Robin Steele
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39 years. 54 million…
“Pro-life” and “Pro-choice” both seem to have such a negative connotation. I immediately think of extremists. Why do I think of that? Because when ever pro-lifers are shown on television, they only show the strange, extreme, and often illegal protestors of abortion. I have a negative vibe with pro-choice people, because I completely disagree with them. This has left me and many others in my generation sitting on the sidelines doing…nothing. Saying…nothing.
‘There is nothing we can do.’
‘I don’t want to be associated with those people.’
‘We can’t change the laws.’
Thoughts like these resonate within our minds. I see pastors and leaders around me (that believe abortion is wrong), doing nothing on the topic. It is almost like it is a ‘late 80s/early 90s’ topic. We don’t see it fitting in our glossy sermon series. We don’t want to be controversial. We don’t know how to talk about it in a practical way. We might not even care.
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Most churches are telling everyone how perfect they are for everyone. I have seen in the last seven years that PromiseLand San Marcos is not for everyone. I’ve seen people pick churches based on 3 categories:
- Culture- What is the style of worship and ministry?
- Doctrine – Do I believe what the church believes? Am I open in the disagreeable areas (is it negotiable)?
- Relationships – Do I have meaning friendships with people in the church?
We have had almost 2000 people join our church in the last 7 years and a little over 1000 have stayed. Some people died, some moved, some lost the faith, and some left our church based on the criteria above. We have not studied why people left scientifically. Therefore, I don’t have percentages on how many are in each category.
Recently, I started a list of why people would not like PromiseLand. Maybe this will scare people off. Maybe it will draw people in. Either way, it is reality. We are not running a corporation that needs to worry about PR. We are also not interested in bait and switch. We try to put our best foot forward and believe we are a healthy church.
PromiseLand San Marcos is not the church for you if…
Erica and I sat in the doctor’s corner office as sunshine beamed through the large windows. It was September 25, 2001, and we were getting the worst news of our life. Continue reading
I remember first noticing ‘the authoritative sniff’ about ten or eleven years ago. John Ragsdale and I were hanging out (actually, I think we were supposed to be working). Back then, the lines were very blurred between hanging out and working. Anyway, we noticed a colleague that would make a statement and then sniff a little sniff. It was always accompanied with a slight pucker of the lips.
