Bo Chancey

Church + Consumerism – Christ = Consumeranity

In case you haven’t already noticed that equation is not simply theoretical.  It is being lived out in congregations throughout the Western Church.  Just as consumerism propels and dictates every other facet of our lives it has replaced Christ as the driving force in many congregations.  Meeting the consumerist needs of those already “saved” has become the number one purpose of much of the Church.

The outlook is bleak if this alarming trend remains unchecked.  At this very moment Christ and His mission are being forced out of the Church as more and more leaders bow to the temptation to cater to an ever-indulgent mass of church goers.  If we continue to replace fulfilling Christ’s mission with meeting the needs of Christian consumers we will end up with a church that is void of Christ.  It will not resemble Jesus and He will not be found within it.  We will be left with Consumeranity.

This is precisely why so much of the non-Christian community says without hesitation:  “I like your Jesus, but I do not like your church”.  They cannot find the Jesus that is proclaimed in the gospel message in what we often call church.  Consumerism has replaced Jesus. 

Consumeranity is a nasty imitation of the real Church.  It masquerades in light and is highly attractive.  In fact it is based on attraction.  Every Christian knows that they are supposed to find a church home that is “right for them”.  They have to find a church that will meet their needs and provide the best programming for their family.  They need a church where they can feel comfortable and safe.  Eventually though the prevailing question becomes:  Where can I get the most bang for my buck? 

Church leaders understand that this is what people are thinking and in order to do the business of church well they conform to the standards set before them.  It all starts innocently enough with marketing campaigns, glitzy programming, and the ever pressing need to make this week’s experience more spectacular than last week’s.  Eventually though the hard truths of following Jesus begin to get replaced with fluffy notions that become the root of deep heresy and false doctrine.  How else can you account for the prevalence of the “Health and Wealth” phenomenon?  That nonsense has found its’ way into almost every corner of the mainline church.  Even the most conservative churches end up preaching some version of the “give to get” message. 

“If you tithe, God will bless you.  If you serve, God will bless you.  If you obey, God will bless you.”

But we never define the blessing.  Christian consumers are left to interpret what they believe that blessing to be and they usually end up thinking that it has to do with the accumulation of more stuff.  That can be a pretty popular message for those who already know Christ.  They like that concept and readily buy into it, because it feeds their consumerist tendencies.

Somewhere along the way we combined “The American Dream” with capitalist economics and a smattering of Jesus and came up with the “Come to Jesus and all your wildest dreams will come true” gospel.       

It doesn’t work though and the Christian consumer is left wanting.  They obey, but where is their blessing?  They tithe, but an extra twenty grand doesn’t magically appear in their bank account. They serve, but it isn’t as fun as they were promised.  So they leave to find a “better” church.