About once a month I read through our website(s) to review our claims/promises. We have a link at the top of the WC homepage that asks, “New to Whitley Church?” If you click on it, here’s what WE CLAIM: http://www.whitleychurch.com/index.php?pageid=9.
So after I read that claim I ask, “Really?” So, what do YOU think? Are our claims true? How long would a business last if their ads didn’t deliver on what they promise? Not long I assure you. The same is true for a church.
1) We claim that we are the first-time visitor’s “friend”. So I ask myself again, “REALLY…WE DO?” I am treating new attenders in a friendly welcoming way? Really? Am I actually thinking about others when I go to church or is it really all about me and how I am treated? Do I look around on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday to see if there is anyone who has that “deer in the headlights look”? If you see someone like that, do you remember when you attended for the first time? Do you remember that same uncomfortable scary feeling in your gut as looked for a familiar face? How do you wish you had been treated that day? If we are not going to be friendly, let’s stop claiming that we are. Right?
2) The next claim I noticed is that we you come to visit will gladly help you find your way around. Really? We will? So let me get this straight, we actually go up to new people and ask if we can help by showing them where the nurserys are….where the pre-school kids’ church is located….where the grade school kid’s church meets…..where the teen church meets…..? Really? We actually do that? I’m just asking. Oh, I know our Guest Guides do that, but they can’t cover everyone-especially the way our church is growing. So do you ever just stop and look around and try to find those who appear to need answers or information?
Hey listen, Im not getting on anyone’s case here. I just want to make sure that our claims match reality. If they don’t, we could find ourselves “going out of business”.
–Pastor Ferrell
1 comment so far
YES, it’s TRUE! : ) it was July 08 – we were visiting for the 1st time. ya’ll were serving lemonade on the lawn and a dear lady came over before we could get to the front door and greeted us and walked us to the nursery so we’d know where to leave our daughter. there have been numerous others who have spoken and welcomed us many times over the last 6 months, including you. but i must say, the step that has helped us in really ‘connecting’ at Whitley has been volunteering for the cardboard testimony. here we met some wonderful people and learned some names, made some great friends, found a small group that meets just down the road from where we live, discovered that Spencer Rollins, Joe, and our daughter Janna, all have the very same heart surgeon, etc. etc. And yes, i find myself (since we still sit toward the back of the church) looking for those folks who seem to be in the shoes we were in last July. i think the claims are true and hope that we get better at keeping these claims true for Whitley as well. we are VERY thankful for the wonderful people of Whitley and how God is using them! aj
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:43 am
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