Why in the world would anyone come back?

The boys and I made a trip to the wonderful world Methodist Museum while we have been at Lake Junaluska. "This is very interesting," said my 6 year old. I'm glad he thinks so. I hope it gets more interesting and more challenging to him as the years go by.

One of the richest experiences of Junaluska is running into people across the years. One friend and I were catching up, realizing how long it had been since we had talked. Knowing that she was an active United Methodist, I asked about her church and was surprised to hear she no longer attends there. "Too much church, too little Christ" was her shorthand explanation.

Because her work involves pastors, she said she had noticed a downcast look in pastors recently so she set out to visit churches in the vicinity. That explained the looks.

What a shock to her that, after a Sunday as a visitor, she would walk away from the worship experience wondering, "Why in the world would anyone come back?"

It's a sobering observation. With the culture shift, maybe the best thing people who love the church could do would be to ask themselves, "What about our church would make people want to come back?" and, even more personally, "What about my life/interactions would make people want to come back to church?"

The statistics are stunning that the vast majority of people who come to visit in a church do not just drop by. They come because of a special need in their lives. They don't come in telling people about the diagnosis, the difficult family circumstance, the job pressure -- but church members can be wise enough to know that some need precipitated the presence of the new person in the pew. When they come, do they find the warmth, openness, kindness, generosity of spirit that draws people to Jesus?

John Wesley had a passion for people and a zeal for sharing the gospel. We have a heritage to pass on. I want it to be more than taking a picture at a museum. I want my grandchildren -- and all United Methodists--to be inspired and fueled by our energetic beginnings and the unique UM combination of enthusiasm and discipline. Next Sunday, when you leave worship, ask yourself, "Why in the world would anyone come back?" and get to work bringing John Wesley's fervor back into our churches.