Never Been to Church

There was a time in our culture when we could assume people had heard basic stories from the Bible. Stories like David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lions Den, Jonah and the Whale (even though it is called a big fish in the Bible). This is not true anymore. It is becoming more common to meet people who have never heard these stories.

It is common now to meet people who have never been to church in their life. They have no idea what to expect when they walk into a worship service for the first time. It has to be intimidating.

For those of you like me who grew up going to church walking into a worship service is somewhat natural. Yeah services may be different, but for the most part they all have something in common.

There are more people today who make assumptions about church based on the people they have met who go to church and what they have heard about church. The pop culture has influenced these assumptions as well. For a large portion of our culture walking into a worship service is like walking into a foreign country. They don't know the language or the customs. They don't want to do something or say something wrong so they look foolish or draw attention to themselves. It is a real fear people have when they go to church for the first time.

The great thing is they don't come with their own agendas. If they build up the courage to enter into this foreign land they are most likely there because they are searching to know more about God. It is quite refreshing to meet people who are searching to know more about God. There is an innocent excitement in the questions they ask and their attentive spirit.

If you are reading this and you grew up in the church my question to you is this: How do you relate to a person who has no church background? Do you try to teach them about God or do you make them think you are better than them? This is not the time to show off your Bible knowledge, that is what a Pharisee would do. And Pharisees are the ones they are a afraid of most.

This is no time for judgement--It is all about grace and mercy.

When a person is a guest in another country the people they are the guest of show a high level of hospitality. The goal is to make them feel comfortable in their country. They explain customs in detail. They interpret the language explain what a phrase or word may mean in their culture. They become the teacher and the guest becomes the student, but not in an authoritative way though. They try to protect you from doing something stupid and when you do they laugh with you not at you.

If you have not been brought up in the church and you want to know more about the stories that exist in the Bible that most church goers know let me give you this piece of advice, and I say this with all the respect in the world--Buy a children's Bible and read through it. Find the same story in a big persons Bible and read it there also. These are foundational, basic stories most people who grew up in the church know.

I had one lady I made an assistant children's Sunday School teacher. She loved it. She would constantly talk to me about some of the stories "the children" were learning. She eventually became a follower of Jesus and probably is teaching children to this day. Notice she was helping before she even became a Christian. She was actually being discipled by a mature believer for one hour a week.

As church leaders we have to address this issue. How are we going to relate to those who are coming to us that have no church background? It is a reality that is becoming more common in our culture today. For me, it is an exciting reality! It is refreshing to find people who are hungry to know more about God and how to live for Him.