YIKES!  THEY'RE SPEAKING IN TONGUES!

It’s another Sunday morning and a few of us are preparing for church, mass, temple, or whatever else you’d like to call it. We may attend at different locations, but we church-goers have some idea about what’s taking place at the houses of worship across the street or on the other side of town. We understand “Church” language well enough that if attending a friend or relative’s church somewhere else, we would probably be able to figure it out. But what most (if not all) church-goers don’t understand is that each church has its own language, and, to everyone on the outside, it sounds like we're speaking in tongues.

Now, if your church's goal is to speak in tongues and that’s what you want people on the outside to hear and see, then you can stop reading. Mission accomplished. If this is NOT what you are trying to communicate, let me offer a little help.

Churches are NOTORIOUS about using acronyms, terms, and labels that NOBODY ELSE understands. What do you call your Kids’ Program or Youth Group? Guess what? Nobody outside of your church knows what you call it. In fact, lots of people inside your church don’t know it, either. The only people that understand the acronyms and program titles are the people who are both connected AND interested. For instance, an older person inside your church probably does not know the name of the weekly kids’ programs, just like a younger person in your church doesn’t know what you call the monthly outing of seniors.

Don’t be too worried about this; Be horrified about this! When a visitor comes through your doors and receives information from you, how are they supposed to decipher the information they are given? Are you expecting them to do research on your church and figure it out? (Hint: If they conducted any pre-visit research about the church, the information they found is likely outdated.) I know, you’ve spent a lot of time coming up with catchy names, slick logo’s, and stuff like that. Trust me, none of that matters if you don’t immediately describe the “who, what, where, when, and how” of all of it. Yes, this will get redundant week-to-week, but guess what? The first-time person who arrives today will have never heard about any of this stuff. If you want them to consider visiting your many ministries, you’ll have to communicate clearly and completely to them.

Lastly, and most importantly, whatever you do, please do not speak these titles, acronyms, and special languages during worship. Why? Because it sounds even worse than it looks. Anytime you mention a church gathering, class, group, or program during worship, please make sure to define what it is, who it includes, and when it meets. Then, direct the listeners where they can find more information (and please don’t give them some lady’s name to contact for a sign-up. They don’t know her! In fact, most of your church doesn’t know her, either.)

Get the drift? To an outsider, we must communicate with vocabulary that everyone can understand. If you communicate clearly with all of the proper information, not only will you be informing your church members, you might also be gaining the interest of your church visitors.

Sounds easy, right? Wrong! When you’re in worship today, pretend you’re a visitor. Look closely at your bulletins, on-screen slides, and any other visual materials. Listen carefully to the announcements and information shared by every person who handles the microphone (especially the pastors – we’re the worst at this.) Look at your website, Facebook, and other electronic stations. You’ll find numerous places of poor, incomplete, and outdated communication, which, of course, means you’re speaking in tongues. If that’s your intention, great job! If not, Yikes!

“But when I’m in a church assembled for worship, I’d rather say five words that everyone can understand and learn from than say ten thousand that sound to others like gibberish.” (1 Cor 14:19, The Message).