“They stole our line! That’s what we use to describe our church!”

I found myself getting a little irked at the revelation that a tagline our church uses is now being used by not one, but two other churches in the same area that we are trying to distinguish ourselves in.

Don’t read into my surprise too much. I don’t want to sound like I’m competing with other churches. In fact, when I heard their vision, quite honestly, I was thrilled. My frustration was in trying to communicate with people what we as a church have to offer them in a way that stands out among all the messages that pull for their attention.

This frustration actually goes all the way back to when I started searching for a church in the Des Moines area 12 years ago. Saying this makes me feel like a dinosaur, but I remember flipping through the Yellow Pages trying to find a place that could somehow help guide my wife and I through the new stage of life we were venturing into. We never had to shop for a church before because we met at the first church we both attended. I figured that if we started at the first church listed and worked our way through the phone book, visiting a new church every week, it would take us five years before we ended up at the one with Zion in its name.

Still, that was a small challenge compared to today’s shopper. Google came up with 2,630,000 different suggestions when I typed "Des Moines churches" into the search bar. (Keep in mind that there are only 300,000 people in the greater Des Moines area.) Again, where do you begin? Do you simply print out the search engine map with all the balloons that point to churches and throw a dart at it while blindfolded and hope you hit one that meets your needs?

Then suppose you attend a church that is trying to impact its culture. Imagine for a moment that you are trying to put together a 30-second radio spot, trying to reach that person who is searching for what you have to offer. It is quite possible that you would end up with the same generic malaise that sounds something like this: “At Grace Jars of Clay New Hope & Beginning Impact Flash Community Life H2O Salt Creek Brook Stream Living Rock and Stone Church, we offer messages that will impact your life and help you deal with the situations you actually face in the real world. At our church, you will hear contemporary and relevant music and form real relationship with others.”

I’m not trying to offend anyone or question the sincerity behind Christian marketing, but how do we even begin to sift through the cliches, not to mention the disappointment and disillusionment that often happens from experiencing churches that do not always provide what they promised?

When I stop and think about it, what I want to invite people to experience goes way beyond a 90-minute service every Sunday morning. I want to invite people into the intimacy and authenticity of Jesus Christ and to share with them the great joy that comes from fellowship with him and with those he loves. I want to invite people to celebrate with us when we meet God and share our lives, either as a corporate group or in the intimacy of a home over a loving meal or perhaps at a coffee house; face to face and transparent, sharing our joys, sorrows, triumphs, and failures. I want them to know the honor that comes from a phone call from a friend you have shared your life with and turns to you for comfort and support at 2 a.m. and the freedom to know you can call back if needed. And to know that you are always welcome to stop by their home because you were just in the neighborhood and that the door is always open and that you will be refreshed when you leave. That’s church and that’s what I want them to see.

Now if only I could fit that onto a business card.

Nick Bal is part of a church that meets in West Des Moines at Jordan Park (www.wcccjordanpark.org).