Sometimes I will look inside a book to see if it is good, but most of the time I gravitate to a good looking cover. (This is not a metaphor)
But it makes me wonder about first impressions at Church and ministers. Do looks come into play for the visitor of a Church? And is it bad if a minister looks unhealthy?
To me if a minister looks unhealthy I associate with that: lethargic, sloppy, bad manager of their life, uninterested, and uncaring. If a visitor thinks like this than they wont come back. But they will go to a Church where they like the look of the minister.
It is a human characteristic that we flock to people that we want to be like. We gravitate towards them. I noticed this especially when I was a personal trainer. People who wanted to gain muscle flocked to the more muscular trainers, women flocked toward the prettiest female trainer. Usually the more charismatic, content and confident you were the more people would be likely to want to train under you.
I want to put forward that ministers looking after their physical appearance will attract more people to church, and/or keep more visitors coming back.
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I think you're right in that visitors might come back if they like the 'look' of the minister. However, wouldn't you worry if they are ONLY coming for superficial reasons? I think we're wary of promoting our appearance/personality for fear that we might "empty the cross of its power" (and we might look a bit Hillsong). Is there still a place for emphasising appearance?
ReplyDelete'wouldn't you worry if they are ONLY coming for superficial reasons?'
ReplyDelete- No, mainly because i dont think they will stay because of the minister, but because of being a believer.
'Is there still a place for emphasising appearance?'
- I suppose it depends on what we define church as, if you mean creating a magnificent ambiance for feeling rather than substance i would say 'no' to appearance. The cross is essential and not for compromise.
All in all, our ministers provide a look at the type of church we are entering into. A lazy, unkept, and quite minister is less likely to draw in the non believer. Which hinders the proclamation of the gospel. I am talking in perspective of society.
So should the aesthetics of church be for promoting an inviting atmosphere for the nonbeliever?
**disclaimer on wrongful use of language. My grammar aint good.