Sunday, March 14, 2010

Week 2 Discussion Question 6

Why do you think many churches today are not attracting the broken and marginalized with Jesus' message of grace? (See: pp. 15-26)

Here is a related video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4ssSlt1HXs
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1 comment:

  1. Mary AnnApril 18, 2010 at 4:08 PM

    Here are some of the comments from the class:

    Who does the church attract?

    Conformists: people who dress and act the same. People who do not have the "right" clothes and manners feel they don't fit in.

    Personal connection: people who are invited or feel a personal connection with the church.

    Why do churches fail to attract the broken and marginalized?

    Public perception of church leaders as hypocrites, as the result of the much publicized scandals of televangelists Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart.

    View of church members as hypocrites.

    We are all sinners and cannot be religious enough, as Martin Luther observed, so we cannot be perfect role models for those we try to bring into the church.

    The difficulty of reaching out to people having difficulties to invite them to church. People are uncomfortable with others' pain and avoid it, do not want to intrude, and people hide their issues through a social veneer.

    Are church members really accepting of everyone?

    Tendency towards moral judgment of others.

    Perhaps churches don't know how to be inclusive enough.

    Problems with marketing. How to market to people who are broken and marginalized without labeling.

    Who are the "broken and marginalized" anyway? Aren't we all like this to one degree or another?

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