This past weekend, we kicked off a new series entitled “My Church”. That afternoon, I was out with some friends and one of them bumped into someone that use to go to our church. My friend asked how the family was doing and particularly how the mom had been? And where they were going to church? The response was interesting. She said that her mom wasn’t going anywhere right now but that she was “church shopping”.
This phrase is only interesting because it reveals in us a certain mentality. A consumer mentality. Just recently I purchased a new vehicle. So what did we do? We looked for the vehicle that would give us the most bang for our buck. We looked for the best deal. We went where we got the best hook up. We went with the car that best met our needs. I was the consumer and I was in control.
Therein lies the problem with being a consumer for churches. Church is never solely about meeting your needs, hooking you up or you being in control. It’s actually the opposite.
- Some of your needs can only be met by serving and caring for others
- Jesus said that is was better to give than to receive – so the only bang is going to be giving your bucks to help others
- Pastors are not there to sweeten the deal, they are there to confront you with truth that you may not like
- Some times you’re there to be comforted and sometimes to be challenged
- You don’t go to church so that you can be in control, you go to church to be submitted under qualified, godly leadership
Church is in many ways the anti consumer model for those who are followers of Christ. Jesus said more challenging things like…
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. – Matthew 16:24-25
