Sometimes It Is The Product

I noticed that recently a bishop got advanced to archbishop. One of his notable points is that we have to get Catholics back to church. I remember a priest from a long time ago who said we have to invite Catholics to come back to church. If I were running a store and was short on customers, I think I would ask myself first, why are they not coming into the store? Maybe it is the product that needs attention. Does my product fit the potential customer need? Why did people stop coming in the first place?

If your parish service is boring, lousy sound system, bad choir singing and music, lack of parking, abusive preacher with a message that makes no sense, ill-educated clergy relative to the congregation you want, you might want to check the product before spending a lot of energy and money on getting people back. You might find the problem is not the people who hunger for a deeper life, but rather a parish that is too shallow or empty to feed them.