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Gage’s Measure By Pastor Steve
July 2010
These days a coffee cup can say a lot about a church. Though the fad hasn’t yet caught on at FBC, churches everywhere are giving away coffee cups. I’ve collected several. They come in every possible shape and color—and all with churchly slogans and advertising. Since coffee-sipping has near sacramental status in our churches, I suppose such a souvenir is almost a gospel witness. Let me tell you about a few I’ve collected. I have a cup from an Episcopal church in my hometown. If it weren’t for the handle, it would look almost like a chalice. This glossy piece of ceramics is done in dark liturgical purple. The contrasting white lettering reads, “St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Welcomes You!” The font is attractively modern. And to the left of the lettering stands a simple cross and circle representing the eternal gospel. The style speaks of both the traditional and the contemporary. St. Paul’s wants us to know that their liturgy has meaning for the modern world. The design succeeds. Now whether these claims are authentic—well, only a visit will tell. In stark contrast, a friend of mine pastors part of a large, independent, multi-site fellowship in the same city. This conglomerate has stripped all ministry down to the essentials to reach the lost. Their all-white cup reads “Christ the King Community Church” in blue with “Christ” and “King” in large letters. Underneath is the slogan, “Always a place for you!” On the out-facing side of the cup is the quotation of 1 John 4:7 about loving one another. The message is obvious—we love all kinds of people and want you to be part of the family. And by the way, they’re reaching their objective. Large numbers of unchurched and “dechurched” people have found fellowship at CTK. There is a line for baptism every month. I have to chuckle when I study the cup I received while visiting my in-law’s church. The Village Assembly of God is located west of Little Rock inside the world’s largest retirement and recreation community. Below the words “We’re saving a seat for you this Sunday” stand the monogram V, A, and G with orange flames shooting out of the cleavage in the V! The full denominational name, phone number, and web address follow. On the reverse, the church’s vision statement is spelled out using the acronym S-E-N-T. Basically, it proclaims their commitment to evangelism, growth, and reaching the next generation in the power of the Holy Spirit. These are lofty goals for a congregation with barely a soul under sixty. Ah, but at least they have a vision. Finally, let me share my favorite—the stainless steel tumbler promoting the RockCreekChurch.com somewhere in metro Portland. From such an elegant piece one must assume that RCC serves up a serious brew. No Styrofoam, plastic, or ceramics will do for this church! The snugly sealed top and no-slip rubber base have the quality of Starbuck’s. Circling the tumbler is a coffee-brown grip with the logo in a contrasting shade of cream. Through the logo center flows a stream encircled by three words linked with arrows—grow, connect, reach. Below the logo lies the name given as a web address. Very classy! Their aim is transparent: to reach younger unchurched adults with first-rate coffee, relationships, and service opportunities. If I’m absent some Sunday, I may be checking out this church. So what’s the moral to my story? We live in an image-conscious and image-saturated world. We may not like it, but that’s reality. And in fact, in post-modern society image is reality. So if we want to attract new people, and especially the elusive younger adult, then we must constantly see ourselves as others do. That means that our building, grounds, sign, worship styles, music, preaching, programming, outreach, ministry goals, and financial priorities—each of these reveal something about us to the community. Our ultimate aim is to serve God and people, but remember, the world is watching. What message are they getting?
Pastor Steve Gage
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First Baptist Church of Gresham |
