Truth In Advertising

I’ve spent some time this week scrolling through buy-and-sell groups on social media. Not surprisingly, I’ve been looking to purchase a few items for my new place, and I do prefer to get second-hand items when appropriate. (I do love a bargain!)

Some of the items have interesting descriptions… from the basic WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) to some creative narratives about the history of the item, people publicise differently.

One commentary I’ve seen quite a bit of is a highly aspirational assessment of the item… “Brand new” or “Never used” or “10/10 condition!” It’s interesting, as many of these ads include photographs of items that are definitively NOT new or in perfect condition.

The imperfections on these items is not the problem – and in other ads, such imperfections are specified. The sellers want to make sure that potential buyers are fully aware of the flaws and weaknesses, so as to provide an honest and trustworthy experience.

When the description doesn’t line up with the item, it breaks trust. It means the seller is likely to be considered untrustworthy in future. Admittedly, it’s possible the person didn’t mean to be misleading or disingenuous, or that their emotional connection to an item has left them with ‘rose-coloured glasses.’

When these non-transactions happen, it can be frustrating, but such is the online marketplace. Yet these interactions have me considering how we represent ourselves when we are engaging with others about the church.

Obviously, we are all aspirational: we love our church, we want others to love our church. We have a passion for our community, and want to invite others to accompany us on our spiritual journeying.

So it’s important that we are transparent about who we are, when we are inviting folks to seek Jesus with us. It’s helpful to let folks know what we do well – and what our growing edges are. To share our moments of joy – as well as those times where we knew we needed to re-assess and adjust. To highlight where our engagement lies – and places where we are okay with others excelling.

When we are honest with ourselves about who we are and what we are doing, we can interact with the world around us with more integrity. And in doing so, we show our humility and our humanness: characteristics that can be quite appealing when someone is looking for an authentic faith community.

It’s helpful to remember that our churches are never perfect – nor are we! And to delight in the knowledge that that is okay. For God is with us – loving us - exactly as we are.