2 comments

1. Church visitors do not come back bc they are treated as visitors and not as members of the local church,
   or as fellow believers, especially the poor and minorities in Reformed churches.

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   • Gil,

     Having dealt with church visitors as a pastor for nearly 40 years I think that has sometimes been the case. Whenever it happens, it is too often and a clear violation of James 2:1–7. It is a sin of which we must repent.

     That said, though I know that you have experienced this, I have not seen it much. What I typically see is members receiving guests warmly. Indeed, it can be a challenge to know exactly how to receive guests since the church growth gurus tell us that first-time visitors want to be left alone to visit and observe anonymously. Years ago I read that the worst thing a congregation can do is to ask a visitor to stand up in a service/sunday school and identify themselves. I use the noun guest because that is the language recommended by the church growth folks. So, if we greet the anonymity-seeking visitor too warmly, we’ve crossed a line and if we don’t greet someone, we’ve crossed a line.

     Sometimes congregations are so small or so tightly connected that they simply forget about guests. I’ve experienced that and I’m neither poor nor an ethnic minority (at least not yet. As the years roll by I could become both). I’ve visited congregations where no one said hello or even acknowledged my existence. In some cases I think it’s just thoughtlessness but, if you listened to the episode then you know that, in this case, the congregation was very solicitous of this guest.

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