May 17, 2008
The Eyes of the Visitor
Last week, while I was in Colorado Springs, three ministers and I walked through a mega-church facility to see what we could learn. This church has recently went through two major disasters, their pastor was found to be living a double life, perverted and addicted, then a deranged young man cowardly terrorized the campus on a Sunday following services, killing two sisters.
I love this church, I admire the way that they responded with grace toward their founding pastor upon the outing of his sins. I’m in awe of their humility and unity when faced with terrorism. When I listened to the podcast of the service the following Wednesday, I felt the Comforter, the precious Holy Spirit ministering in every word from the podium. This church body is amazing.
Less impressive are the facilities. Walking through the church campus was like dropping in to visit someone’s house without prior notice. It was familiar, like a living room where the participants are so comfortable with their surroundings that they don’t notice the dirt, the misplaced and broken down furnishings, the lack of signage, or the temporary signage addressing permanent problems. Maintenance is obviously overwhelmed, blind, or simply distracted.
I guess I should simply overlook such matters, ignore it, allow excuses to justify such poor stewardship, but I can’t. I’ve noticed a principle - ”Outward sloppiness reveals inward chaos.” When God found chaos, He said, ”Let there be Light.”
I left saddened that their facilities did not represent them well, it caused a question to arise in me, “Why doesn’t the facilities staff rise up to the challenge and represent the church better?”