Evangelism Nightmares

Last night at a routine church meeting a thought about evangelism came to my mind. I would like to share it here and see if what anyone who happens to read this post thinks.
First of all I might need to explain the "Nightmare" part of this post's title. I have recently begun watching a Television titled "Kitchen Nightmares." The series features famous English Chef Gordon Ramsey. Chef Ramsey visits struggling restaurants, looks at current problems and challenges they face, and offers practical help to end the Kitchen Nightmare.
In the several shows that I have watched, the restaurant featured is on the verge of closing due to financial problems. The kitchen can't cook a decent meal. Employees and management are dysfunctional. Customers aren't too pleased with their dining experience. Many times the restaurant is stuck in a time wrap--they are operating like it was ten or fifteen years in the past.
Sometimes I think churches fall into this pattern of function or perhaps dysfunction. We need are in an Evangelism Nightmare. We can't come up with a decent presentation of the Gospel message. Laity and clergy are dissatisfied and sometimes can function well with one another. Visitors that do come to the church leave unimpressed. And don't get me started about the church being stuck in a time wrap to the past.
So what is the key. Well I love how Chef Ramsey approaches each Kitchen Nightmare. He doesn't provide a one fits all cure, but deals with each nightmare on an individual basis. However, there are common things that he does in each situation. First of all he observes. He takes note of what is working and not working. He talks to management, cooks, bar staff, and the servers. He pays attention to customers. He tastes the best food that the restaurant has to offer. He goes out and looks at the community.
Second he shares what he has observed. He tells the people of the restaurant what he sees as strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
Then he plans a course of action. In most of these nightmares Ramsey has to bring back hope to a chef or a manager that has lost the trill of cooking. In all most every episode he has to get chefs to stop using pre-cooked or frozen nastiness and cook fresh, simple, and tasty food again. The outdated and often complex menu is thrown out and replaced by a new menu that builds upon the strength of the cook, unmet needs in the community (for example one Italian restaurant was in a community full of other Italian restaurants, so Ramsey suggested they focus on cooking fresh steaks), and is simple for the customer to understand.
Ramsey trains the staff in cooking the new menu and serving the new menu. Everyone on the team knows what they are getting ready to do. He prepares the team.
Most of the time the restaurant gets a makeover and some new signage. This helps people feel like they are in a new place. There have been some restaurants that didn't even look like a restaurant to begin with.
After all of this prep work and planning, a grand opening occurs. Chef Ramsey spreads the word. He invites civic leaders. The restaurant is usually full on the night of the grand reopening.
Even with all of this hard work and expert help the nightmare doesn't always end. The cook team often struggles a bit on opening night. Table orders get misplaced. A stressed out cook or manager quits and comes back. That is part of the drama of reality TV. But what matters is that the restaurant made an effort to end the nightmare. They did something. Sometimes their hard work changes the tide, and other times it doesn't.
As I write this I do think of the local church. I believe there is much for us to learn from a show like Kitchen Nightmares. Are we loosing "customers"? Do we offer programs and a message that is out of date and doesn't relate to the needs of the community in which we live? Are we heating up frozen, bland, pre-cooked presentations of the Gospel and trying to pass them off as fresh and home-cooked? Do people know that the building is a church? Do people know how to find the church? Is the church doing ministry in a way that goes back two or three decades? Are we busy trying to bring back members who used to dine frequently at our table, but now dine elsewhere?
There is much for us to learn. The Gospel is timeless. God has given us a great message to share, a message that is fresh everyday! There are people who want to hear the good news of God's love for them. There are people who need to hear the good news of God's love for them. There are needs in every community that are not being met by every local church. Each church has a strength and a challenge that can become an opportunity. The question is will we turn to God and participate with God's work in helping us end our Evangelism Nightmare?