The Attractive Church

What is it that attracts and keeps people who visit our church? The answer is simple, but the execution of the answer is complex. The answer is “the church”. The church attracts people. Obviously, I am not talking about an attractive building that we call the church, but an attractive people that is the church. We spent a lot of time with the director of building ministries, Dallas Putnam, addressing the need we have for an attractive and functional building, and yet, to have such a facility without a people that are fully useful for the Lord’s service would be utterly useless (2 Timothy 2:19-21).

The church that Christ is building for His glory consists of men and women, boys and girls, that have been built a spiritual house by faith in Him through His Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:5). People draw people into the fellowship of the church, and in turn, keep people in the outworking of the church. Our faith, purity, friendliness, unity, graciousness, truthfulness, love, hope, and a myriad of other Christlike qualities that are genuinely represented in Christ’s own Body, the Church, will be a drawing card for deepening relationships for gospel ministry.

So not only are there things to run from in order to remain pure, but there are those things to follow after in our pursuit of God. Added to the list above we find righteousness, peace, godliness, patience, and gentleness (2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Timothy 6:11). Christ is the reason why the church exists and Christ must be front and center in the advancement of the operation of His church. We are a people called out for His name's sake!

Acts 15:14 ". . . God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name."