The Sign Out Front

I recently sat through the meeting of a church's Long Range Planning Committee. As with most long range planning committees, the conversation was about "growth." Those on the committee (and many others) want more people to attend the church. So, they talked about putting a new sign out front.

I got to thinking (in the middle of the night, of course) about putting out signs announcing meetings. I was haunted by the following questions:

1. If a sign were to be placed out front announcing "Rock County Republican Party meets here Thursday Night at Seven," certain people would read the sign and opt to attend the meeting. What would these visitors expect? In addition to a formal presentation, they would probably expect conversations to center around the platform of the Republican Party and ways in which Republican ideals could be implemented in Rock County.

2. If a sign were to be placed out front announcing "Rock County Historical Society meets here Friday night at Seven," certain people would read the sign and opt to attend the meeting. What would these visitors expect? In addition to a formal presentation, they would probably expect conversations to center around the history of that part of Rock County, and how the memories of that history could be kept alive.

3. If a sign were to be placed out front announcing "Rock County Grange meets here Saturday night at Seven," certain people would read the sign and opt to attend the meeting. What would these visitors expect? In addition to a formal presentation, they would probably expect conversations to center around farming in Rock County, and ways in which the life and lot of Rock County farmers could be improved.

4. If a sign were to be placed out front announcing "Church Services held here Sundays at 10:45," certain people would read the sign and opt to attend the meeting. What would these visitors expect? In addition to a formal presentation, they would probably expect conversations to center around .... I'm afraid these visitors might hear the same conversations that they might expect to hear in options 1, 2, and 3 above. For those are often the conversations heard in many churches on Sunday mornings.

In option 1 above, what would visitors do if they attended the meeting of the Republicans and heard no discussion of Republican ideals? In option 2, what would visitors do if they showed up to a meeting of the Historical Society, and heard no discussion of the history of Rock County? Or, if they attended a meeting of the Grange and heard no discussions about farming? Most would never return.

Then, I ask myself, what might visitors do who show up for church on a Sunday morning and hear little conversation (outside of formal presentations) about God?