Inviting people with tattoos to church functions, socials, etc.

[JohnH]

One thing I enjoy doing is getting to know worldly people, and often I have been blessed by them instead of me blessing them. Every single person is a child of God, uniquely created by him with a plan. And every single adult person has made mistakes and sinned.

It seems nearly everyone I come in contact with, particularly people who don’t already have a church home they’re happy with, has a lot of tattoos. Sometimes full sleeves and even ones on their face.

Unfortunately, my experience in our Anabaptists church circles is that this seems to make a lot of people uncomfortable. Worldly attire, immodest attire by our standards but normal by worldly standards, piercings, dyed hair, tattoos, and other things seem to make it hard for us to mix much or socialise well.

I was reflecting on what Jesus taught us:

When you host a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid. But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

It seems when we have a dinner party, Jesus teaches us not to invite our relatives or well of friends, but instead to find the most undesirable people we can, which in Jesus’ time on earth was disabled people.

Do we as plain Anabaptists do this? Would we be opening our homes to the kind of people “from town” who have lots of problems, and perhaps that we think don’t have much to offer us?

Or do we invite our relatives, friends, and other “respectable” church members?

[R7ehr]

Two weeks ago, I met and invited a young mother with two small children to come to my home to meet my daughter and wife. She had tattoos visible on both of her arms. She said she might some time, but has not. I invited her to church, and she did come, along with her husband and children. In fact my 80 year old uncle, who is as loud and opinionated about tattoos as anyone, was the first person to meet her and visit with her. I have had the husband come out to my place this week to look at some carpentry work that I am interested in hiring him to do for me. If he agrees to do the work, I plan to invite them to stay for dinner.

I don't think anyone at church was uncomfortable in the least with them, and they were went to someones place for a meal. There was also a single man with his two teen age children there for the first time. And a couple other visitors. I think they all went to someones place for a meal. I bet these outsiders were a lot more uncomfortable with our clothes and customs (kneeling for prayer, segregated seating), that our members were with them.

[JohnH]

Two weeks ago, I met and invited a young mother with two small children to come to my home to meet my daughter and wife. She had tattoos visible on both of her arms. She said she might some time, but has not. I invited her to church, and she did come, along with her husband and children. In fact my 80 year old uncle, who is as loud and opinionated about tattoos as anyone, was the first person to meet her and visit with her. I have had the husband come out to my place this week to look at some carpentry work that I am interested in hiring him to do for me. If he agrees to do the work, I plan to invite them to stay for dinner.

I don't think anyone at church was uncomfortable in the least with them, and they were went to someones place for a meal. There was also a single man with his two teen age children there for the first time. And a couple other visitors. I think they all went to someones place for a meal. I bet these outsiders were a lot more uncomfortable with our clothes and customs (kneeling for prayer, segregated seating), that our members were with them.

That’s good to hear - particularly the hospitality shown towards someone who isn’t a relative or a wealthy neighbour.

[anndet92]

I’m not sure if I should jump in here or not…

I’m a daughter of a conservative Mennonite deacon who is now not Mennonite. I have tattoos. I have a variety of friends - friends who are Mennonite, and friends who are gay, poly, with maroon hair, body piercings, tattoos, etc. I have friends who do OF.

And I’m proud to be their friend.

One thing I’ve learned is that non-Mennonite people see the plain people much the same way plain people see the purple haired, tattooed people and/or Muslim people.

People that look very different than us can sometimes make us uncomfortable.

However, we are all humans, made in God’s image. We share much of the same human experiences and emotions, thus making it “easy” (not sure that’s the right word…) to hear and understand each other - if we are willing to listen.

Ask questions - not to judge or to give advice, but to LISTEN and to be WITH people, like Jesus did for us.

People with tattoos often have a story behind why they got their tattoos or what they mean. Ask politely. Story telling is powerful, and it’s a way to bring presence to the good and bad in someone’s story.

Be authentic. Don’t always be begging them to go to church with you. Stepping into a church for some is the equivalent to you stepping into a mosque. Be mindful of the cultural differences that might make it hard for someone to be comfortable in your space.

[Soloist]

Tattoos are not a scarlet letter. Someone getting further tattoos would be.
I’ve seen pretty good responses to inviting people with tattoos, I’ve never seen a negative reaction aside from children which stare at anything different.

[JayP]

John,

Ypu made the point you like to get out and meet worldly people.

Are not you by an Anabaptists definition originally a “worldly person”…. Hardly new territory for you, is it?

[JohnH]

John,

Ypu made the point you like to get out and meet worldly people.

Are not you by an Anabaptists definition originally a “worldly person”…. Hardly new territory for you, is it?

I like to go into the highways and byways and perhaps find someone else having similar struggles and hopes and dreams that I once did, and perhaps be part of Jesus' gentle leading them into the kingdom. I have a duty to at least try. Other people tried their best to reach me.

[barnhart]

There are places where it would be strange to see people with tattoos in church and there are places where it is not strange.

[temporal1]

Two weeks ago, I met and invited a young mother with two small children to come to my home to meet my daughter and wife. She had tattoos visible on both of her arms. She said she might some time, but has not. I invited her to church, and she did come, along with her husband and children. In fact my 80 year old uncle, who is as loud and opinionated about tattoos as anyone, was the first person to meet her and visit with her. I have had the husband come out to my place this week to look at some carpentry work that I am interested in hiring him to do for me. If he agrees to do the work, I plan to invite them to stay for dinner.

I don't think anyone at church was uncomfortable in the least with them, and they were went to someones place for a meal. There was also a single man with his two teen age children there for the first time. And a couple other visitors. I think they all went to someones place for a meal.

I bet these outsiders were a lot more uncomfortable with our clothes and customs (kneeling for prayer, segregated seating), that our members were with them.

i expect so.

[temporal1]

Related.
Another topic with interesting discussion.

2024:

I'll be honest, I haven't been super active online as of late and I did not read through this thread. But one fact comes to mind regarding this topic: Conservative Anabaptists are not interested in "reaching out". They want to preserve what they have been protecting for decades. Beyond summer Bible Schools and such, I do not see much community outreach, at least in my area. We may have a "street preacher" or two, but that is beyond the norm.

Change my mind.

Attend the next Church Planters Forum & Retreat. You might be surprised at how many individuals and families from within CA churches are interested in reaching out.