Bad Taste - Negative Experiences Hurt Churches More Than Once

There is nothing like a bad taste in your mouth. Usually when you eat something bad, you correct it by brushing your teeth, chewing gum, or eating something good. But what if one thing wasn't enough to correct the bad taste? What if you needed to brush your teeth 55 times to get that awful aftertaste out of your mouth?

At a recent work meeting I was told it takes at least 55 positive experiences to undo a single bad one. So, what if you had 2 or 3 negative ones? It makes it difficult to come out feeling positively about a place or a group of people. It's no wonder so many people have a hard time sticking with a church.

Some might think it's okay to continue going much as they have, doing things the way they've always done them. But that doesn't work. The world changes. People change. The requirements for attracting and keeping people change. So what do you do as a church to make sure that one flub up doesn't prevent people from coming back? You work extra hard. You incorporate their ideas. You incorporate them into your small groups. You keep saying hello even after the 3 month mark. And you make sure you don't flub in a hurtful or so negative a way again.

It's not easy. But it can work. I have to believe it.

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