Comments on: Church from a Visitor’s Perspective

By: Veronica Michael

Veronica Michael — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 10:38:53 +0000

One question we all have to ask ourselves is what are we looking for in a church, what are the desires of your heart. Are you seeking to find all answers to every problem that you are faced with, are you waiting to hear someone say what you want them to say maybe to satisfy a wish or a want in your life. Then you will never be satisfied.
The welcome or greeting that you receive along with the sermon is very important and in most cases will have a lasting affect on you and whether you choose to return.
But that should never be the final determining factor in your mind about all churches they are not all alike, if they were there would be no members to occupy. Maybe you are being to picky or judgemental if your heart and mind is not right spiritually,once again you will never be satisfied. If you do not have a relationship with God then you need to develop one He will never force His way into your life however he is always waiting for you to invite Him in. It is very simple all you have to do is ask Him in and He will guide and direct your paths. Stop depending on man to do for for you what only God can and will do in your life. We all live in a sinful world and have all come short of God’s glory and yes we are all sinners and human so you will never find that perfect church setting that you are looking for. The church is a building, a house of God filled with sinners seeking repentence where one may choose to go to commune, worship and fellowship and to hear a word from the Lord and maybe if you get pass the Entrance and allow yourself to be led by the Spirit of the Lord then maybe you will hear something that will change your life forever.
Remember only God can forgive you and save you try Him today and I know that you will never regret it. Be Blessed

By: William Melver

William Melver — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:32:56 +0000

I come from a corporate marketing world, now retired and serving on Session of my church and the moderator of the Membership Committee. While I find all the above comments to be relevant, I find them a bit distracting from the true mission of the Church and what we are or should be about. Use of the very term, Marketing connotes commercialism to me in a manner very similar to how the Christmas message often gets lost for the same focus on commercialism. But in this highly commercialized world we live in, that reality must be accepted and I get that. In our church, we often talk about all the issues discussed in the blogs above and try to be sensitive to them, as we put ourselves in the shoes of a stranger, visiting us for the first time. But at the same time, we try to discern about who we are and what our personal and individual, spiritual growth is about and try to communicate that message to our neighbors and strangers that walk through our doors. Last year, we created a new vision statement for the future and that is “Come-Encounter-Grow-Serve”.

By: Steve / Austin, Texas

Steve / Austin, Texas — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:27:41 +0000

Wow, this 9 part series really described how I have felt as a first time visitor many times. I hope many churches will take heed to such a useful insight.
Another suggestion I might offer is that a church should have a “real person” to answer the phone at least an hour before and during any service or event that is happening there. If I’m a first time visitor I may want to call to find out when the service starts or get directions if I’m new to town. Many times elderly people don’t know the night before If they will physically feel well enough to attend church until just before a service. If nobody answers the phone who can they call to request a ride? Often they don’t want to be a “bother” to anybody so they stay at home and watch a church service on T.V. which can never be a substitute for fellowship with others. A few days ago I rode with some friends to a large church in San Antonio to hear a nationally known speaker. The directions we printed from a popular map website were confusing and we drove around for an extra hour trying to find the place. The Church was packed but NOBODY answered the fricken phone and we missed over half of the event! And hey, if you can use the word “suck” I can use the word “fricken”! :)

By: Mikey

Mikey — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:11:12 +0000

I’ve been around church a long time. And I’m the guy who’s supposed to reach the unchurched! Can’t wait to read the material…

By: Mikey

Mikey — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:09:04 +0000

Guess I’ve been around church too long myself. And I’m the guy who’s supposed to reach the unchurched! Can’t wait to see the rest of the series!

By: Tinia

Tinia — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:16:50 +0000

I work for MEGA church in Tacoma, WA area. We take our guests very seriously. I think this topic is so important for today’s way of “church” How we engage with that brief moment with our guests each week is vital. We value our guests at Champions Centre. I’m eager to hear what your thoughts are.

By: revolutionfl

revolutionfl — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:09:52 +0000

I have been visiting local churches for the past three months. I post Field Trip Reports for each church on my blog after each visit. REVOLUTION

By: brad

brad — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:09:28 +0000

That CBC piece rocked! Thanks for sharing it, Josh. That is worth a whole CMS series on its own!
To see where it’s coming from, you need to know that CBC seems to come from a viewpoint of global skepticism. That is usually applied to religion, specifically Christianity. So that it’s as balanced as it is remarkable. That it drills home questions of message vs. medium and substance vs. style makes it particularly relevant here.

By: Mike Ellis, Church For Men Florida

Mike Ellis, Church For Men Florida — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:44:41 +0000

Great Thoughts. We have created a monthly stepping stone church experience for Men in Daytona Beach, FL called “Church for Men”. We are striving to create a church as unusual event for men. I look forward to the rest of your comments.

By: Chris Harmon

Chris Harmon — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:16:30 +0000

I was going to write something quick about how I'm looking forward to more of the posts, and instead just wrote my own thoughts on my experiences as well... finding a church home.