What does your ideal place of worship look like? Who attends? What is the topic of discussion each week?
Meet Edward McGhee, market research interviewer for State Farm Center For Consumer feedback, and Morgan Webster, customer care representative at Anthem.
The two described their ideal place of worship and provided thoughts on how the religious community can provide solutions for today’s issues.
Indianapolis Recorder: Please describe your ideal place of worship.
McGhee: My ideal church would be where there are people from all walks of life. A church with all types of nationalities who come to worship one God and not worry about what denomination they came from or grew up in. An ideal church where we all have a common goal and that is to know and to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Webster: My ideal church would be one that is sensitive to the needs of people. A church filled with people who truly love God and are genuine. It would be an exciting place to worship and a praying church.
What do you believe is the main focus of many places of worship today?
McGhee: The main focus of churches today is prosperity. Don’t get me wrong, being prosperous in the Kingdom of God is never a vain thing, but I do believe most churches focus on being prosperous in regard of money and wealth rather than being prosperous in servitude and stewardship. When this happens, there is not enough emphasis on bringing in more souls to be saved in church.
Webster: I believe the main focus of many churches, but not every church, today is growing their churches and making sure the message stays the same but the method of getting people to come changes.
How can places of worship solve some of the problems facing today’s youth?
McGhee: One of the things churches can do to improve problems within our youth is to start mentoring programs throughout the church. Doing this will also help those who are mentors within the church to actually branch out into the community and see what problems the youth go through on a day-to-day basis.
Another simple solution is to simply befriend those who are young and invite them to church. The best way to help a person change is to simply show them a better way to solve and deal with their problems. Bringing more youth into the church will help troubled youths see a different light to their problems. It will also help them bring in their peers they see everyday.
Webster: I believe the universal church as a whole has to really get back to praying and actually being that positive role model for our youth. Just being honest and sincere and showing the love of God. In today’s society, a lot of the youth really need to know someone loves them and cares. So it’s awesome for the church to be able to show them that.
Why do some individuals choose not to attend places of worship?
McGhee: Some people are turned off by church because they think most, if not all, church people are very judgmental. Having that mindset, they feel people in the church would criticize them and ultimately make them feel uncomfortable and not welcomed. The feeling that church people are hypocritical turns off people. They feel church people are quick to point out somebody else’s flaws, sins and wrongdoings and then become oblivious to their own shortcomings. Some people feel there is no love in the church and believe they can get love from other crude outlets such as gangs. Some people believe some churches have pastors or leaders who are corrupt and speak false prophecies over their lives.
Webster: I believe a lot of people now can’t tell the difference of people in the church. A lot of us say we go to church but live double standard lives, which causes other people who are not really into church to not want to come. Also Christ is all about love and demonstrating love. People want to feel loved when they walk in a room or in the church, not a cold shoulder.
