Yesterday I worked a 12 hour day at the cafe. My church is hosting a mini-conference for pastors who are looking to plant churches.
And yesterday, as I came to the end of my shift, I was a little shocked by something: there was no tips in the tip jar. Not a penny, not even any pocket lint. Nothing. Now I don't really care about the money. Usually I make at least a couple dollars a day in tips, but I just see it as a blessing and I definitely don't EXPECT it.
Another fact you should probably know: all the pastors at this mini-conference got their drinks for free.
I had heard this stereotype of Christians before: servers at restaurants dread the "after church" crowd on Sunday afternoons who come around, stay all afternoon, and tip terribly. I had even heard about it happening at other events our church puts on exclusively for pastors. I guess I just didn't believe it.
I'm not writing about this to complain or to point a finger at these particular pastors. Please don't read it that way. I am writing about this because it make me think. Again, it wasn't the money that bothered me, it was the let down. I work at a very generous church and I guess I have just come to expect more from Christians, especially people who are on staff at a church.
It's sad, isn't it? That the "salt of the earth" has lost it's flavor in this way? Instead, we leave a bad taste in people's mouths when we aren't generous. Servers everywhere groan when we walk in the doors of their restaurants on a Sunday afternoon.
How can we change this perception?
And yesterday, as I came to the end of my shift, I was a little shocked by something: there was no tips in the tip jar. Not a penny, not even any pocket lint. Nothing. Now I don't really care about the money. Usually I make at least a couple dollars a day in tips, but I just see it as a blessing and I definitely don't EXPECT it.
Another fact you should probably know: all the pastors at this mini-conference got their drinks for free.
I had heard this stereotype of Christians before: servers at restaurants dread the "after church" crowd on Sunday afternoons who come around, stay all afternoon, and tip terribly. I had even heard about it happening at other events our church puts on exclusively for pastors. I guess I just didn't believe it.
I'm not writing about this to complain or to point a finger at these particular pastors. Please don't read it that way. I am writing about this because it make me think. Again, it wasn't the money that bothered me, it was the let down. I work at a very generous church and I guess I have just come to expect more from Christians, especially people who are on staff at a church.
It's sad, isn't it? That the "salt of the earth" has lost it's flavor in this way? Instead, we leave a bad taste in people's mouths when we aren't generous. Servers everywhere groan when we walk in the doors of their restaurants on a Sunday afternoon.
How can we change this perception?
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