Another category of expectations that is often overlooked is that of the public’s expectation for congregations. While many in our society do not choose to participate in a congregation, one frequently encounters their expectations for congregations and clergy. A church may think that it is invisible in a community but when a scandal erupts or a zoning debate goes public, it is front page news. Let a clergy violate community expectations and it becomes a major topic for debate. There is a societal expectation for churches that sometimes is higher than the church’s own expectation. It often makes little room for grace and forgiveness.
So what are the routine expectations that the public holds for any institution within the community. The recent debates about mega-church buildings, traffic patterns on Sunday morning, etc. reveal some community expectations.
Second, what does the community expect because it is a Christian church? Name several ways that the public would quickly want to identify how we had violated their assumptions about how Christians should behave. Usually that is around ethical issues. Though they also have expectation about how we should offer community liturgical events.
The third category is a little more difficult and is usually seen in situations when the church has sacrificially acted on its faith. Recall how the public has responded when a church houses the homeless or responds to a neighbor who has had a fire, etc.
The fourth category, that of unreasonable expectations, reveals the public’s naivete about Christian beliefs. As mentioned above, the public has little understanding about the practice of forgiveness and grace. Their expectation is that the church should be perfect and any failure to be so in their eyes is an example of hypocrisy.
The examination of these areas of public perception would make a good church school discussion. How does a church make a witness to the community by its behavior?
