Bait and Switch

I remember in my days as a college student that there were several Christian groups that would come knocking on residence halls doors or be out on the campus mall conducting what they said were “surveys.” They would ask you a question or two about your views on a particular issue. These questions were intended to lead into further discussion about your spiritual state and present the “surveyor” opportunity to share the gospel with you. It was only later when I came back to campus as a campus pastor that I realized these groups were not collecting information, but rather seeking opportunities to talk about Jesus through an illicit method.

Bait and switch is what we normally call this approach. One comes to a person offering to sell one thing when actually they are planning to get them to buy something else. Typically, it works like this: Something is advertised at a really good price. When you go to buy it, you are told it is no longer available, but that there is another similar item that costs much more. They “bait” you by advertising a great deal, but then “switch” to something that is not a great deal after they have you “hooked.”

Sadly, the bait and switch technique is still used by some in the Church. Of course, I don’t believe most of these are intentional scams, but rather strategies that are not well thought through, like the “survey” approach I mentioned above. Their intentions were sincere, but they failed to realize they began every interaction with a lie. A survey collects information to be used for a purpose. These folks were not collecting information to be gathered and analyzed. The questions were the “bait,” but the switch was on very quickly to talk about Jesus. There are better ways to start a conversation that could lead to sharing about Jesus.

I think also about “Greeting Teams” in churches. These people are given the task of presenting the church as friendly. Several times I have been greeted in a very friendly manner by someone at the door of a church building and then later be completely ignored by the same person when I saw them later after the service. Greeting teams are great if the people are genuinely caring, but if it is just a task to do and they really don’t care to get to know people or help them feel welcome beyond a mere greeting, then I think this is more akin to a bait and switch where we sell friendliness as a means to get people to come to our church.

The Church really should not be in the bait and switch game, and we need to be vigilant to avoid it. We need to examine what we are “selling” and how we’re going about it. Are we promoting great worship? Then whoever is leading worship should be truly worshipping and leading people to worship, not merely leading songs or performing a de facto Christian concert. Are we “selling” our community as loving and welcoming anyone? Then when folks walk through the door, regardless of the way they look or the lifestyle they lead, we need to be welcoming and loving toward them. If our church “sells” a commitment to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), then there needs to be training on how to obey the commands of Jesus and make disciples, not merely present a weekly sermon.

Again, let me emphasize that I do not believe churches are intentionally trying to mislead people on who their communities are. However, it is very easy to make declarations without much consideration on what’s actually being done. It is incumbent on us as believers to have integrity and to fully evaluate what that looks like in our context.  I still remember when my wife moved to the US after we married. It was a lonely time for her, given that she was brand new, not only to our community but to the country as well; thus, she wanted to meet people in hopes of developing friendships. That first year, she had several Christian women say that they should meet up for coffee or lunch sometime. They promised to call her. Sadly, she often waited with anticipation only to be disappointed. I told her not to take the offer of getting together literally because Americans often say that almost as an afterthought, but with little intention of following through. I know I have done that before. I would be surprised if you haven’t as well. However, that type of offer needs to be genuine and intentional if it is to be true. I know we don’t really want to think about it in that way, but what else is it if we make an offer and fail to follow through?

When we sin like this, whether individually or corporately, they are forgivable, but they do need to be confessed and followed by repentance. Let’s seek to be people of integrity that we might glorify God before others.

© Jim Musser 2023 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.