We’ve all seen them, right? The signs that hang on walls, usually a printed-out piece of paper, that contain in big, bold letters NO!!! A friend of mine calls these the “no” notes. They usually lay out boundaries or rules in response to some issue or someone’s offended sensibilities.

NO drinks in the auditorium! NO sitting on the counters! NO borrowing tables! NO public bathrooms! NO using these plates (for church fellowship ONLY!!!)

Yeah, we’ve all seen them, and probably rolled our eyes. Yes, we all want the church carpet to look nice, but is a stain-free carpet really more important than welcoming that visitor walking in with their coffee mug who then hesitates and wonders what to do?

Some “no” notes are safety issues. NO playing on the elevator! We get it. A child could get hurt. Maybe instead of a note, though, you need somebody to stand by the elevator and kindly guide curious children in another direction.

There are ways to communicate boundaries without a reactionary NO!!!! Some of the notes are pointless. My “no” note friend’s church is beside a park that plays host to the community’s annual Fourth of July bash. A person in the church hung up the note to communicate the building wasn’t open for public access at that time. That’s all well and good. It’s a safety issue if you don’t have someone there to supervise, but that’s the thing—no one was there. The doors were locked. The bathrooms weren’t going to be used.

Instead of dealing with an actual issue, the note just made the church seem unfriendly. A locked door when no one is there simply communicates, “Oh, they’re closed.” But a yelling “no” note communicates, “We’re closed, now go away!”

In another case, perhaps a church doesn’t want its good, newish tables borrowed and broken, but maybe there are older tables in the basement. Instead of a “no” note, a note could read: “Please contact the church office to inquire about borrowing tables.” Then, the would-be borrower could be directed to the tables in the basement.

Paul tells us that the only offense we should put between people and the Gospel of Jesus is the Gospel itself. Our carpets, bricks, and mortar don’t compare to a person’s soul. I’d rather a visitor feel welcomed so they can experience the love of Jesus then feel unsure and out of place because they have a cup of coffee in their hands.

Even if it means a stain on the carpet.

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