Fifteen years ago, I left a corporate career and joined a church staff team as the communications director. Acting as the church's spokesperson served as my spiciest responsibility. In this role, I never knew what conversation would take place any time the phone rang.

Abundant trial and error, mostly the latter, impressed upon me two truths. First, "No comment" is actually a strong comment. And second, the church attracts many critics. Based on the number of articles, columns, and blogs that take swipes at churches, the second truth continues to abound today.

Last week one writer chastised churches who try different approaches to grow, while another offered biting comments about a congregation stuck at the same size for years. A quick search will yield many articles that describe churches' lack of participation in social justice issues as wrong, and a growing number now claiming that concentration on social justice is resulting in churches avoiding their true mission. Huh?

As my daughter ...