Consumerism and the Church Today

Posted By Ryan Johnston on Dec 20, 2010 | 2 comments

Over the last several decades a consensus has emerged among the market-driven and seeker sensitive, that the “traditional” church is like a product now rendered obsolete by the passage of time and the onrush of innovation [1]. Traditional churches are stuck with too few choices and products – and the products are those they have always offered. Indeed, liturgical traditions have their most public products and choices prescribed for them; therefore, they are neither trendy nor fashionable compared to what others are offering.

The philosophy of seeker sensitive churches is that no one stays in business without taking account of their customers. Accordingly, traditional churches of all stripes are becoming more irrelevant by disregarding their customers. Customers, after all, are sovereign. They will take their business elsewhere if churches do not adjust to their interests and desires. This is as true in the church as it is in the mall. The church then plainly must rethink itself and repackage itself. Indeed, it needs to reinvent itself to stay current to supply the shoppers or saints with its product: The Gospel. This is the common line of thought on this matter, but is it the correct assumption?  

Churches of Choice & Consumeristic Christians

Consumerism is a modern movement for the protection of the consumer against useless, inferior, or dangerous products and misleading advertising. Some churches have adopted this rationale wholesale for their congregations. If one is going to market the Church and its gospel, it begins by asking the question, “What do our ‘consumers’ want?” or, “How can we modify our existing product to fit those perceived needs?” From this rationale, there is no end to the possible innovations that churches may employ to attract and accommodate consumers.

One of the ways many have found for making the experience of church attendance more appealing is to offer choice. Consumers want the option to choose the style of music they hear or the style of worship in which they participate [2]. As a result of such thinking, too many parents choose to attend or leave a church based on consumer-motivated reasons rather than theological reasons. Consequently, such churches sound more like restaurants where customers choose from a menu rather than a prepared and set meal. Yet oftentimes what people want is detrimental to their spiritual health. That is, when churches aim to please, members become customers of choice who are identified as numbers and statistics, rather than disciples of Christ set apart from the world and through Christ alone.

Some churches, unfortunately, have no standard for what should occur in worship, except for the consumer preferences of the congregation. With each generation they move further from biblical Christianity where Christ and His Word is central, instead opting for a pragmatic business model where consumer attraction and experiences reign supreme. Such a detrimental path leads to the following mindset: If it draws people, then it works; and if it works, then God must approve. Of course, this rationale is flawed from the very first point.

A consumer mindset is reigning supreme in American churches. They are present in the pews of the local church each and every Sunday. Unfortunately, it affects the Church’s pastors more so than regional managers of fortune 500 companies. Displease these individuals in any way, and they may take their business and their pocketbooks elsewhere. This lurking fear is more apparent in ministry than ever before.

What, then, is the primary source for change in the local church? Is it derived from outside or inside? Society’s norms seem to be influencing the church more than the Church is influencing the culture. It is not one single factor that is influencing the Church, but rather the entire thrust of society, mainly that of consumerism. It is forging an entirely different relationship among church members, and it is even affecting their relationship with God. In the end, one wonders if it is still Christianity.

Christ Is Our Bottom Line

According to Elmer Towns and Ed Stetzer in Perimeters of Light:

The majority of people in society today (70%) work as salesmen, service technicians, consultants, managers, or servers. We then sell to one another, service one another, and live off the profits of a consuming society. The new religion then of consumerism has theologians, whom we call advertisers, and it has priests, whom we call salespeople.  The new religion has temples, which we call malls, and its worshippers, which we call shoppers or consumers [3].

Sadly, all of this takes away from the central focus in our lives, which is the worship and glorification of Christ Jesus.

No longer do American worshippers ask, “What did God receive from my worship?” Instead we ask ourselves, “What did I get out of it?” Our answer to the latter question then decides for us whether we will continue in that particular church or seek for our worship appetite to be settled elsewhere. People choose a church based on their comfort level, and by what satisfies their perceived needs at a particular time, instead of discovering the doctrine and foundation by which the church is laid. Alvin Reid in Radically Unchurched states that when this happens, “We end up enjoying the pleasures of popular culture while trying to maintain a Christian identity, ignoring biblical ideals of sacrifice and the cost of discipleship” [4].

However, something that marketers do not consider is the simple fact that the New Testament teaches that being a disciple of Christ is a distinct call that demands something of us. Marketers trying to draw a crowd do not demand anything of consumers. They will offer the product that they know you want (or they’ll convince you that you need) and you just show up. This is not a proper view of disciple making, or of biblical Christianity. It is certainly more man-centered and self-glorifying than Christ-focused and God exalting. That is a problem.

Scripture never commands Christians to do whatever is necessary to draw a crowd. We are told to make disciples and to teach (Mt. 28:19), while doing everything for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:13). We are told to test all things and keep what is good (1 Thess. 5:21).We are told to study to show ourselves approved (2 Tim. 2:15). We are told to evangelize the world, and one would search in vain to locate Scriptural precedent that advocates that the task of evangelism entails trying to draw a large crowd.

These principles take time and effort to embody in our lives, something that stands in direct contrast to “business church” mentality. Fearful that factual, biblical teaching will offend the scripturally uninitiated, the message is compromised and the method of sensitivity becomes sovereign, thus developing the consumer driven mentality. Thom Rainer beckons in Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, “A church that totally disregards the needs of the unchurched will reach few if any for the kingdom. But a church that makes most of its decisions based on the perceived needs of the same group is in danger of losing its biblical identity” [5].

The consumeristic nature of Christians is a battle that has been debated for years.  Sermons, churches, worship services, songs, blogs, books, and careers have been spent on trying to address the role and effect that consumerism is having on the church today. The unfortunate result has been that there is more confusion regarding this dilemma than ever. Simply put, the solution is Scripture, in which Christ is revealed by the work of the Holy Spirit. We must allow Scripture to guide and guard our hearts, minds, and even our emotions. Consumer-driven Christianity will never find its fulfillment apart from Christ, for it is here that our desires and needs are satisfied. The solution then for consumer-driven Christianity is for it to find its fulfillment in the Word of God, for it alone tells the truth about who we are and what we need.

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[1] Much of the research and literature of George Barna points to this conclusion.

[2] c.f. David F. Wells, The Courage to be Protestant (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 29.

[3] Ed Stetzer and Elmer Towns, Perimeters of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church (Chicago: Moody Press, 2004), 82.

[4] Alvin, Reid, Radically Unchurched (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2002), 37.

[5] Thom S. Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 89-90.

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Further Reading:

Udo Middleman, The Market-Driven Church: The Worldly Influence on Modern Culture on the Church in America (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004).

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