Unchurched Friend Interview #2.

My second unchurched friend interview was with Bryan, director of an Alzheimer's Unit, in one of the local nursing homes.

Questions:

1) What do you think is the greatest need in your area?

A: Keeping my family physically safe.

2)Are you actively attending any church?

A: No. Bryan also stated that he was raised catholic and asked, "I'm going to hell, aren't I?"

3) What are a few issues or topics that impact/interest you?

A: Alzheimer's: learning and keeping up to date on research, interventions, and behavior; the economy and financial issues; local issues in Hanover, since that's where I live: laws, what they want to build or take away; the school system: how they run it, what they do; if the Steelers will beat the Ravens this weekend (pre-Super Bowl interview).

4) Why do you think most people don't attend church?

A: Laziness (I can partly be put in that area). In these times with husband and wife having to work and bust their butts to make ends meet, they want to just have time to relax. People's outlooks have changed. There's less of an emphasis on God, religion, and going to church because of other things going on. Little kids cause a ruckus and don't know how to be quiet. Not everybody that goes to church is going to heaven.

5) If you were to look for a church to attend, what kind of things would you look for?

A: A pastor or preacher who is enthusiastic, captivating. A nice physical environment- not too cold or too hot. A kid's program where they actually do stuff with the kids.

6) What advice can you give to pastors who really want to be helpful to people?

A: Listen to the person who wants to talk to them- give them their full attention; for them to give a few different suggestions to help them solve their problems. If a family has an issue that is embarrassing, to have the pastor visit the home to counsel them.

I appreciated Bryan's answers. He was willing to open up a little more and put some thought into what he said.

In response to his answers, thoughts, and concerns: I believe some of his concerns (ie, his famiy's safety, whether or not he was going to hell because he didn't attend church, and the issues/topics that make an impact on him) could be alleviated by seeking after God and His Kingdom first. By placing things in proper order and under proper authority (God's), the rest falls into place, and doesn't hold us captive like it did before. Those things no longer rule us. As far as the going-to-hell-because-he-wasn't-going-to-church belief goes, I feel that Bryan has not been taught that our works are not what gets us into heaven. It's our faith in what GOD has done through Christ's sacrifice and the blood He shed for the forgiveness of our sins. It is God's love that does the work of salvation and transformation, not us.

Bryan's observation that not everybody that goes to church will go to heaven was very astute. There are plenty of people who attend church every week who feel they are good enough and that's all God requires or who believe that all they need is to do the good works and that's enough. The Bible tells us in Hosea 4:6 "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Our ignorance is not an excuse. We need to seek after God and gain knowledge. His knowledge.

Another thing that Bryan brought up was that people often feel overwhelmed by work. They sometimes have to work more than one job to make ends meet. They either don't make the time to go to church, are too exhausted to GO to church, or they just don't see it as being that important. Taking rest on the Sabbath is important and sometimes unchurched people do better at resting than churched people. However, I am also reminded of stories in the Bible (Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah and the Ark) where God destroyed civilizations, whole people groups, even wiping out most of the life on earth, because people were going about their daily lives doing what they thought was best, without regard for God or the things of God. How much like this have we, as a nation (and even the world's population), become? Ignorance and lack of knowledge concerning God will be our undoing unless we take seriously Jesus' great commission and love people into the Kingdom. It's time for more of us to speak the truth in love.