In order to reach people you must typically go to them. They will not flock to you without reason. You then must find a way to interact with them on their level in order to speak or witness to them. Always remember there is a fine line between engaging the culture (good) and embracing the culture (bad). I heard on the radio recently of a church that went into bars to connect with and witness to people (meet them where thay are, good) While there they handed out shot glasses with the church information and the slogan “give us a shot” (put on the brakes sreeeech!) I feel this is crossing the line. While I like the slogan a bit they might as well have poured and lined up the shots for them (this is embracing, why not go to crack houses and hand out pipes that say “get fired up with us”.) Now, a shot glass that is solid and unusable and says “give us a shot” that’s different and unique (engaging). I don’t mean to sound over critical. I know their hearts were in the right place but in our attempts to reach the lost we have a resposibility to lead a Christ-like example. We can and should walk that line like a tightrope just make sure you come down on the right side.
Archive for February, 2008
Engaging vs. Embracing
No, it’s not a mispelling…
My intent with this blog is to pass on the tidbits of wisdom I gleen from others about communicating. Whether it’s with an individual, a group, a web audience, a live audience,… through work, play, home, church… we all communicate in some way, shape, or form. Most commonly you hear about “effective communication”. Effective is defined as “producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect or result” Affective is defined as “relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions “. It is my humble opinion that in order to have “effective communication” you must to some degree have “affective communication”. I’m by no means an expert, or even formally trained, but I try to learn from those that I feel are. I do have a passion for the inner and outer workings of reaching people whether it’s to educate, sell a product or express a point. Thank you for taking the time to check it out and read my ramblings.
