--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It might work in the short term, but it's…" description: "\"It might work in the short term, but it's not going to keep the people who hop from congregation to congregation. Church is about one's relationship wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg" --- # It might work in the short term, but it's not going to… ![“It might work in the short term, but it's not going to keep the people who hop from congregation to congregation. Church is about one's relationship with God and one's relationship with people. The gimmick may attract you for the moment, but it's the substance that will hold you there.” quote by J. Gordon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg) > “It might work in the short term, but it's not going to keep the people who hop from congregation to congregation. Church is about one's relationship with God and one's relationship with people. The gimmick may attract you for the moment, but it's the substance that will hold you there.” [J. Gordon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gordon-melton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short‑term gimmicks attract, but lasting community needs deep spiritual and relational substance. **In simple terms:** Quick tricks draw attention, but deep connections keep people. Key Takeaway Focus on lasting relationships and meaning. Themes community faith substance gimmick retention Mood hopeful serious Type motivational theological When to use this quote - church leadership - small group ministries - faith formation Key Concepts spiritual depth relationships authenticity long‑term commitment Questions to Reflect On - What core values can you highlight to sustain members? - How can you measure spiritual depth? A Different Perspective Gimmicks may work for some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-relationship-2818743/) [Congregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congregation/) [Congregation Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congregation-church-2818744/) [Gimmick Attract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gimmick-attract-2818745/) [Gimmicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gimmicks/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Hops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hops/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Relationship with god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-with-god/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Short term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-term/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) ## Related quotes > [A gimmick would be something you'd do to attract attention or to bring fame and fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/a-gimmick-would-be-something-you-d-do-to-attract-attention-or-to/) [Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/) > [I find that my upbringing in the Church and my relationship with God are huge benefits to me in helping me become the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-finau/i-find-that-my-upbringing-in-the-church-and-my-relationship-with-god/) [Tony Finau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-finau/) > [To me, Christianity was so conservative and stuffy, but for me, it was just a relationship with God. The Church relationship was just so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-sandoval/to-me-christianity-was-so-conservative-and-stuffy-but-for-me-it-was/) [Sonny Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-sandoval/) > [If there is anything that has broken the church's relationship with families, it is the global sexual abuse scandal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/if-there-is-anything-that-has-broken-the-church-s-relationship-with/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [“The holiest place on Earth, is not a temple or a church, but our relationship to one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/the-holiest-place-on-earth-is-not-a-temple-or-a-church-but-our/) [Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/) > [It's not about religion and church, it's about your relationship with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-about-religion-and-church-it-s-about-your-relationship-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As President, I'll invest in renewable energies like wind power, solar power, and the next generation of homegrown biofuels. That's how America is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-president-i-ll-invest-in-renewable-energies-like-wind-power-solar/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ I think it\[3D\] should be used as a new artistic form, not as a gimmick, not to impress you but the existence of an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-think-it-3d-should-be-used-as-a-new-artistic-form-not-as-a-gimmick/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [I don't want any gimmicks. The fact that people think that Whack is a gimmick is so crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tierra-whack/i-don-t-want-any-gimmicks-the-fact-that-people-think-that-whack-is-a/) [Tierra Whack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tierra-whack/) > [The new artists with gimmicks have the most problems staying out here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/the-new-artists-with-gimmicks-have-the-most-problems-staying-out-here/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I am a successful lecturer in physics for popular audiences. The real entertainment gimmick is the excitement, drama and mystery of the subject matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-am-a-successful-lecturer-in-physics-for-popular-audiences-the-real/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Why do photographers start giving numbers to their prints? It’s absurd. What do you do when the 20th print has been done? Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/why-do-photographers-start-giving-numbers-to-their-prints-it-s-absurd/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [I want to show my range before I fall into any typecasting. I've turned down a lot of things trying to wait. But at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-garity/i-want-to-show-my-range-before-i-fall-into-any-typecasting-i-ve/) [Troy Garity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-garity/) > [I'm not much on gimmicks. I never have been because they don't last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eckstine/i-m-not-much-on-gimmicks-i-never-have-been-because-they-don-t-last/) [Billy Eckstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eckstine/) > [I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) ## More by J. Gordon Melton > [As attunement to psychic (occult) reality has grown in America, one often misunderstood and secretive branch of it has begun to flourish also -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/as-attunement-to-psychic-occult-reality-has-grown-in-america-one/) [J. Gordon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gordon-melton/) > [When someone uses the word 'cult,' it usually says more about them than the group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/when-someone-uses-the-word-cult-it-usually-says-more-about-them-than/) [J. Gordon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gordon-melton/) > [Among Hindu groups, none has made as great an impact on America as the Vedanta Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/among-hindu-groups-none-has-made-as-great-an-impact-on-america-as-the/) [J. Gordon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gordon-melton/) [Explore all 4 J. Gordon Melton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gordon-melton/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It might work in the short term, but it's not going to keep the people who hop from congregation to congregation. Church is about one's relationship with God and one's relationship with people. The gimmick may attract you for the moment, but it's the substance that will hold you there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. Gordon Melton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s-not-going-to-keep-the-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s-not-going-to-keep-the-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/j-gordon-melton-71375_church_it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s_1090778.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It might work in the short term, but it's not going to keep the people who hop from congregation to…” — J. Gordon Melton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "J. Gordon Melton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gordon-melton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It might work in the short...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s-not-going-to-keep-the-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-gordon-melton/it-might-work-in-the-short-term-but-it-s-not-going-to-keep-the-people/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```