I work in sales, an industry where image leads and functionality follows. The two questions I must answer at the very start of the sales process are “Who are you?” and “What can you do for me?”
It is well expressed in this blurb I read recently in an industry publication: "Two basic tenets of selling are that (1) people buy from other people more happily than from faceless corporations, and that (2) in the marketplace as in theater, there is indeed a factor at work called 'the willing suspension of disbelief.' Who stands behind our pancakes? Aunt Jemima. Our angel food cake? Betty Crocker. Our coffee? Juan Valdez. Anyone over the age of 3 knows that it's all myth. But like Santa Claus and the tooth fairy, the myths are comforting."
There is certainly a lot of theatrics going on in our country today. As shows like Saturday Night Live skewer the leaders of the auto industry for greedy adherence to their rich lifestyles while their industry is on the verge of collapse and as Governor Blagojevich resurrects the image of Chicago politics during the reign of the mob, we would all be well advised to consider what kind of impression each of us makes as representatives of our families, our faith, our congregations, and our heavenly Father.
When it comes to “buying” the whole Christian thing, people are going to be just as attracted to people first as they are when it comes to any other sale. We must “sell” the fact that being a Christian is worthwhile, brings happiness and fosters internal peace even when the world is at war. But the main thing we must sell is that Christianity IS love. In this, you are the Aunt Jemima, the Betty Crocker, the Juan Valdez – in other words, the spokesperson, for Christianity.
More narrowly, you are the spokesperson for your congregation. So, when people talk to you or when they walk into the door at church, does everything about you “sell” the congregation with a favorable image? Are you open, smiling, happy, welcoming? Do you meet visitors with a handshake and thank them for coming?
What if it is someone from a group that split off from yours? Do you get to set aside brotherly love in favor of letting them know that you are unhappy with their choice? Do they feel unwelcome? If so, then you are failing to make that sale – not only to them, but also to your own children and others who may be watching your actions. What kind of impression do you think you are making on the six-year-old who can tell you are suddenly tense? What about that even more vulnerable group – teenagers – who are watching you closely? They often will reject the belief system parents have spent years teaching them in response to witnessing a routine disconnect between words and actions.
Christ Jesus calls us His brothers. We are the sons of God. We are made in their image and tasked with becoming more like them, with the help of the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
People have a right to see Christian behavior in the spokespersons for God, for your faith and for your congregation. The image comes first. Then they will be open to the functionality of the Christian walk.
To paraphrase that famous indictment of Dan Quayle during a political debate: we never want anyone to be able to say to us: “I know Christians and you are no Christian!”
Love, Nancy
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