Truth in Advertising, uh, Ministry

Recently my wife and I went to a very popular business in our area that's built a reputation for great deals and is a volume leader in their industry. It was a nightmare! We went on a Saturday afternoon. I don't have to tell you how precious a "free" Saturday is these days. We drove 30 miles one way when a similar retailer was only 9 miles away! We had obviously made a significant effort to be there.

We were straight up about what we wanted and the price. The salesman repeated everything we said, as if to say, "I'm with you and I hear exactly what you are saying." Despite promises that he heard exactly what we said, he didn't. Or somebody didn't, because four hours later we were talking about something so far from what we had originally said it wasn't even in the same zip code. Don't laugh, we should've left after the first hour, but wanting to believe the best in people and take them at their word we stuck it out. The proposal wasn't even on our radar. It was a horrible experience. We felt betrayed, deceived and misled. It left a bad taste in our mouth about all retailers in this business. I know that's not fair, but the experience left an indelible mark on us.

As I reflected on this experience it occurred to me that many of the non-churched and infrequently churched feel the same way about churches. I'm not talking about the people who routinely hop and shop churches trying to meet their self-absorbed expectations. I'm talking about people who are sincere in their search. Often what's promoted in a church isn't reality. People often come to the church and leave completely disappointed or disillusioned. For example: A church identifies itself as a "friendly" church and the single mother, or guy with tatoos leaves without ever meeting anyone. Or the "caring" church seems to only care about itself when you consider what's being emphasized from the platform to the newsletter, website, or publicity. Talk of more buildings, budgets and capital campaigns seems to indicate they do "care", about themselves. I could go on and on.

There are some things sincere seekers ought to be able to expect from every single Christian faith community regardless of denominational affiliation, the style of music, or the type of liturgy that's used in worship. When you come to a Christian church you should expect:

• Unconditional love
• Respect and feeling genuinely wanted
• Honesty
• Compassion
• Authentic worship with Christ being exalted, not people, or programs
• Encouraging people
• To encounter Jesus through worship and His people
• The Holy Spirit to be present
• A climate of grace

Our experience was the furthest thing from the environment and culture this particular business portrays to the public. We felt used, duped and victims of unethical business practices. There ought to be a "standards and practices" book from which Christian churches minister so seekers can expect and receive the same thing from every church regardless of slight differences. Oh I forgot, there is one. It's called the Bible! Perhaps it's time we (Christ-followers) focused more on becoming Acts 2 churches than trying to create an image or perception that isn't reality.