Comments on: A Rant on Church Banners

By: Bill Braskey

Bill Braskey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:42:17 +0000

This is a lame post… for real, get a LIFE!

By: kathy arrick

kathy arrick — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:23:16 +0000

only the true pure gospel can and will help. Banners – nothing; music – nothing; only the gospel.

By: Monte Asbury

Monte Asbury — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:31:08 +0000

Reminds me of Bob the Tomato, who says, "Hi, I'm a tomato, and I'm here to help you!"

By: Monte Asbury

Monte Asbury — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:28:14 +0000

Or maybe "WE TALK – YOU SHUT UP – SUNDAY!"

Or maybe "WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT OUR STUFF! COME LISTEN TO US TALK AT YOU ABOUT OUR STUFF! YOU KNOW WHEN AND WHERE, BECAUSE YOU'RE A SECRET ADMIRER OF OUR STUFF."

By: Monte Asbury

Monte Asbury — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:32:27 +0000

Perhaps what our signs really say is "Come and hear an odd bunch talk about stuff that matters to them."

By: Tulsa Signs

Tulsa Signs — Fri, 29 May 2009 07:09:43 +0000

I agree that a lot of churches are clueless when it comes to the message they are sending with banners and signs.
Their messages should make a person feel welcome and not like they have to learn the language in order to fit in.
Jesus Himself said that He came to preach the "acceptable" year of the Lord. They should follow His example and try to be accepting.

On the design of the banner, that's what I do for a living. It is very frustrating when a customer insists on a cheezy design that will be very difficult to read. They usually want so much stuff on it that it looks like graffiti rather than a sign. I try to tell them they have about 3-5 seconds to get the message across to traffic and if it is difficult to read or the message is unclear, it won't get read at all.

So, there is the "message" as in would I feel welcome. And, there is the message as in, can I read what are you trying to say.

By: Julie Clawson

Julie Clawson — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:48:45 +0000

I dunno Rick, the dancing plastic jesus could at least be entertaining…

By: Rick Diamond

Rick Diamond — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:16:38 +0000

two thoughts:
1. my favorite church marquee from back behind the pine curtain in east texas: "jesus is lord. bow or burn." (i know we're not talking about marquees, but it's such a classic.)
2. we were nearly-seriously considering getting one of those tall plastic things that looks like it has a head and hair and limbs, and then when a fan blows into it, it looks like it's standing around dancing and flapping its arms —– we thought about taking one, painting it to look like jesus, put it on the top of the journey warehouse, and just let it fly. all the time. lights on it at night.
so that way, the people on the mopac/360/183 flyovers could just enjoy a dancing plastic jesus over there in the warehouses as they're driving.

i don't think that's the same thing as what you're talking about, though. i mean, the point wasn't to put the address or name or sermon series of our faith community on it.
wait – that gives me an idea ………. not.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:21:18 +0000

This isn't what you're talking about, but let me put in a hearty endorsement for signs/banners/something that announce service times, maybe a sermon title.

This is a way of saying "Come pray with us." Churches that do not make that very basic information generally available to anyone who may be passing by are implicitly saying "Ummm … if you aren't already part of us, or have some personal connection (such that you already know when we gather) why would you be interested in joining us?"

I am the sort that cannot quite imagine having a Sunday go by without church, and on my first in a new area have sometimes laced up my walking shoes and gone looking for whatever I might stumble across (this is in highly populated urban areas where I can be confident I'm not going to be wandering aimlessly for miles with no church in sight and tired feet). There are plenty of buildings that are very obviously "church" and I'm sure are doing something on Sunday morning but don't make it easy for me to find out when. They get passed by.

Annoying, chintzy, offensive church signs — bad. Church signs in general — very very good!

By: Scott Morizot

Scott Morizot — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:26:32 +0000

Hmmm, Ben. Talk about different perceptions. I also attended that one and the impression I had was that they had no problem with either the physics of the Big Bang or with evolution as the process of development of life. But then, I've endured young earth creationist language and talk for my fifteen years as someone more or less like a Christian, so almost anything is a breath of fresh.

My family and I don't go to any church at all these days more than we do. It's been more or less a gradual fatigue. But I do still drop in on that church (since we aren't naming names) from time to time. I have to confess I didn't notice the banner at all, so I guess it was wasted on me. I went there a while back when they hosted a conference really just so I could meet Scot McKnight in person and say hi. But I spoke to the senior pastor (or whatever his 'title' is) of that church (who also participated in the conference) while I was there and liked him. So I go from time to time.

Anyway, just thought I would mention that I heard something pretty different than you did that day. I wonder which of us heard something closer to what they were actually trying to communicate?