked my kids what they learned about and they could not tell me a single thing.  I asked them what did they do and they said, ”We ate crackers…sang…and that was it.”   The auditorium class I went to was done in an old style way where they handed out lessons (done by Gospel Light in 1989…1989!!!) and the gentleman talked for a few minutes trying to moralize the text.  To me, the bible class is the meat of our discipleship and too many people treat it as a “necessary burden” and do not approach it with precision and planning.  My kids know that Jesus loves them but they need to know more than that. 

Other than that the church was very loving and I would recommend the church to anyone.  It hit home with me because I immediately realized some of the things at Main Street that need to be changed immediately.  We are not geared towards our visitors and too often people come in and leave without even a handshake or phone call.  It is sad and even somewhat pathetic.  We need to get better in how we treat/welcome visitors and I thought the church we visited did an excellent job.

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