I attend a church where people plunk down in the aisle seats so everybody else has to climb over them to get to a seat. If people want to hang out in the atrium before the service, they place their Bibles in the aisle seats so nobody else sits there.

Now that’s a little thing to be sure. But can you think of a more precise way to send the message that it’s all about me?

And the only time they acknowledge the people around them is when the minister announces it’s meet-and-greet time–at which point they grab your hand like they’re doing a square dance dosey-doh and work their way through a few people whilst never making eye contact. The idea that they see it as a burdensome duty to say “hello” is simply the second verse to “It’s all about me.”

Then church leaders have meetings to discuss how to make the church more welcoming.

Sigh.



Read more about author Bette Dowdell at http://BetteDowdell.com