Who Cares?

I just read a post on someone's blog that I figured I must share with everyone.



Nobody Cares?
A church newsletter mentioned a man who visited eighteen different churches on successive Sundays. He was trying to find out what the churches were really like. He said, "I sat near the front. After the service, I walked slowly to the rear, then returned to the front and went back to the foyer using another aisle. I smiled and was neatly dressed. I asked one person to direct me to a specific place: a fellowship hall, pastor's study, etc. I remained for coffee if served. I used a scale to rate the reception I received.
I awarded points on the following basis:
10 for a smile from a worshiper
10 for a greeting from someone sitting nearby
100 for an exchange of names
200 for an invitation to have coffee
200 for an invitation to return
1000 for an introduction to another worshiper
2000 for an invitation to meet the pastor
On this scale, eleven of the eighteen churches earned fewer than 100 points.Five actually received less than 20.The conclusion: The doctrine may be biblical, the singing inspirational, the sermon uplifting, but when a visitor finds nobody who cares whether he's here, he is not likely to come back.
~Author unknown



What is everyone's thoughts on this? Have you ever been in a similar situation? I remember several years ago when I was looking for a church home I visited this one church maybe 4 or 5 times, because I figured I wouldn't know for sure if I am meant to be at that church on just the first visit. I always sat close to the back, and a couple of times I came by myself and a couple of times I brought my Mom with me. After several visits I did not know anyone's name and I had never talked to the Pastor.