"Attention, Shoppers..."

We have been conditioned to find what we are looking for as quickly as possible. Instead of driving to the store, we can look up a product on our phones and see if it is in stock and how much it cost. We can see if there is a wait at our favorite restaurant. We can even shop online and have something delivered the next day. Why? "Because the customer is always right." or at least that is how many people think. But has that same mentality shaped the way that we decide where to go to church? Absolutely... and it should not be that way.

Researcher George Barna once observed, “We are a designer society. We want everything customized to fit our personal needs — our clothing, our food, our education. Now its our religion.”

United Church of Christ minister and journalist G. Jeffrey MacDonald lamented the consumerization of faith in his book, “Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul,” “Faith has become a consumer commodity in America. People shop for congregations that make them feel comfortable rather than spiritually challenged. They steer clear of formal commitments to Christian communities. They flee when they are not quickly gratified or when they encounter interpersonal problems. Changing churches has become as routine as changing jobs. As a result, churches are no longer able to help people develop solid moral characters.”

Titus Benton, who writes for a website called Relevant, said, "Many churches innovate, but innovation is based on trends. Innovations are fine, but they play to the consumer. Who is it we are trying to please? Could it be that we are obliging the very people that will cause our extinction? Could it be that the methodology we embrace will take us to a place where we are innovated-out and tired of selling?"

There is an old saying in church leadership training that says "What you win them with is what you keep them with". If you use lots of gimmicks to attract people to your church, you have to keep using gimmicks to keep them coming to your church. And if you run out of new gimmicks, then they will find a better show someplace else. Years ago, I remember hearing a preacher say "Brothers, we are not entertainers, we are preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

So what are we supposed to be doing? Faithfully preaching the Bible. Praying that God would be glorified in our personal lives as well as in His church. Singing songs in such a way that Jesus is the focus instead of our musical performance. Connecting with fellow believers in continual fellowship instead of only seeing each other occasionally at the church house. Telling others about Jesus in a way that is real and personal instead of sounding like an old infomercial.

Let's preach the Word and sow the seed of the gospel. Let's be faithful in what God has called us to do and stop trying to find the next big gimmick that will double the size of our church in 20 minutes or our money back. Let's depend upon God who will determine the when and how our churches grow as we continue to serve Him.