How would you respond to messages like this:
Here are lots of vegetables—free vegetables—eat all you want!
The vegetables are here for the picking, be sure to take as many as you can carry.
These are vegetables kids really like! Help yourself!
Most likely your response wouldn't be overwhelming. You know how to get vegetables; maybe you even have a neighbor with a garden that gives you extras.
After a while, even the offer of free vegetables can be tiresome, and then it becomes an irritation.
Bible Study Resources are no different
Most people know they should study the Bible or read it, but simply badgering them about a free resource without telling them why they should use it or what they will get out of it, may not produce the response you want.
I'm writing this blog because of some feedback I got from an Effective Church Communication reader. Here is what she asked (and though I don't tell you enough, if you have questions or experiences like this, you can contact me at yvonprehn@gmail.com--I won't publish your name and I usually change some of the details, to not embarrass the efforts we all make--most questions I get apply to many of us, so I turn them into blogs like this and we all benefit). Here is the situation:
Yvon,
I don't know what to do. My church signed up for a service (without asking the congregation if they wanted or needed it) that produces hundreds of free videos on various Bible topics. Then they notified us of it. I went to the site and had to give my information to just look around.It looked OK, but much of what was appealing was already available on YouTube or the websites of the various ministries.
I thought that was the end of it, but oh no. Then the emails started, recommending this or that. Today I got a postcard from them.
All of them just tell me what is available--lists of names, titles of videos. No more information about them and no reasons why I should care, other than they are good for me.
I don't have kids, but apparently a lot of people on the list do because I've gotten lots of recommendations for videos for kids.
I'm getting really irritated and feel bad about it. If I tell them to take me off the list, will they tell my church and think I don't care about the Bible?
What should I do?
