They Like Jesus But Not The Church

One of the biggest barriers to evangelism that pastor's have today is the fact that most of them are surrounded by Christians and do not have exposure to non-Christians. In his book, They Like Jesus But Not The Church, Dan Kimball says, "It's too easy to get caught in our little church subcultures, and the result is that the only younger people we might know are Christians who are already inside the church."

If Christians are locked into their little cliques, how are they ever going to be able to invite people to church? How are they ever going to win someone to the Lord? The answer is, they aren't. There is always the chance that someone is going to stumble in the door for worship that is uninvited, but the church has very little to do with that. They might have an attractive facility that would draw someone in, or maybe they have a big flashy sign that draws attention. The bottom line though is that those elements will only attract so much attention.

The best advertisement for the local church is satisfied customers. It is adherents telling their world about how God has changed their life, and how the local church has come alongside them and helped them through the storms of life. Changed lives attract attention. For some pastors, the only time they see a potential non-believer is when the UPS guy comes into the building with a delivery. It is way too easy to get stuck in the church environment and not see any outsiders.

Some churches do activities that will intentionally cause their congregation to interact with unbelievers. Public sports leagues are a fun way to get exercise, to build relationships within the congregation, and also to meet people within the community. These are prime opportunities to win people to the Lord and also to build the church.

Again, it is vital to get outside of the four walls of the church facility to see the church to grow and win people to the Lord.