Whether we realize it or not, our community already has a perception of our church. That perception might come from your Facebook page, your website, how someone in your church treated their cousin at the grocery store, or even just what your building looks like from the road.

And here’s the reality. That perception might be the very thing keeping people away.

So how do we know what our community thinks about our church?

We start by asking a better question. Do we know our community?

The community knows your church. That is a given. But do you know them?

Often, what makes a restaurant stand out are the same elements that make a church stand out. So how do we get there? How do we become a church people never forget rather than one they want to forget?

Acts 15 gives us an answer.

Character must come before success.
Character must come before talent.
Character must come before education, experience, or intellect.

Because in the church, who someone is will always matter more than what someone can do.

“Authentic community isn’t built side by side in pews. It’s built eye to eye around dinner tables”

“If we want to reach our town—our crossroads—with the gospel, we must be willing to set aside preferences. The reason young people aren’t coming, and the reason churches aren’t growing, has less to do with style and more to do with whether we have made the mission of God our priority.”