Cursed?

Me:  One of the great things about my job is that I see so many possibilities in our churches.

Colleague:  It’s a curse, isn’t it?

I walk into church buildings and see so much hope.  If only . . .

If only a congregation would reach into their neighborhood.  If only the church flung open their doors and welcomed the community into their building.  If only the members were schooled in authentic hospitality.  If only people loved each other the way they long to be loved.

Sometimes I visit churches on Sunday mornings and – before they realize who I am: The Presbytery – nobody speaks to me.  I literally said, “Hello” to a stranger in the women’s room and she still did not speak to me.  What if we were honestly “friendly”?

My curse is that I look at church communities and see what they could be.  But either 1) they don’t want to be the church that rocks the neighborhood or 2) they don’t know how.

What is your curse in terms of serving the 21st Century Church?