Hi there....I'm a worship leader from Ohio, and stumbled onto your spot here, and have been feeling the same way....if we are to be in relationship with people in order to invite them to Christ, the invitation needs to be a natural part of the relationship, not the reason for it. Christ calls us to love others, and to make disciples. Perhaps what is missing is the recognition that our piece in the process is not always the Sale-Maker....that we are sometimes the ones coming in and setting up the product on the display tables....maybe we just unlock the door to the store...maybe we're the customer service people helping with those who bought the product and now have questions or feel abandonned by their salesperson who became their friend, but only to make the sale. Jesus wants us to genuinely love people, and I believe that the Holy Spirit working in and through us will ultimately tell us if and when we are to make a pitch, or better yet, an invitation....then...regardless of the outcome, whether they buy it or not...we are to keep loving them. If not, we have either cheapened the relationship because we ditched them after the sale, or completely nullified it because we ditched them for not buying....and how exactly does that prepare them to say yes to the next pitch? Christ loved and nurtured His disciples, those with whom he invested time and relationship. He also showed them how to do that with others (which gets into the whole pastor as a coach and not a shepherd thing..but that's a whole other topic!). Anyway....I think your instincts are right on, and if Christians would recognize that we are marketing (ie managing perception) of ourselves and the One we dare to represent when we call ourselves Christian, we would indeed love more, and leave the hard sell to the Holy Spirit who will move when it's time. We just go on loving anyway, because....well...why wouldn't you?

I appreciate your thoughts! I'm new to vimeo, and think this is pretty cool - love the video blog. I'm not brave enough for that yet, but I look forward to seeing more of yours.
peace !