I’ve heard a lot of people talk about “parking lot ministry” recently. The idea is that the people who are in the parking lots are the first faces someone sees when they visit a church, the first impression. So, putting some smiling faces out there to help everyone get in and out of the parking lot can be the start to a very positive first experience for a new visitor. This has led to increased sightings of orange vest clad men and women in church parking lots across America.

I’m not opposed to this idea.

In fact, I agree completely with the sentiment that going to church should feel totally inviting from beginning to end for everyone in attendance (first time visitor, founding member, or otherwise), especially if something as easy as putting smiling people in the parking lot is part of the equation. It is an intrinsic part of our faith that everyone is welcome (and God took great pains to establish this idea; see Acts and the epistles).

So,

with that being said,

I call churches all day long,

and I go home feeling like garbage. Continue Reading…