10 Things Church Visitors Never Want to Hear
You’ve been a church visitor at some point, right?
Ever heard something you wish you didn’t hear, right off the bat?
I’ve got a few nobody really wants to hear. Some I’ve heard personally. Others I’ve heard as they were told to someone else.
10 Statements Church Visitors Never Want to Hear:
1. Our pastor isn’t normally this _____.
Insert whatever you want in this blank: loud, obnoxious, offensive, long-winded. If you have to explain part of your pastor’s style because you know outsiders won’t like it, you’ve got a problem. Talk with your pastor about that.
2. We’re full. Sorry.
Always have a backup plan. Always. If someone sees your service is full once, they’ll deal with it. But they probably won’t come back if they don’t see a plan you have in place.
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3. What are you doing here?
Never say this. Never. Your shocked, open mouth reveals your judgmental spirit … at least in the eyes of visitors. When you say this, all they can think is, “God couldn’t really love someone like you.”
4. You can’t serve now … you’ve got to be a member first.
Why would someone want to become a member if they’ve never had the chance to serve?
5. We don’t believe in serving coffee on Sunday mornings.
If you say this, I can only assume you are leading a church in the pit of Hell.
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Ben is the small groups pastor at Grace Community Church in Clarksville, TN. He blogs regularly at Life and Theology, wrestling through subjects such as small groups, parenting, leadership, social networking, and counseling…all from a distinctively biblical point of view.
More from Ben Reed or visit Ben at www.benreed.net
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