Sigh.
Another week, another fight.
These days, it’s hard to keep track of who’s mad at who and why. Bloggers get mad at bloggers, churches get mad at churches, liberals get mad at conservatives, and a chicken sandwich becomes the most controversial meal in America.
Through it all, I’m grateful to be reminded of a simple truth: communication matters.
What you do as a church communicator matters deeply — it matters to people and it matters to God. And while much of the Bible is about how humans beings ought to live in relationship with God, the Bible also establishes the value of intentional, authentic communication on a number of occasions.
In other words, there is a solid biblical foundation for what you do as a church communicator. We were made for relationships with others; we were made for communication. As I said earlier, communication matters to people and it matters to God.
Last week, a few hours before Scott Williams delivered the final keynote at Echo 2012, he tweeted a Scripture passage from his morning reading:
Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth. — Proverbs 18:2 (The Message)
I was moved and convicted instantly because the passage connects our communication with our character, and we know that both matter. In fact, go ahead and read all of Proverbs 18 in whatever translation you prefer. Over and over again, you’ll get an idea of how important communication is for the people of God.
Please don’t read that as me calling anyone involved in any of these controversies a fool who runs off at the mouth. That’s too easy. This isn’t a message for them — it’s a message for you and me.
You and I need to spend time in reflection and prayer as we chew on the truth that communication matters. We need to commit ourselves to rising above the fray when controversies arise because we were made for more than lobbing sloppy opinion grenades across the aisle. God is too gracious, the gospel is too inviting, and our mission is too important.
Soon, this Christian chicken thing will be over and someone else will be mad at a different organization. But communication will still matter and Proverbs 18 will still be true. There’s no shortage of conflict in this world of ours, and so intentional, authentic communication is as needed as ever.
May we as church communicators lead the way when no one else will.
Scott McClellan is the Editor of Echo Hub and the Director of Echo Conference. You can follow him on Twitter: @scottmcclellan.