You've seen this heading, or some derivative thereof, on almost every company's website you've ever been to. Whether you're shopping online, perusing a potential employer's page, or visiting a church's website chances are you've clicked on the "About Us" tab located either at the top or the bottom of the page. Sometimes I notice it, most times I don't. I normally only search for and click on that link when I want to know something about whatever organization I'm quasi-Internet stalking at the time. For instance, in preparation for writing this article, I had to go to Amazon to see if they even had such a link because I've never gone there wondering who or what Amazon.com is. Turns out they don't have an "about us" link. Maybe it's because they are the world's largest online retailer of product. Everyone knows who they are. They are so successful, so profitable, so worldwide recognized that they don't even have to explain who they are when people walk through their virtual front door. Interesting.
I've found it curious, particularly with church organizations, the need to describe who or what they are to the world. Businesses need to do this for business reasons. Especially if they are new or unknown...Here's what we sell, here's our philosophy, etc. But with a church...how do you take a group of even 30 people, and write a paragraph or page length description about who all of those people are? Or better yet, what they all believe? Not to mention that such a description is usually penned by 1 or 2 individuals out of the 30. Even if all of those people collectively believe in God, or Jesus, there are bound to be varying beliefs within that most basic belief that differ from person to person. Some of these "About Us" pages borderline on arrogant while others just sound like a veritable Biblical fairytale is happening at their place of worship. I guess I'm familiar with this disconnect because I've read descriptive pages for groups I've attended in the past or present and I know for a fact that they don't describe me or multiple other people at those groups. And surely, the leadership that approved the writing of these descriptions would not assert that everyone at their group believes all the same things. Which begs the question, "Why does the "About Us" description even exist?"
I don't know the answer to that. Sometimes it's fun to write a summary about ourselves for all the world wide web to view. (See Facebook) Sometimes I think we view the church as a business. Websites, signage, brochures...all to bring in that random drive-by visitor. All of those are fine things but they're really more focused on presenting a picture perfect image that's "advertiseable" rather than just simply stating the fact that every group of people is imperfect and has major issues within it. What church family has ever existed that didn't have sickness, death, divorce, financial problems, and all kinds of social issues? Most people can relate more to all of that, than they can to this Disney World Fairytale Church in Cinderella's Castle description I normally read. Chris Rock described why he was voting for Bill Clinton over Bob Dole in a 1996 SNL Monologue . So much truth stated in this humor, but it illustrates the fact that people relate to problems, not perfection:
"I like Clinton. You know why I like Clinton? Because he's got real problems. No, he don't got President problems, he's got real problems, like you and me: he's running out of money, his wife's a pain in the ass, all his friends are going to jail.. I know Bill Clinton. I am Bill Clinton!"Do churches write these descriptions to affirm themselves? Kind of like a pseudo creed? Is it to keep a certain kind of person out? Or to attract a certain kind of person in? Is it to make a statement to other believers who may be judgmentally investigating a group? Not sure, but I'd like to propose an alternative. If a church wants to describe itself to the world, it should just simply say "We've got problems. So do you. Let's all help each other." Or some similar variation. It sure would be hard to accuse a group of hypocrisy after a statement like that. But when you promise spiritual Disney World, you're setting yourself up for failure. Problem is, there are people within most every church that won't admit that they have real problems. That their marriage sucks. That they are under mountains of debt. That they look at porn. That they're bored and unhappy with their life. That they're gay but can't admit it because they're not surrounded by loving people. That they don't, in fact, have it all together.
They think that you need them, but they're not really convinced that they need you. That's probably another subject, though.
Here's another suggestion. I'd offer this admonition/invitation from the FAQ section of Mosaic in Los Angeles, CA:
"The absolute best way to understand and learn about any community is to experience it on the relational level. Statements of faith can tell you what a community of faith’s beliefs are, but they can’t tell you who they are. If you’d like to discover who we are at Mosaic, please come to one of our gatherings on Sundays. A list of times and locations can be found on our home page at...."How good is that? Simple and true. In other words, put down the mouse and your curiosity and just show up. More than once. Judgments about a group after anything less than 3 visits are premature and lazy. I'm not trying to nit pick at churches for attempting to reach people with a broad statement of faith or description. I just think it's an interesting study in sociology and religion. Also makes for an interesting discussion. So don't get all offended & defensive if your church has one of these "About Us" pages, I'm just observing life here. It's true in sociology, that if you claim something
too rigorously or profess something
too much then you might have a Napoleon complex about it. I'm just wondering if that's true when it comes to communities of faith as well. That is, if a church family's message could be so successful, so well known, held in such high regard that maybe they wouldn't even have to explain who they are to someone walking through their virtual front door. You'd just know who they were. Like Amazon. Interesting.
