Hospital or museum?

"The church is supposed to be a hospital for the hurting, not a museum for the saved." 

- Evangelist and author Wendell Winkler 

I quoted the above quote in a sermon message, and received the following comment on a connection card after the service:

"How can we stop being a museum? Seek the lost. It's simply obedience. So why don't we? Certainly not because we can't, but rather because we hide behind our pride, refusing to recognize our identity as sinners, and this cripples our understanding of grace. If we could admit that we are sinners, we would experience the fullness and transformative power of God's grace and we wouldn't be able to shut up about it."

I couldn't have said it better - makes me almost proud to be a pastor!

I Want the Church to Grow, But (pt 4)

This past week we looked at the 4th message in our series, I Want My Church to Grow, BUT.  This series looks at some of the things we do, or don't do, that keep our church from growing.


We all make excuses that young people don't go to church anymore.  The truth is, many of them do - they just don't go here.  Why?  What are we doing that makes them feel uncomfortable?  What should we be doing to make our visitors feel welcome?

This we looked at inviting the unlovable people.  And we can do that, remembering that before Jesus, we weren't too loveable either...

To read the message, or hear an audio recording of it, click here.