Your point about not answering the phone also extends to not answering emails – a depressing number of churches seem incapable of doing this!

Bless you

Tony

I usually try to get more information from the people before I give an answer. For instance, when they say “What kind of church is your church?” I have no idea what they mean. Do they mean what denomination?

I hate identifying our church by denomination, largely because people tend to pigeonhold and stereotype. If I say “Reformed,” some of them will say to themselves “Oh, yeah. That Calvinist stuff. Not interested.” Others will say, “Oh, good. I grew up Reformed,” and then they’re shocked when we aren’t like their childhood church.

But often it seems as if the denomination is all people want to know. They don’t want the conversation about what you really believe. They just want a category into which to fit you.

Again, that’s why I try to draw them out more. I hope I don’t sound mealy-mouthed (”Um … what do we believe? Well, um, ah, the Bible and, um, Jesus….”).

Sometimes, too, I’ll mention some of the things that may distinguish us from the churches that the questioner is used to. But that’s tricky because our distinctives AREN’T the most important thing about us. What we have in common with other churches (e.g., belief in the Trinity) is far more significant and foundational than that we baptize infants and have liturgical worship. So I’m always reluctant to define the church by how we differ from other churches (and there’s no way that we differ from ALL other churches or we’d be a cult!).

So I appreciate your # 9 and it challenges me to answer questions directly. But at the same time, I’m not always sure what to say to avoid the pitfalls I’ve outlined above.