I’ve asked this of many pastors over the years. What is your church known in your community for? I remember how passionate one pastor was in telling me of his church’s loved for worship and missions. They definitely had a great reputation for being a worshipping church and seemed to have someone on the mission field at all times of the year. People in the community outside the church could see the love for these two things.
They produced worship materials that churches around the world use. They support countless missionaries and are always finding ways to give back to their community. They didn’t have to tell anyone what they were about, it was obvious.
I asked another pastor with his executive team in attendance. He answered “they think we’re a cult” and then laughed. Everyone joined in the laughter. I paused a minute hoping there was another answer but one never came. His church wasn’t a cult. They were solid on their theology. There were no cult like activities happening. Why did they say that the people of their community think that way?
After some digging I found that the church didn’t have the best reputation in the community. They just didn’t have a posture of giving back to the community. Any outreaches they did were to grow their church and not to bless the community. Everything seemed one sided in its transaction. They turned it around and have a better reputation in the community today.
If we went to your community and asked them about your church, what would they say?