A guest post from Bob Lotich on Church Marketing Sucks: Why I’ve Run From Churches

Let me start by saying that I have been planted in my current church for over 10 years. I deeply believe in the value of staying in the church that God plants you in rather than just leaving as soon as you get offended. That said, I have lived in a few different cities and have visited quite a few churches in each one when trying to find out where to land. I have seen some wonderful things and I have seen some things that made me want to run for the doors. These are the things that caused me to run for the door…

In the Catholic view people may not run from the Church, but from parishes that exhibit the sorts of behaviors he outlines. That said, people run from the Church as well, when its leaders collectively act counter to the Faith.

I think Mr. Lotich conveys an overall message of faithful Christian witness — in our communal life, in our interactions, and in our witness to each other and the world. Reflecting on his message and rooting out the traits that can close off a parish, or the Church itself, are a discipline that is in keeping with the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20):

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”