Our society has become a meat and potatoes culture in many ways. In our entertainment we may like fluff but, in our religions, spirituality, thinking, and social action we like the deep stuff. The meat and potatoes rather than the garnish. When it comes to your church or ministry, do people see your meat and potatoes? Let's look at the different it can make.
Are There Any Meat And Potatoes?
This is the first question we have to ask and it's a good one that can lead us to evaluate ourselves. All to often there isn't enough meat and potatoes. There isn't something worth sharing with others. For example, much of the youth ministry in America is based on having fun. It's about dessert rather than the meat and potatoes.
Why The Meat And Potatoes Is Easier To Market
Marketing a dessert is different than marketing meat and potatoes. If you market fun you market just the fun things you do. Now, marketing fun times is not a bad thing. I expect that if you met Jesus out in the world, like when he was doing his ministry here, you would have found he and his disciples were having a blast. The difference comes if you have meat and potatoes.
For example, kids in youth ministry want to have fun. At the same time they are dealing with drugs, sex, children, abortion, money issues, and peer pressure surrounding all of them. They live in a hostile world with tough life issues.
These same kids are hurting inside from a lack of relationships. According to studies 1 out of 4 of them has no real friends. The ones who have friends have less real friends than people had a generation ago. Over half of kids struggle with abandonment issues of some sort. For some it's physical abandonment because a parent has chosen to not be part of their life. For others it's emotional abandonment because their parents are physically there but emotionally checked out of their lives.
If a youth ministry tries to market itself as a fun place it has to contend with drugs, sex, and parties as an alternative. It's a dessert among desserts. If a youth ministry builds real relationships where they can deal with real life issues it can practically market itself. People will want to be there.
This applies to any ministry. If a church is a teaching church, which is something many people are seeking, than advertise the teaching. If a church helps people explore spirituality, something else many people are seeking, share that. If people know that and it is helping people they will tell others and invite others.
The Meat And Potatoes Every Church Has
Jesus, his message, and what he has does and continues to do for us is a meat and potato that every Christian church has. People are looking for it. People yearn for it. It is a felt of the people around us every day.
Does your church show it's meat and potatoes? Does it have meat and potatoes beyond the message of Jesus? If you think it does have you tested or measured these?
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