December 31, 2024 / 1st time visitors

Hey, Calvary Fremont –

As a pastor, I can predict which 1st time visitors won’t be returning the following week. Of course, there are those visiting from out of town. There are those who attend just one time because a family member or co-worker is getting baptized that morning. But then there are those who say to me after service, “Wow! From the minute we walked in the door we felt the presence of God and we knew we were home. We just love it here.” When I hear this, I know I’ll never see them again.

Now, I don’t know if they are just really nice people who mean well, or if they are demonic minions meant to discourage the pastor who says, “Alright, they’re coming back!” And then the following Sunday the pastor is all bummed out because that super-charged, super-friendly, super-affirming couple didn’t return. And a bummed-out pastor doesn’t preach as well as he could. At least that’s what I’ve heard. 😊

Yet, I would rather have them tell me that they are super-impressed and will be back than tell me that their time at the church I serve was their worst experience ever with the Body of Christ! I think that would be even more discouraging. Speak of discouraging – years ago, when I was pastoring in San Jose, there were two new couples and they approached me after service and told me that they had a prophetic ministry. For $500, they would return the following Sunday, sit through the service, and then tell me everything that was wrong with my ministry. I told them that I can get that for free on any Sunday!

The ones I’m not sure will return are the ones who don’t say anything or those that tell me they are looking for a church and are checking out the various churches in the area. I tell them that there are a lot of good churches in the Tri-City area and that the Holy Spirit will lead them to the right one.

It’s got to be tough ‘shopping’ for a church. It wasn’t always so – at least for my family. We belonged to the Christian Church, Churches of Christ. We moved a lot when I was growing up, but we never ‘shopped’ for a church; we never visited another church. We always went to the nearest Christian Church. No other thought was ever entertained. It was easy-peasy. In the 1950s and 1960s, denominational loyalty was at its peak. If you were a Baptist, you went to the Baptist Church. If you were a Methodist, you went to the Methodist Church. If you were a Christian, you went to the Christian Church. 😊 But today, denominational loyalty is ever-shrinking and denominational identity is getting squishier and squishier.

It’s got to be tough ‘shopping’ for a church these days. I asked GOOGLE to give me some recently minted church names. Here’s a sampling: “City Hope,” “Create Church,” “Destiny City Church,” “Dream City Church,” Intersect Church,” and “Lifebridge Church.” These names tell you nothing! First Baptist Church of Fremont tells you at least something. Calvary Chapel Fremont tells you at least something. Harbor Light Assembly of God tells you at least something. But these new church names conceal more than reveal. It’s got to be tough venturing out into the exotic church jungle not knowing what you’ll find at each stop. Is this church conservative or progressive or charismatic or reformed or traditional or affirming? Do they sing hymns accompanied by the organ or do they play Contemporary Christian Worship with guitars and drums? And here’s another nuance some people employ – do they sing Hillsong, Elevation, or Bethel songs? Is the pastor cool in skinny jeans or a nerd? And more important than the theology of the church these days is its ideology. Is it Woke? Do they support vaccinations? BLM? CRT? Are they pro-Israel or pro-anyone that’s against Israel? What is their stance on Hunter Biden’s laptop? Are they Ever or Never Trumpers. So many layers of consideration to wade through!! Yikes! Easy-peasy went out the door a while ago.