Seeker Sensitive

I recently heard Rick Warren share something.  It was an "Aha" moment.  He was speaking about churches and the tension they face between being faithful to what they believe yet at the same time being relevant and accessible to those who have no religious context.

The Problem:
On the one side, some churches make everything so simple and palatable for a guest that they forfeit the power of the Faith-filled life.

On the other side, there are churches that passionately pursue and express their faith, to the confusion of the guests.

The Solution:
What Rick shared was this: We need to passionately express our faith in authentic and genuine ways.  And we should make no apologies for this.  Our honest expression will not be a turn-off to our guests IF...


WE EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.


He made this analogy: He (like myself) does not like opera.  He doesn't speak many other languages, in which opera is often performed.  He doesn't get it.  But, when he attends an opera, they hand him this little program that EXPLAINS what is going on.  It tells him "She's singing this right now" and "This is what's happening here."

Our responsibility is to EXPLAIN what is going on to our guests.  They may not speak our language or understand what's going on.  The solution is not to limit our expression of faith.  The solution is to EXPLAIN our expression of faith.

That is what it means to be Seeker Sensitive.

For us, that means go all out.  Express yourself fully.  Just explain what you're doing for those that don't understand.  There's no guarantee they will embrace what you're doing.  But at the very least, they will understand it.