Should every visistor who walks into your gatherings become a memeber of your church? If you believe so, you’ll enjoy this practical resource by Nelson Searcy. If you think otherwise, though, you’ll likely raise your eyebrows as you read.
Searcy anticipates critics by conceding “the church is not a business,” yet in the same sentence adds “[but] we would be smart to take some cues from the consumer-conscious service world.” These nods are placed throughout the book, but they seem like token acknowledgements to contrary opinions. The Bible is only occasionally tagged, even within a chapter entitled “biblical hospitality.” Nonetheless, this is a solid “nuts and bolts” resource for congregations and ministries alike.
So is this a negative or a positive review? That depends on whatever thoughts are baggage you carry about churches using marketing principles to pursue holy goals. The material does attempt to endorse itself thorugh strategically laid testimonials, making Searcy seem like a self-promoter out to peddle his resources. Behind it all, though, his heart beats with an obvious conviction that the “customer” needs the “product” he’s selling — Jesus Christ.
Whatever you believe about that will cause you to either pick up a stone … or this book.
