Consumer Christianity

Lutheran pastor Michael Foss suggests that many Christians act more like consumers than disciples. He describes the culture of many churches as a culture of membership. He explains:

I don’t want to push the analogy too far, but for the sake of illustration, let’s think of the membership model of church as similar to the membership model of the modern health club. One becomes a member of a health club by paying dues (in a church, the monthly or weekly offering). Having paid their dues, the members expect the services of the club to be at their disposal. Exercise equipment, weight room, aerobics classes, an indoor track, swimming pool—all there for them, with a trained staff to see that they benefit by them.

This attitude has resulted from having forgotten the authentic nature of the church. Too many of us have misappropriated the purpose of the church. The church is a place of worship, ministry, and mission.

Most of the literature I read about how to reach more people for Christ begins with a discussion about meeting their felt needs. The approach is usually one of marketing. Of course, we need to be meeting the needs of others. Jesus certainly did that and calls us to follow his example. But Jesus met their real needs, and people don’t always understand what their real needs are. I’m afraid we may have turned the church into the neighborhood “religion club.”

On his blog dated 10/21/09 Bishop William Willimon wrote “I get frustrated reading newsletters of church after church that tell me how the men’s group is going to have a breakfast on Saturday and the women are going to have a bazaar next Thursday and the youth will have a dance next Friday after the ball game.” He then asked, “Do you really just exist so that men can have breakfast, women a bazaar, and youth can dance? What is it exactly that you want me to support?”

The church seems to be attracting people who are asking “What can the church do for me?” not “What can I do for the kingdom of God?” Perhaps we have brought this upon ourselves, at least to some degree, by the way we seek to attract potential “members.”

As a pastor I have struggled for years trying to figure out how we can change the consumer culture of the church. How do we develop disciples committed to Christ and ready to serve, rather than being served? I’ve been warned many times that if I preach too much about the radical nature of the gospel or the cost of discipleship I will lose my audience.

Is that where we are in the church? Attract people by telling them what we can do for them? Keep them by telling them nice things about God’s love but ignoring Jesus’ teachings about discipleship and God’s uncompromising call upon our lives?