What do you want in your church?

Let’s assume you are looking for a new home church. What do you want in your new home church? In 2023, I will be entering my 4th decade as a full time minister. That means two things: 1. I am getting old. 2. I have been around church a long time. One thing I have noticed over the last several years is the rise of consumerism in the local church. This single factor is taking a huge toll on local churches everywhere.

It is one thing to be an effective buyer in the maket place, to clip coupons, read reviews, compare pricing, even challenge pricing to get the best deal on material goods and services. In the consumer world we are the object of worship and the corporate worlds primary goal is to keep us happy so that we will return with our money. If we want it online, they put it online. If we want it today, they make every effort to get it to us today. We want it in green and they only show it in blue, odds are they will be making a green one just for you. We have come to expect that the market will meet our individaul demands.

Big corporations have the advantage over the church. They have the capitol, they have educated well paid staff, they have huge marketing budgets and safisiticated data on you as a consumer. They know all about you and that helps them direct market you even when you are unaware you are being marketed. Do you know what the annual budget is for your church? Your church cannot compete with the drive of consumerism. The church is lightly staffed, tightly budgeted and mostly led by volunteers. Often the pastors family are some of the key volunteers in the church. I wonder if Michael Dells children volunteer at Dell computers? Maybe they do and that would be nice and I am sure appreciated by dad, but it would not be necessary. For pastors families it is all hands on deck.

My family has been a huge help to me throughout my years of ministry and I am blessed to have them, and blessed that they want to serve. When I started in ministry, (a few decades ago) when someone called to ask about our church they usually had just two questions: 1. What time are your services? 2. Do you have any programs for our children? Today the calls are very different. I don’t field all the calls that come into our church but I have answered enough to know, things have changed. At times I feel like I am being interviewed by a church recruiter. It feels as though my church is on their list but so are 10 to 15 others. If I can navigate the interview effectively they may come and visit our church.

Every caller wants me to know how difficult finding a home church really is for them. Each caller has specific needs. Sometimes they ask me about our style of worship and maybe an example of songs we sing. How do we handle same sex relationships? (not that they are in one but they have an opinion and they want me to match it). Do we offer multiple services? You get the impression that they have a full calendar and they only have certian times they can fit a church service into their schedule. Most are looking to make friends however it seems by the conversation that it will be my job to make sure they get connected and have good friendships within the church.

Personally it breaks my heart. I can’t imagine how God feels. I grew up in a church that had steel folding chairs not padded pews. The people joyfully came to worship Jesus. What have we done to God’s house and what has become of God’s people. We knelt on concrete floors and rejoiced in what God had provided. I don’t remember having any demands or expectations for church except that there would be a time of worship, and that the pastor would preach the good news of Jesus Christ. We can’t compete with the business world fulfiling individual wants and expectations but we can stand together as those who are forgiven, redeemed and transformed by the power of God!

We have something the world cannot give and the world cannot take away! Are we so desperate for personal comfort that we would turn our church into a spiritual grocery store? Forcing churches to compete for our business like so many gas stations that line the highway. What do you want in your church?