My lovely wife, Allison was listening to some syndicated radio show the other day. The hosts were discussing a topic. There was a male and female host and it went something like this:

Female host: "I was in church for Christmas and a family with a two year old sat next to me. The two year old was very disruptive. He was throwing Legos on my Bible. He was very disruptive. After a while, he pooped his diaper and it was very smelly. I thought about getting up and moving, but then I thought, 'I wouldn't want her to think I was moving because of her. That might offend her.'"

Male host: "Yeah, she was rather bothersome. You did have reasons to move, but to get up and move would have been offensive."

Okay. So, my wife and I discussed this for about twenty minutes.

<a href="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kids5.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3623" style="margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px" src="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kids5-300x254.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="254" /></a>She had one point. Her point was that people who visit church should be able to control their children and take them out if they are disruptive. If they have a poopy diaper, they should take them out and change them.

My point was this - "What if this was the only time this family came to church in three years? What if they are 'unchurched'? They don't know how to act in church, they don't know what to do and they are just there because they just think it's the right thing to do?"

I started thinking. "Does the church at large really want the unchurched in the church?" Statistics usually show that 80% of the population isn't in church. Do we really want them? They don't act like those in church, they don't talk like those in church and when they do show up, they bring their kids with poopy diapers.

Does the mainstream church really want people who aren't like them? Do they really want the unwashed, poopy-diapered kids in the world? Do they really want the below-average, low-income, low-ACT scored people of the world? Or do does the mainstream church want people like them? Do they want people to conform to their ways? People to act like them?

I remember when I was pastoring I had a guy who I will call Jim. He showed up every Sunday in flip-flops and shorts. He just loved the preaching. He loved being part of a church. I loved having him there. Several members didn't care that he didn't act or conform to Sunday standards. He made some very uncomfortable. It begs the question - do the church people really want the unchurched in church?

When the young couple shows up to church and they have a kid who is disruptive, do we really want them there? What is our reaction? Do they fit the mold of our normative church?

Jesus went out and found the completely strange people of the world. He found the lepers and brought them in. He got the tax collectors, the adulterers. He sought the outright sinners in society. He even went after a Pharisee. What are we seeking after? When we are doing evangelism, are we looking for people like us, or are we seeking after people who are like what Christ sought after?

How would Jesus have reacted?

Please, comment. Respond.