By Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan
We see what we want to see. At other times, we don’t see what is in plain view to others. We all have blind spots. What are yours? What are your church’s? Sometimes we need a set of fresh eyes to find out.
I asked my father-in-law, who had redesigned several properties for his company, to walk through our church’s education building. Most people thought it was fine. “If it ain’t broke…” You know the rest. I wanted fresh eyes that would see what the parishioners and I could no longer see.
“Those are some ugly pipes,” he said as soon as he walked through the door. “Pipes?” I asked. “Those pipes against the ceiling. I would paint them, at least. Better, put in a drop ceiling so the building looks finished. I wrote “pipes” on my pad.
Then he said, “That could be embarrassing.” “What?” I said. “Well, what do you see when you look down this hallway?” I looked. “Can you give me a hint?” I asked. “You see a bathroom with an open door with a nice view of a urinal.” “And that’s not good?” I asked. He looked at me with one of those “you’ve got a lot to learn” looks. He said, “You’ve got the space to rearrange this area so that the door swings in, rather than out into the hallway. You could put a self-closing hinge so the door closes automatically. You don’t want doors to swing into the hallway and you don’t a urinal to be your visitor’s first impression.”
We continued to walk the building. He saw water damage on ceilings. Roof repairs had been made years ago, but the ceiling was unrepaired and unpainted. He saw tears in the carpet that could be tripping hazards. He saw old literature and announcement sheets littering the tables. Soon, our church began making small but important changes.
What would a pair of fresh eyes see if you invited them into your building or worship service?
These thoughts are from Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan, our partner based out of Lewisville, North Carolina. He is a 20+-year member of Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC where he leads an adult Bible study, serves as a deacon, as Personnel Council chairperson, and on the Vision Navigation Team. He has also served in various roles from local churches to state and national leadership. Contact him for more information on how our partner can help you.