Dear Pastor Jeff-

I normally don’t like open letters and to be honest, I’ve never written one before so excuse me if I don’t hold to all the etiquette that should follow. I do, however, feel a great need to write this letter to you whether you ever read it or not.

I was saddened to see this photo of your church sign in a tweet by @andyslone today. My prayer is that you’re trying to be funny. My fear is that you actually mean what you say.

Surely you’re not rejoicing in the prospects of someone spending eternity apart from God. Someone stole your AC units? Sorry you got ripped off. Someone could spend eternity apart from God? That should break our hearts.

You’ve spent a lot of time taking shots at churches that don’t do things the way you prefer. You only sing “the old hymns of the faith” and read the KJV “the way the Bible was meant to be read” (which ironically was translated some 16 centuries after the original canon, but who’s interested in the details). I’m not writing this letter to address any of those issues.

Instead, I’m writing because I’m not sure you and several churches across our country understand that we are living in what is probably at best, a post-church society, and at worst, a post-christian world.

In fact, in Lexington, which was the belt buckle of the Bible-belt for a long time, the church has lost ground at an alarming rate in the last two decades as population has boomed above the national average and entire generations have walked away from the church. AT LEAST 7 out of every 10 adults in Lexington have no relationship with a church. It’s on days like this I can understand why.

Our culture in Central Kentucky is incredibly de-churched. They struggle with hang-ups, baggage, and pain caused, in many parts, by actions such as this. How do we claim as a Church (notice the big “C” because your sign impacts us all) to be about love when we smile at the thought of a simple thief receiving some sort of payback by sentenced to eternity in Hell?

One of the problems unchurched individuals have with the church is that they see us as smug, judgmental, hate-filled, and angry. I can’t help but think how many thousands of cars have driven by your sign today just to be assured of those attitudes and forever turn off the idea of giving Jesus a chance.

I’m well aware that you have had an amazing impact on certain communities and countless lives in Lexington through your long ministry at Clays Mill Road Baptist Church. But for all of us representing different branches and arms of the Church, could you change your sign and be more prudent next time? What you say impacts us all.

Most importantly, what you say, has the possibility of impacting someone for eternity.

Tim Cooper//Lead Pastor//Momentum Christian Church