In the beginning of creating this blog, I fell victim to the longstanding conventional wisdom that in order to bring the Boomers back to church and have them stay , churches should tinker with the mechanics of their services in order to make them "seeker sensitive"..
In his book (Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business), Danny Meyer comments about how many businesses shine brightly when it comes to acing the tasks but emanate all the warmth of a cool fluorescent light. That explains how a flawless five-star restaurant can actually attract fewer loyal fans than a two and three-star place with soul.
Meyer developed the winning recipe for doing the business he calls "enlightened hospitality."
The fact is that there are many churches who have the finest buildings, the most well rehearsed praise music, finely crafted sermons and amazing graphics. The Scripturally mandated opportunity for baptism is there. The ever present baptistry is heated and ready. The elements of communion are always on hand.
Certainly a five star operation by all standards.
Why is it, then, that many potential “5 Star Churches” do very well in getting people in the front door but have problems with the revolving back door??
There is a passage in Proverbs that I believe speaks to this situation: ”A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
A church may have all of the “5-Star” elements present (apples of gold) but if we do not place these elements in a proper setting (baskets of silver) they will have very little meaning to guests and members alike.
That basket of silver is simply hospitality.
The Boomer Blogger
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