The Southern Baptist Church Sign

Until I moved to this part of the country, I always thought church signs were just that, signs that told you about the church. Where I grew up, the only thing we ever had posted on the sign for our church was the name of the pastor, and the time of the service. It never crossed my mind that the sign might be good for anything else.

That all changed once I moved to the south. You see, around here, church signs are mostly used to pass on messages. Some are good, some are are without a doubt unique, and some are truly funny. I believe the idea is that the message on the sign would make you think about eternity, and some of them are very well done. It's like a drive-by chic-track. But of course, as with chic-tracks, some of them are great and thought provoking, and some of them would be best left in the mind of their creator. Let me give you some examples what I think are some of the really unique and funny signs.

(Just as a disclaimer, I did not take any of these photos, they are just examples of what one might see on a typical southern church sign.)

This would fall under the amusing category.



This one is one would be an example of the more trite. More likely to make someone roll their eyes then think about our Savior.



This would be one where you drive by and do a double take. Did they really mean that, or what?



This one always make me smile. I've seen it several times.


Some of these really do make me think. Like the one above: I really don't want to be a religious nut. I want to live a life worthy of the gospel, and for people to look at me and see truth, not hypocrisy. Sometimes, these little messages remind me to check things and make sure I really am living a life of service to Christ. Other times, they make me laugh, and wonder what the person was thinking when they put it up there. Either way, the tradition of the Southern Baptist Church sign is an interesting one. It is one of those parts of the south that I can't decide if I love, or hate. Some people think it's trite, some people think it's cute. I just can't decide. Whatever it is, it is obviously a tradition around here, and I don't think it's going away any time soon. That being the case, I think I will enjoy the ones that I can, and let the good ones remind me to live a life of spiritual fruit, with a little nuttiness thrown in for flavor. :-)

So tell me, which one are you? Spiritual Fruit or Religious Nut? Check your status, and don't forget Y'all Come Back...