Statler and Waldorf Mentality
It never ceases to amaze me when a person will come into a church only to observe and take notes. As a pastor these are the people I watch very closely. They are easy to tell because they come into church and don’t talk a whole lot. When the service is finished they leave rather quickly and quietly. Now to some this may sum up what a lot of people do. However, what clinches this stereotype are the emails the pastor will get from these that come and go quickly while taking notes. They turn into a, Statler or Waldorf and send probing questions and cutting comments to the pastor. The thing about these people is that you really don’t know what to do with them. On one hand they are people and you are happy they come. On the other hand they are knowingly or unknowingly trying to derail you from this weekly thing we call church.
The world has enough people like this. My suggestion to people like this that really have one goal in life and that is to make a pastors life rough by doing these kind of things. Just go! No the pastor does not want to “have lunch with you” and no the pastor is not going to change the way he is doing things because one person (usually new to the church) is sending emails that are less than flattering on how THEY think a church should be run. Go and be a blessing elsewhere.
Opportunities to be gracious? Or are these people just being legalistic? In that case, have the whole church prepared with water canons and when they show up for church announce that it's water wars day and everyone can get started.. teeheehee Maybe they'll stop coming after that. ;)
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