An Open Letter to Seeker Friendly Churches

For so many years the phrase “seeker friendly church”, in my warped mind, was as bad as the phrase “child run home”. Now both make me shudder for different reasons.

These past few years have been very growing for me. Lovely, painful, freeing growth. As horrible as it has been, I am so thankful for what God has done. Glad to be free of the chains I didn’t even know were there. Along with His sacrifice for me on the cross, bringing me out of where I was (both physically and spiritually) reminds me of His deep love for me.

Part of this growth has been really understanding God and His character and His sweet, sweet love.

But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. I cor 8:1

God is more than the information we try to learn about Him. He is more than the terms that we understand Him through. Yes, He is omnipotent, but He is also much more!

Yes, he is omnipresent, and righteous, and just, and three in one, and sovereign, and unchangeable… but more!

Those are important things! Very. Reading the Bible to understand more about God is wonderful. Having a deeper understanding of who God is and how He works is helpful and necessary to live a God honoring life. And God is great/the only tools to help people with spiritual problems.

But He is more.

God is love.

Simply. Beautifully. God is love.

Too many churches try to overcomplicate this. Love people. Love them where they are, whether that is at your church or not. Help them, counsel them, feed them, no matter where they worship God or if they worship God. Love them above yourself, even if they don’t believe what you do. Love. Don’t get past that. Ever.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:8

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matt 25:34-38

I guess if you are not a seeker friendly church, then what? You are a mature Christian church? These churches are usually very proud, I mean look, they have arrived haven’t they. They aren’t seeking anymore.

This isn’t a new idea. There were seeker friendly churches and “mature churches” back in the day. More recognizable there were known as Jesus’s crew and the Pharisees.

I know seeker friendly churches get a bad rap from “mature churches” (which seems a bit backwards) I just want to take a moment and say: Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for answering the call that some churches are too busy with “the important matters” to answer.

Thank you that you are on the ground and mobilized to seek and save the lost.

Thank you that you give water to the thirsty (even when it comes from a water bottle) and food to the hungry.

Thank you that you know, with God, your arms can reach many. And thank you for actually trying to do that.

Thank you for being humble and loving to people who aren’t sure about you.

Thank you for understanding the first and second greatest commandments.

Thank you for opening your doors, your homes, and your hearts to show God’s love, even to people who don’t go to your church.

Thank you for not being judgmental or exclusive elitists.

Thank you for also nurturing and growing mature Christians.

Thank you for not only being seeker friendly but also lovingly convicting.

Thank you for believing in and speaking the powerful name of Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Seeker friendly churches, for being so mature.

Here is the original link to this post: An Open Letter to Seeker Friendly Churches.