Monday, June 20, 2005

What's in it for me?

I'm usually the last person to hear a joke. By the time I repeat it, I get the "heard that one" look or comment. But since I can neither see nor hear any of you, I'm going to take a chance with this one.
A ship was sailing near a small, remote island when the crew noticed three huts near the shore, with smoke coming from the hut on the left. Since the island was supposed to be uninhabited, they sent a team ashore to investigate.

They a found a man in the hut that was spewing smoke.

"Man am I glad to see you guys," he said. "I've been stranded alone on this island for ten years."

"What's the middle hut for?" One of the crew asked.

"That is my church," the man replied.

"And the last hut, the one on the right?"

"Oh, that's my previous church."

People switch churches all the time. Often for the wrong reason—because they aren't "getting something" out of their current church. Not long ago we had someone leave our church because he and his family were not being "fed", but neither the parents nor the children came to Sunday School. A young man left with the same complaint, along with the concern that he was the only twentyish guy in the congregation. (On a related note, a bible study aimed at a specific adult age group is a pet peeve of mine. Once you're an adult, you're an adult. Any programs aimed at the "special needs twenty-somethings in the church" should be eradicated.)

While church shopping, the ennui crowd is treated like royalty. That convinces them that their current church is not user friendly. The idea that church is for glorifying God gets lost in all the excitement of a fresh start at a place where they just know they'll experience greater spirituality.

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