J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), went viral this week after a clip from his sermon, titled “People Who Don’t Belong in Church,” flooded social media.
In the clip, Greear can be seen scolding the megachurch of more than 10,000 weekly attenders across 12 campuses for arriving late to worship services and leaving early.
To soften his words, which came during an exposition of the epistle of James, Greear joked, “James is punchy. I get to be a little bit punchy too.”
Greear became impassioned when addressing this question: How quickly do you identify and reach out to disconnected people in the church?
Many consider the church a religious show… maybe you’re the problem.
An important part of demonstrating the gospel is how we treat people in church, and that requires presence.https://t.co/WMtJRoZKfZ
— J.D. Greear (@jdgreear) August 3, 2023
“There’s something powerful about showing love to somebody that the world says is not worthy of love,” Greear preached. “Church, this ought to be the place where people from various ethnicities and classes and backgrounds put their arms around each other and love each other. Is that what people experience here?”
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After stating his point, Greear asked, “How quickly do you reach out and talk to somebody who looks alone?” He then shared that he hears “so many people complain that they went to some church and nobody ever talked to them.”
Greear suggested that the seven minutes before the worship service begins and the seven minutes after the worship service ends should be designated as times for making those who appear to be lonely feel welcomed.
“Wouldn’t that be a way of demonstrating the gospel?” Greear asked. “Do you know what kind of place this would become if we did just that?”
Greear told attenders that he gets irritated when people come to worship services late or leave five minutes before the congregation is dismissed.
“It’s not that I’m mad that you’re missing part of the service. It’s that you treat church like it’s a religious show instead of a welcoming family that you’re a part of,” Greear scolded.
