In a specialty shop I expect to find people with working knowledge of their products. In a family-oriented park I expect seats, public toilets, and no one driving cars. In an aeroplane I expect seatbelts and a safety demonstration.
In each place, expectations shape the whole experience – and guide my behaviour too.
So what are the right expectations to bring to church? Our understanding of church will direct the way we decide to live.
Here’s an exercise I did with some people from church. We had to complete the following sentence, after filling in the blank with the various options: If church is like … then this is how I behave …
- a business
- entertainment
- spiritual retail (a shop for god-stuff)
- a spiritual public service (like a hospital or employment agency)
- a family
- a club
I won’t unfairly influence your thoughts by listing what we said! But I am interested in what you think. What insights jump out for you?