The Best Seeker Sensitive Approach... Be Yourself

Our ministry here in St. Louis has just started a new outreach program and the hope is that we will draw in folks that are not likely to attend a church service or a weekly college meeting. We meet once a month in a local pub, have the best music possible, incorporate some video and power point presentations and preach the Gospel from scripture. There was some question whether or not an expository message from the Bible was really seeker sensitive and when I first heard it, I was a bit frustrated (mostly due to pride). After some reflection, I realized that Christians have widely differing understandings on how best to reach the unchurched (or at least those not currently active in a church). How can we not only attract but keep people in the Church?

We could answer this from the perspective of marketing and repeat business, but it seems to me that we must think of it in terms of interpersonal relationships and family. How do you be sensitive to those coming into our spiritual communities? Be honest. In other words, be yourself. We may attract people with lively singing, superb presentations and engaging media. We may even keep them coming if the atmosphere is cool enough. But if that is all we are accomplishing, we have to ask ourselves... is that all we are about? Or are we hiding our real agenda? Our God given mission is to see people conformed to the image of Christ... come to faith and grow as disciples.

The means God has given us for this task are the scriptures, the sacraments, prayer and of course His Spirit. This is who we are... or at least who we should be. We should let people who wander across our threshold know they are welcome, but also let them know to what we are welcoming them. I know no better way to be sensitive than to respect people enough to be honest with them.