Jacksonville Chapel/Emergence

To be honest, there have been times in the past where I felt that church objectives were more about numbers than people. Specific church services that I’ve attended where the whole agenda was focused on getting people to raise their hands in an emotional commitment. If the service didn’t end with enough altar calls or sinner prayer confessions, there was a sense of failure.

In some of these churches, I knew the pastors and leaders well, and I knew they were sincere… it really wasn’t about numbers. But the perception came across differently. And if that was something I experienced as a believer, what about the unbelievers; the unchristian? I can count numerous different churches where I felt this targeting approach, and I suspect there are many others. The perception that the young generation is getting is that Christians are too concerned about getting them “saved” which resembles ‘checking off’ their names in a list, or getting them to join a club.

Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that Christians shouldn’t focus on conversion or evangelism as a priority, I am simply saying that the method is sometimes perceived as coercion or ’salesmen-like’ rather than sincerity. The same kind of skepticism a Christian may feel when Mormons are knocking on the door.

In the book UnChristian, studies show that the majority of people in America have been exposed to the message of Christianity many times throughout their lives. In fact, one astounding study showed that two-thirds of all adult Mosaics and Busters (65%) stated that they have made a commitment to Jesus at some point in their lives. What this shows is that a get-saved approach ignores the fact that most people in America have made an emotional connection to Jesus before.

“A generation reared in a marketing-drenched world is quick to sniff out what they believe to be the underlying motivations and superficialities.” –p68

How then, do Christians change the perception of insincere sales pitching?
I would propose that the answer is less about wordsmith and more relational. In other words, Christians need to spend more time in relationship with people rather than trying to slip them a track. As mentioned in a previous post, the mosaic generation seeks Relationships, and being loyal to friends is one of their highest values.

If Christians can create the environment of openness and honesty, and allow themselves to get deep into the messiness of people’s lives, it is “in that place” where transformation takes root, rather than being pushed towards an emotional appeal. Man if I allowed my faith to be driven by my daily emotions, I would be a mess, why should conversion be any different. The UnChristians don’t need a ‘get saved’ pitch, they need root level transformation.

Of course as I am writing this, I can’t help but reflect on how bad of an example I am with this. I feel like I don’t have the patience or desire to get deep with people. It takes work, and it takes dedication, not to mention my introverted nature. But I really believe this is it… true mission… true love… true service.