Makers Magazine - Spring 2024 - Flipbook - Page 28
That’s a fair concern, so it’s important that church not become the fulcrum of your
friendship. Make it clear that your invitation is just that: an invitation. And who
knows? Maybe the only thing preventing your friend from going is that she doesn’t
want to go by herself. What if your relationship could have the possibility of going
deeper than movies and complaining about work?
“ IT’S TOO
foreign TO THEM”
You know that the hymns and praise songs you sing about lamb’s blood and the
Christianese you use are like a foreign language to your non-church-going friends.
They don’t understand what Advent or Lent is, the robe the pastor wears reminds
them of The Exorcist, and the prayers everyone knows remind them they are
outsiders.
This is a valid concern, and it’s largely our fault for incorporating so many strange
elements into our church communities. We need to help our churches understand
the importance of teaching the reasons why we do what we do and say what we say.
We need to remind the leadership of how things look and feel to new people and
those outside the faith and what could be done to ease their discomfort or let them
know what to expect. It might mean a drastic overhaul or maybe even starting a new
or different gathering that you’d actually want to invite people to be a part of.
“ IT’S NOT
relevant TO THEM”
You know that sleeping in on a Sunday morning or going home to watch TV after
a long day at work is more appealing to your friends than waking up for worship or
joining a weeknight Bible study. When you’ve mentioned participating in church
events, they show no interest—and no need. You know there are numerous times
that you yourself have come home from church wondering what was even preached.
Where a church service’s easy application ends is where your stories begins, and that’s
why it’s so important to not let a church do the heavy lifting in your friendships.
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