What Can the Church Learn from Wal Mart?

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.”