Quote:
Originally Posted by SavedLou
I'm curious to see how people might feel about this. I've been talking to a coworker about stuff for a while and she has visited and enjoys the UPC church in her town (my church and her home are over an hour away so her visiting with me isn't an option for her). She is very hungry but she is hesitant about standards and i've just told her not to worry about all of that for now. I'm afraid the pastor of the church she visits might try to make it an issue b/c they are VERY conservative. It's a tough situation. Anyone ever had visitors "run away" b/c of this?
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It's easy to say to someone that they shouldn't worry about standards. But, when they see that that majority of the church is dressed differently than they are, and when they see that EVERYONE in leadership, or on the platform is dressed a certain way, it's hard for them NOT to think about standards.
However, having said that, if a person is hungry for more, and they feel what they want to feel, they'll usually stick around.
I'm a bit more liberal than others on this forum, but I do NOT think a church should lower their standards just for the sake of getting more members.
Conversely, I do not think a visitor should let the "standards" drive them away.
Now, I do know of situations where the emphasis on standards, especially for the sake of the visitors, has caused them to seek another assembly.