If I Could Change One Thing in My Church, It Would Be . . .

I put the statement on social media. The responses were voluminous. After a couple of days, I had to stop counting and tally the results. There were hundreds of them.

In an effort to simplify my reporting of the results, I put the responses into several categories. I have to say, I was more encouraged than not. Sure, we got the usual complaints about other people and the worship services. But I was surprised to see how many respondents said the greatest change needed to be themselves. Pastors said it. Elders said it. Deacons said it. Other laypersons said it. That response, among others, greatly encouraged me.

My question was about one thing, so I had to disregard those who gave two things, or three things, or fourteen things (seriously). Keep in mind, each tallied respondent could only say one thing. So, when you read that three percent wanted a greater emphasis on prayer, it doesn’t mean 97 percent did not want a greater emphasis on prayer. It just means three percent put it at the top of their list.

Here are the top ten results. The numbers do not add to 100 percent, because there were many responses that did not fit any of the top ten categories.

If I could change one thing in my church, it would be . . .

1. Other people (16%). No big surprise here. Other people need to get their acts together. The pastor needs to visit more. Other people need to attend more frequently. The essence of these responses is that everyone else is the problem.
2. Me (13%). I was incredibly gratified to see this second…