Church Photo Directory

Our church is about to take pictures for a new photo directory. The last one came out years ago so we are all excited to have something that represents our current community. And in scheduling the photos we have discovered two interesting groups:

1. Those who are not "members" but still want to be in our directory.

Several of these individuals have approached us cautiously to say, "I'm not really an official member. But I feel connected to the people of this church and I have enjoyed my time here. May I be in the photo directory?" For example, a person may come to our Saturday night worship service but then go to a different church on Sunday morning. Or they may join a midweek small group and begin to build meaningful friendships there.

We actually have quite a few people that fall into this category because our church cares more about spiritual encouragement than institutional loyalty. And truly, when I think of Algona UMC, many of these "non-members" are the first to come to mind because they are seeking and building the kingdom of God. They are the ones who want to grow in their faith, who share their victories and struggles, and are seeking God's will no matter where it may take them.

Should we allow them to join our directory? Absolutely! It makes no sense to say these individuals are not part of our church family. They are with us week in and week out, blessing and challenging us (and hopefully vice-versa). Including them in the directory is just common sense.

2. Those "members" who are M.I.A.

I had someone approach me today and ask, "What about our church members who have not heard that we are scheduling photos to be taken?"

I misunderstood the heart of the question so I answered, "Oh, good question! We have been encouraging the church family to share with other members about the photo directory. We also have been announcing it in church service for a couple of months. Plus, we have been e-mailing the announcement weekly and have included it in our monthly newsletters that are sent out."

This individual responded, "Some people don't come to church activities and don't read those announcements. How are they going to hear?"

Hmm. So let me get this straight -- we are talking about a group of people who, at least for the last several months, have not wanted to come to church activities or be involved with the church community?

Not only would I question if these individuals are part of our church in any real sense of the word... but I would also question, "Why!?" Why in the world would a person want to be in our church directory if they do not want to be involved with our church community or in any of our church activities? That makes no sense. It's absurd. Yet, I've recently been having this kind of conversation with a handful of different persons.

I want to end on a positive note by saying that if they are lapsed members, who are not active, M.I.A., those who have cut themselves off... then certainly our desire should be to reach out with truth and love. I encourage every member of our church to invite their friends and neighbors to come experience Christ-centered community. That's not just the job of church staff: If you are motivated by God's love then sharing an invite like that is just common sense.