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Every so often, we watch something that instantly gets stuck in our heads. For most of us, it’s a scene from a movie or a joke from a sitcom. One of those moments for me, though, came from Conan on TBS.

Conan was a late night talk show hosted by Conan O’Brien after his departure from NBC. When this departure first happened, people wondered if he would be able to host a successful talk show on a basic cable channel instead of a network mainstay. Shortly after his show premiered on TBS, we were given an answer: yes, he could and he did. He brought over much of the staff from his shows on NBC and, it turns out, he expected the same standard. That’s what caused a particular clip to stick out in my memory.

Conan had Stephen Colbert on his show. Stephen told Conan about a rehearsal he watched shortly after Late Night with Conan O’Brien premiered on NBC. Stephen was working with Robert Smigel on Saturday Night Live in Robert’s office. He just happened to have the studio feed on his TV of Conan’s rehearsal. The writers were sitting on the couch beside Conan’s desk and Conan was going through a comedy bit they planned on doing that night. After it was over, Conan took the cards and looked over at his writers and asked, “What do you think about this?” At this point, Stephen Colbert stopped working and looked at the TV because he noticed something changed in Conan’s tone. The writers responded to Conan and told him that they thought it could work. There was a long pause and then Conan said something that Stephen Colbert has remembered ever since: “The ‘good enough’ gang rides again. Pew! Pew!”

Stephen, a writer at the time, could hardly believe it. He wasn’t sure if that was the best approach. However, when he talked to Robert Smigel immediately afterwards about it, Robert said, “Why not? He’s the one that’s got to say the joke.” Stephen understood.

Shortly after that, Stephen hosted a late night comedy show on Comedy Central. Now Stephen is a late night host himself, taking over for David Letterman at The Late Show on CBS. He hasn’t forgotten about the “good enough” gang.

I sometimes wonder if that is what we do with how we set up, organize, and do various things at churches.

In our study of Becoming a Welcoming Church on Monday nights, we just talked about two huge things churches often overlook: clutter and safety. Those who attend a church regularly get used to seeing it and, as a result, don’t see anything worth fixing or moving. But to a guest? It can make it difficult for them to turn to God, all in the name of “good enough.”

James, the brother of Jesus, clarified something for the early church in Acts 15:19 – It is my judgement, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

If our “good enough” is making it difficult for people to turn to God, then it’s got to go.

This is why we are updating things in our lobby. This is why we are keeping our Welcome Desk clear and free of clutter. This is why we have revamped our kid’s ministry, including the space they meet in. This is why we are finding leaders who have view a particular area as their ministry and asking them to run with it (as they are doing it for God, not man). This is why I’ve recently started preaching with a short table beside me instead of standing behind a big pulpit. This is why we have a couple of tables in the back of the auditorium, for those who want to sit there.

We refuse to be the “good enough” gang. We refuse to make it difficult for those who are turning to God. We are excited for the future of our church.