Church 911 !!!

If you are like me you HATE bad customer service. We walk through the door of the business we patronize. The parking lot is immaculate. The windows are so clean we don't even realize they are there. the business is just immaculate in appearance. Then we walk in and employees stare at you like you don't belong, or they give you a superficial smile that is so plastic that if you lit a match to it it would quickly melt. Sure there are other employees that are genuinely sincere and pleasant but you met this one. Maybe this particular employee is having a bad day or maybe they are just like that. Who knows? All you know is that you have a negative opinion of that business. If you are like me then you think that if the company hires employees like this then they must not really care about me.

I went to a church service at another church one Sunday. My wife, son and I sat down on a bench that was mostly empty. After a while two elderly women came in and sat down on the same bench we were sitting on. The looks they gave us were very unsettling. They were evil looks of contempt. An usher came over and politely asked us to find another seat because that row was reserved for the mothers of the church. The church was already crowded and seating was difficult. What I really couldn't understand was why we had to move off of a row that could hold at least 10-12 people just because two women came in and sat on that row. They sat on the opposite end of the row we were sitting on. Now don't get me wrong I love the mothers of the church. I don't have a problem giving a seat to them but why would we have to move off a row just for two people? For the remainder of the church service no one else sat on that row. My family and I are in the body of Christ so we knew to look past these two women. What if my family and I weren't saved?


Just like the example of the immaculate store and the negative greeting such is the way of many churches. There are many people looking for Jesus and that positive experience but are greeted for maybe the first time by people like those two women in my negative church experience. Now don't get me wrong there ARE many POSITIVE experiences that happen in church temples. The focus is on church housekeeping if you will. I have noticed what seems to be an increase in bad customer service in many fast food restaurants and what's worse is an increase in negative church experiences. I have had many such experiences in customer service as I have had in churches.

It is shameful for a business that has spent a lot of money, blood , sweat, and tears into building its' good reputation only to have that severely damaged if not destroyed by one person. The same holds true for the church. It is a shame for the precious blood and name of Jesus being trampled on. While there are many beautiful temples and many great things are done in them, how sad it is to be tarnished by people who don't represent Christ on a regular basis especially in the temple. Sometimes we may only get one chance to bring people into the family of God. How sad it is we have that one chance and basically tell that person by our actions we don't want you. How tragic that is.

What would Jesus say if he were to visit your church? Would he be made to feel like he was left out or didn't belong? Would Jesus be talked to harshly because he didn't follow some tradition that had nothing to do with Christianity? I submit to you that Jesus has been done that way already. Maybe not in your church, but in several churches I know this to be true. Jesus said "Whatever you have done to the least of these you have done to me."

What is great about Jesus is that He is just and he will forgive us of our sins. Are you ready to treat Jesus like the King, Life Giver and Life Saver He is? All we have to do is love people even when we don't feel like it. Boy is that tough. Yes even for me. None of us are perfect including me just forgiven. Let's love God by loving people. Make people feel welcome in your church. Greet them in a warm friendly and SINCERE way. Remember whatever we do to others we do to Christ. Are we suppose to chase people away or bring them to Jesus? I look forward to your comments Please let me know what you think.