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What Can the Church Learn from Wal Mart?

By June 15, 2008Christians, God

I have been to Wal Mart twice in the last few days and both times the customer service was less than one would hope to receive from America’s number one retailer. It almost seems to be a trend these days. Could it be the king of discount has forgotten that what got them to where they are today is more than just low prices? Apparently I’m not alone in thinking that Wal Mart is slipping in the customer service area. This MSNBC story from last year explores the problem: http://tinyurl.com/5fpu9x. In my opinion, if Wal Mart doesn’t figure out how to bring customer service back “with a smile”, they may not always be this nation’s number one retailer.

I also feel a similar phenomenon is occurring with some mainline Christian denominations and churches today. Over the years they have grown in numbers, built larger buildings and added new programs, but they have neglected some fundamentals of the Christian faith. They have become almost country club-like atmospheres where real strugglers in life (which is really all of us) almost feel unwelcome in the church because they don’t “fit in” with the church’s strict guidelines and stands on certain issues. The concept of “love others” (where they are) has almost been replaced with “teach others” to be just like us. In my opinion, the future of these denominations and churches will be decided by their ability to get back to loving others as Christ has first loved us and allowing the “kindness of God to lead to repentance.”

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Ron Edmondson

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  • Mommy to those Special Ks says:

    I absolutely agree with this… both with Wal-Mart and the church! We did a LOT of church hunting, and even found one where we stayed for a few years before we found GCC and let me tell you, there has been a huge difference!
    It’s so nice to leave church feeling refreshed and ready for my week instead of discouraged and a little irritated. haha
    Thank you for creating the community you have at GCC. We are enjoying our time there and look forward to becoming more involved after Kennedy’s surgery. We’re going to miss it while we are away next month!
    My husband can’t wait to check it out too when he gets home!