Reflections on "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places" Luke 15: 11-32

This week's Chapter in Unbinding Your Heart contemplates what attracts people to visit a church and then become a member of the church.  The author makes a fascinating point that people new to church, whatever their age, have a different perspective and expectations than people raised in the church, whatever their age.  In other words a 10 yr. old, 30 yr.old and 70 yr. old who have been in the church have similar expectations; those expectations are different than the expectations of a 10 yr. old, 30 yr. old and 70 yr. old who were not raised in the church.  That helps explain some of the disconnect we in the church have in trying to connect with those who are not yet in the church.

The author also noted a familiar statistic -- the majority of people who visit a church do so because someone asked them to come visit with them.  A reminder that the slickest ad campaign means less than a personal invitation.  Add to that the reality that people are most open to attending a church when they are experiencing a transition in their lives and we see the importance of reaching out to those people we know we we see them in transition and in need of support.

When we hear new members share their stories, we typically hear that the main reason they returned after the first visit was because they were so warmly welcomed at church.  Hats off to those of you who go out of your way to welcome the visitors in our midst. But that is just the beginning point -- we also have the challenge of providing an environment that offers ongoing opportunities for people to discover meaning for their lives, to discover God in their midst, and to develop meaningful relationships with other faithful people.

I paired this chapter with the story of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke. The younger brother charges out into the world searching for something.  He spends all his inheritance trying different things, none of which satisfy him.  Only when he returns to experience the gracious welcome of his father does he realize that what he really needed was love.

What brought you to church?  What makes you return?  What would make you invite someone to join you?

Peace,

Richard