Satisfaction Surveys

Satisfaction Surveys

1 Corinthians 1:1-9   |   1/19/2014

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

          I don’t know about you but I get Customer Satisfaction Surveys everyplace I shop.

          Aren't you getting a little tired of all the surveys that get thrown at you?

          They're everywhere.

          If you are on the phone with customer service, a robot voice asks you if you'd like to take a survey at the end of the session.

          If you visit a hotel you get home and find an e-mail from every hotel you stayed at asking you to take a survey.

          If you are online making a purchase a survey window pops up.

          Sometimes the surveys are at the bottom of receipts and clerks ask you to go on line and answer a few questions for a promised reward.

          I was impressed with the customer service recently at Auto Zone and attempted to give a clerk a $5.00 tip. He refused it saying that he would rather I complete the Customer Survey.

          I didn’t—because I didn’t know his name and besides I was afraid that if I did complete the survey I would get a ton of junk emails.

          With this sermon on my mind I did attempt to complete one this week.

          It was for Amazon Coupons promising that if I would complete a survey I would receive a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card.

                   Complete the Amazon Survey! Claim your $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!

                   All you need to do is:

                             1. Register

                             2. Complete the Survey

                             3. Claim Your Reward

                    I stopped and said to myself, “I don’t think that I want to do this.”

          Each year, the American Consumer Satisfaction Institute polls thousands of travelers, aiming to get a snapshot of just how happy the average flier is with his or her experience.

          According to the survey, commercial airlines rank near the very bottom of the 43 industries on the index, edging out only cable television and Internet providers in satisfaction.

          Speaking of airline satisfaction last Sunday an airplane landed at the wrong airport in Missouri—seven miles from the correct one!

          An airline pilot hammered his plane into the runway really hard.

          The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying with us."
          Because of the hard landing he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment.

          Finally, everyone had gotten off except for one gentleman.

          He said, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?"
          "Why no, Sir," said the pilot, "what is it?"
          The man asked, "Did we land or were we shot down?"

          Let’s put it all in perspective. Perhaps we should stop and smell the jet fuel every once in a while. You are flying at 550 mph—ya’ know!

          Things could be worse.
         

          It's easy to take incredible things for granted.  When something fantastic and truly stunning first emerges onto the scene, everyone is smitten. But soon, that which is extraordinary becomes that which is expected.

          We begin to see this modern marvel—

                   a car that can park itself,

                   a phone that can navigate us to the mall

                   or a genetically modified, hypoallergenic dog.

          Take flying for example.

          Manned flight is just a little over 100 years old. 

          In the course of a century some amazing things have happened.

          What began as one flight in the fields of North Carolina is now more than 30,000 flights every day in the United States alone.

          Yet, for many, the marvel of flight has completely lost its luster.

          If the church were one of the industries the American Consumer Satisfaction Institute polled regarding satisfaction, how would it do?

          One could easily lump the church in with other marvels that for many has lost its luster. 

          I am afraid that satisfaction levels of church members are seriously low.

          I am reminded of the quote, “The Church is a museum of a dream that never came to pass.”

          Sadly for some that is very true.

          Take the church in Corinth.

          The letter to the Corinthians could easily be subtitled "Christians Gone Wild."

          Here you've got people fighting for power,

                   abusing the sacrament,

                   sleeping around,

                   suing each other,

                   false teachers and marriages melting down.

          If a survey were floated around the church at Corinth, chances are that the average parishioner would rate his or her level of satisfaction just above the Department of Motor Vehicles and just below jury duty!

          It was a mess.

          And you thought that some of your church experience was a mess!

          I have kept a file for many years titled, “Stuff.” In it I have little notes about the ‘stuff’ of ministry I have dealt with as a pastor. During my last month here, June, I will share some of that ‘stuff’ with you.

          Bet you can’t wait!

          The sad but sobering truth is that the same is often true in our churches as was true in Corinth.

          When you lift the hood on any congregation—even ours—you'll see leaks and cracks, you'll hear thumps and rattles. We all fall short.

          The church is made up of people saved by Christ and yet still desperately in need of Jesus Christ.

          The truth is that the church in Corinth isn't all that different from every church today.

          There will be immorality that comes to light,

                   politics at play, power struggles,

                   conflicts with pastors,

                   marriages that are messy

                   and a mission that misses the mark.

          There will always be reasons for deep discouragement.

          Pastor Paul, like any good pastor, addresses the issues at Corinth head on.

          In doing so he lifts the Corinthian people out of the depths to which they'd sunk and back into a life of following Jesus.

          He constantly calls the people back to the mission.

          However, before correcting the mistakes, Paul made it clear that despite all that was broken in the church;

          he was still truly satisfied with what God was accomplishing in the church.

          He praises them!

          "I give thanks to my God always for you," Paul writes.

          It's as if he's making a point to say,

"Despite the immorality,

despite the gossip,

despite the immaturity and selfishness on display in this church,

despite the conflicts and depression,

I want it to be clear that I am still overjoyed

at the miracle that is this church."

          Every once in a while, we must pause from focusing on the negative—how much we miss the mark—and put it all in perspective.
         
          There's reason to be satisfied with the church.

          Specifically, Paul reminds the Corinthians of three reasons why he is so thankful for their church, despite its issues.

          For Paul, the Corinthian church was still something to marvel over because it had three things: grace, gifts and a guarantee.

         

          Let's start with grace.

          What makes a church family great is not the great things done by them, but the great mercy shown to them by God.

          God loves the church.  

          God’s grace is all they need.

          The primary reason Paul was overjoyed with the church at Corinth is because of the flood of forgiveness that has washed over them by God’s grace.

          The incredible promise of the gospel is that no matter how messed up we are we're adopted as sons and daughters of God’s kingdom.

          Things could be worse.

          God has forgiven the past wrongs and current problems.

          Gifts.

          Not only did the church at Corinth have God’s grace but it had gifts.

          Paul writes that the church was "... enriched in him…..so that you are not lacking in any gift".

          Sure, every church is a ragtag bunch of broken believers.

         

          But God promised that when the church is established by God's grace it's also gifted and equipped by the power of the Spirit.

          We know that the church in Corinth had its troubles.

          But we also know that it wasn't without hope because it had a reservoir of gifts and talents that simply needed to be unleashed and encouraged.

          Our congregation has many gifts.

          God is meeting needs through our church?

         
          Guarantee.

          Paul found great joy in the struggling Corinthian church because of the bright future guaranteed to each dysfunctional but deeply loved church.

          Undergirding the life of each local church is the truth that, despite all of our imperfections, the end is not in doubt.

          The future of God's mission is not dependent on whether or not Corinth gets her act together or whether or not our congregation is perfect.

          The future is secure because Christ has promised that in the end he will keep his church alive. Remember this truth the next time you sit in a contentious meeting or hear that someone is unhappy.

          It is God’s Church not Norm Mowery’s church or anyone else’s.

                    Christ has guaranteed a good ending.

                    The church will endure.

                    There's still reason to rejoice.

          It's easy to take incredible things for granted. According to the customer satisfaction poll I mentioned earlier, its business travelers—those who spend more time in the air—who give the lowest rankings for their air travel.

          Perhaps the more time you spend with something, even an amazing thing; the easier it is to notice limitations, flaws and missed opportunities.

          That is why it is okay to step back from time to time and put it all in perspective.

          For all her struggles, the church, has a lot going for her because of what God has done through us in Christ.

          Let's deal with our dissatisfaction and dysfunction for sure.

          But may we always remember that there's much to be satisfied with: we are graced, we are gifted and we have a guarantee.

          We may lose some bags.

          But we're traveling through the air at 500 mph.

          That's pretty darn incredible.

          I want to close by sharing four things I like about the church—this church:
          1. Even though this church inevitably falls short it keeps trying.
          2. This church, the Church of the Wayfarer, at its most basic level, expresses what I want my life to express—

                    that there is something out there,

                    that that something is good and

                   that that something loves me and everyone else.
          3. This church gives me a place to belong, to lead, to fail, to experience community and even to learn how to do church better.
          4. This church teaches me about being loved.
          Thanks for being this church! 
         

Prayer

          Almighty God, your Son preached justice and social equality —

                   and the coming of the kingdom of God.

          The apostle Paul reminds us that we are one in Christ, that “There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and freeman, male and female.”

          But we know that is not true in practice and is merely a lofty goal.

          We are divided by race, gender, economics, politics and religion.

          We give thanks this morning for all who have fought and struggled against discrimination, seeking change and equality for all people;

          for people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who preached the gospel so eloquently.

          We ask you to grant us courage to act, and not turn away in fear when we see oppression and discrimination.

          Help us also to preach and live out the gospel each day.

          Open our eyes to injustice and loosen our tongues to speak out against it.         Help us to trust that you always give us the strength we need.

          We pray in the name of Jesus Christ whose prayer we pray together saying…..