Occasionally things come in my inbox (email or the old way) that boggle the mind. An email message was forwarded to me a few days ago that invited me to lunch next week at a local hangout. The email came from an organization that purports to bring churches, “ministries,” and individuals together to network in Greenville. I suppose that’s a worthy effort. They weren’t just promising a lunch (not free, by the way) and conversation, however. There’s going to be a program. The email cited the statistic that 87% of Upstate South Carolina is “unchurched.”

In order to help ministers, churches, and ministries understand this phenomenon, this organization has brought together a panel of three “Unchristians” to explain why the church is failing. Isn’t that a little like the Cattlemen’s Association inviting vegetarians to explain why they won’t buy steak?