Recently, we had a hallway in our home painted by some professional painters. The smell of paint constantly reminded us of this each time we left and returned to our house. Once we spent enough time indoors, our noses got used to the strong smell, and it can go unnoticed for a very long time. Then I stepped out to get the mail one day, and when I walked back in – I was hit with the strong smell of paint once again.

What am I saying? Churches can have something about them that “stinks” to a visitor. Perhaps there are things about a church that need changed in order to reach the lost people around them. Churches need to take a hard look at need changes….while at the same time building upon it’s strengths. Congregations who choose to ignore their problems will eventually decline and not be all that God intended them to be. We have to make sure that we never lose a FRESH PERSPECTIVE…and constantly look at ourselves through the eyes of a visitor who needs to know Christ. We don’t want them to enter our church building and be hit with something that smells.

Why does this matter? Because people matter! It’s our job to evaluate ourselves, make the needed changes, work together as a congregation, and take the message of Christ to those who are lost. Our mission and God’s purpose must be more important than our personal preferences and our hesitation to take a hard look at ourselves.

If you have a desire to reach more and more people for Christ…people like your parents, your children, a co-worker, or your best friend…then we have to consider doing things differently. We simply cannot afford to accept mediocrity when it comes to our worship, our discipleship, our leaders, our attitudes, or with any other factor that impacts our ability to change our community for Christ.

Finally, as you evaluate your church….remember to go about the experience humbly and with a teachable spirit. Remember that God calls all members of His body to work together in a caring and loving way….too much is at stake and too many lives are lost to the world for us not to. As a group, we must continue to look at ourselves with “fresh eyes” and maintain humble hearts if we expect to be all that God desires for us to be.