Why is it the people you do the most for are the people who claim you failed them?
In my experience, the unchurched, by contrast, take far more responsibility if things don’t work out. They’ll say, “Hey, I’m just not sure this is the right thing for me. Keep doing what you’re doing. But I think I’m out.”
Sure, that’s disappointing, but it’s healthy.
Before we leave the subject of responsibility, here are five things people blame the church for … but shouldn’t.
5. Church shoppers want to lead THEIR ministry; unchurched people want to get involved in THE ministry.
If a church shopper gets involved for a season, they’ll often want to lead THEIR ministry rather than get involved with your ministry.
Maybe it’s a group or something they did at their old church, or a special cause they’re passionate about.
Often with serial church shoppers, ministry involvement is more about them than it is about the mission.
Unchurched people are usually fine getting involved with the wider mission of the church. They’re content with finding their part in a larger story. They don’t have to be the story.
What Do You See?
Am I saying that ALL church shoppers are unhealthy and ALL unchurched people are healthy?
No.
There’s likely a story under some serial church shoppers’ experience that explains the behavior.
And is every unchurched person healthy?
No, not at all.
But I will take a genuinely unchurched person over a serial church shopper any day, not just because that relationship is far more on mission, but because it actually has the potential to change a life.
Serial church shoppers are more interested in changing a church than they are in changing their life.
Here’s to staying on mission. And if some serial church shoppers settle down in the process, that’s amazing.
In the meantime, what has you spinning your wheels when you could be reaching the unchurched instead?
