I know that there are different ways to look at this, but this is how it affected me yesterday:
Cheri and I saw a church slogan/sign yesterday, painted on the wall in the church lobby (NOT a church where we normally attend), that said in large attractive lettering, “You are safe here”. Young families were scurrying around, lots of life, activity. But honestly, it kind of turned me off. I can understand the slogan as a marketing tool, but for what? It may reflect the legitimate motivations of haven-seekers in a world that’s going crazy. But it certainly doesn’t reflect the spiritual purpose and sacrifice that we see in the life of Jesus or His followers in the early church. Can you picture Jesus inviting people to follow Him and ‘be safe’? Quite the opposite is true: “Take up your cross and follow Me.” “If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you lose your life for My sake, you will find it.” Nothing about ‘safety’ as our goal.
And can you picture the early church experiencing serious persecution in Acts 4 crying out, “Oh, Lord, keep us safe!!” instead of “Lord, Jesus, enable us to preach boldly…”? I can’t either!
For a church slogan, how about something challenging that reflects the heart and mission of Jesus: like being salt and light, seeking and saving the lost, building His church that will tear down the gates of hell, preaching good news to the poor, healing the broken-hearted? How about “we’re preparing people to change their worlds for Christ”, or “we’re doing all we can, trusting in God’s enabling grace, to bring God’s Kingdom and power and glory from Heaven to earth”. But, “you’re safe here”? That just doesn’t cut it for me.
(I know that there are different ways to look at this, but this is how it affected me yesterday. I guess I react at the comfort-seeking, me-centered culture we live in, which is impacting the church in so many ways. Of course, I do know and appreciate that Jesus loves us, heals and restores; and I know that He does want His church to be a place where people can come and find His peace and love, a sanctuary of His presence. It’s just that this slogan on the wall was the ONLY statement anywhere that I saw – and I looked. Nothing pointed to any deeper purpose for the church to exist. By the way, this was not at a church that I attend, we just dropped by to get a feel.)