The Church’s Bad Reputation

I regularly read on the Internet about the Church’s bad reputation:

• Christians in the past have been responsible for bad things (and they’ll probably do it again).
• People have had bad experiences in churches (and will again).
• Christian people are hypocrites (among other things).
• Christian leaders abuse the weak in various ways and don’t live up to their high callings.
• Christians spend more money on themselves than they give away.
• (Fill in your own complaint) __________________________

All of this is true.

The Internet’s Failure to Adequately Disseminate This Vital Information

I also know that the Internet has failed to adequately inform the public of the menace that the church is, because the poor keep calling on the phone and come to our door. They look for

• Food
• Housing
• Clothing
• Utility Assistance
• Someone to listen to their problems
• Someone to treat them with respect
• Someone to pray for them.

You would think word would get out about an organization with such a BAD reputation. You would think people would STOP passing the names and numbers around of the pastors and deacons in the church to their needy friends.

Instead of this happening I find that they ARE still passing out our name and number to their friends and saying “call them”. I find that when there is a car in the parking lot people DO stop in and see if we can help them. They do this and their friends find help and pass our name and number out to other friends. Everyone who is helped is helped with no strings attached. Most never come back for worship, or join the church, or call us again unless and until they need help again.

I suppose the only way to make these people STOP coming to such a horrible institution and group of people like the church in looking for help would be for the church to STOP helping people. Then the word would get out that there is no longer any point to call the church or find a deacon or a pastor or stop in just in case there might be someone who can help.