Stop the anonymity...

        Just a few years ago, in the church, church leaders, were terrible about "singling out" lost people or visitors in a church service.  There were lots of abuses,: from a "unique" visitor's name tag that visitors had to put on; ushers (who couldn't "ush") would ask: "Is this your first time?" There were "visitor's parking spaces; and visitors were sometimes even asked to stand or stay seated while everyone else stood to be greeted as an "outsider." Well, all of this is stupid...
        However, I really believe that many churches have thrown out the baby with the bathwater (ask someone if you don't know what that means) when it comes to giving people "space" in our churches to remain "anonymous" when they visit our churches and check out Jesus from a distance. I believe it's literally sin on our part as churches to allow them to remain anonymous! Follow my logic: Here's the deal: Isn't it also our tendency to want to go home in the afternoon, roll up, then down our garage door, and never speak to our neighbors, because we're busy and exhausted? But does that make it right? Does that mean we don't NEED a neighbor? Does that mean that we don't need to be loved? Does that mean we don't  need someone TO love? Does that mean we don't need community?
        See, I don't think people even know what they want or need. The Bible says are heart will deceive us. People think they need a church service. What they need is God. People think they need a sermon. What they need is people who live out the sermon to love them. What they think they need is anonymity in the church. What they need is to be known. What they think they need is privacy. What they need is transparency, confession, and grace. What people think they need is religion, What they need is relationships. I want our church to extend the latter.
    At Mountain Lake, EVERYONE in our church wears a name tag (yes, everyone!). Every name tag is the same (no golden ones). Are nametags cool? No. But..Coolness is not our goal. Community is! In fact our name tags are mailing labels handwritten by each of us when we walk in the doors.  Mountain Lake is a place "where everybody knows your name." If you DON;T wear a name tag in our services, you stick out. yes, we still have "greeting times" in our worship services:: Not every week, but consistently. We have a cafe in our lobby, not to feed people or wake them up with coffee, but to help people connect with each other. over a cup of  joe.  We have small groups not primarily to study the Bible (even though we do), but to cultivate community among our church attenders. Our groups are designed with that goal in mind. 
        At MLC, we had rather run people off for being  "too friendly" than "unloving and only interested in our money." Jesus wasn't for anonymity.  Jesus was for relationships. Jesus was for love. That's what I want to be for. And I want strangers to know it!

 

Comments

[Bridgett Calhoun]

Believe it or not some people want to be "noticed" but won't run up to you and say hello if it is there first time at the church. I love the environment that MLC creates to help even us old timers to walk up to someone we have never met and say Hello. It can make all the difference on that first visit. I know if did for me. Lets all try to make the time not to be too busy getting "our" seat to notice a new face.
Thanks for the reminder Shawn.

[travis johnson]

awesome stuff, shawn!