Colourful_shopping_carts
May 13, 2013

Are you Shaping a Culture of Consumerism in the Church?

Mike Breen on the culture of consumerism in the church:

This idea is backed up by this rationale: You’re worth it. You deserve to have what you want, how you want it, when you want it. For the most part, the church plays this exact same game. We do the best we can to provide as comfortable an experience as humanly possible, using every means at our disposal to attract people in and then keep them in. We tailor what we do around the consumer’s wants and desires. That’s Marketing 101, right? 

The problem is that, at the end of the day, the only thing that Jesus is counting is disciples. That’s it. He doesn’t seem to care too much about converts, attendance, budgets, or buildings. It’s about disciples. And, by nature, disciples are producers, not consumers. Yet most of our churches are built around feeding consumers. I’d argue that 90 percent of the church’s time, energy, and resources are linked to feeding consumers.

But there’s a huge issue with this: The means you use to attract people to you are usually the means you must use to keep them. In other words, if you use consumerism to attract people to your church, you most likely must continue using it to keep them, or else they will find another church that will meet their needs. That consumer mentality is antithetical to the Gospel and to the call of discipleship.

Think about the culture you are shaping as a leader. In what ways is your church community using consumerism as the means to draw people to a Gospel that is, in and of itself, anti-consumerism?

Mike Breen, Multiplying Missional Leaders,  Kindle Location 954

DCP
May 12, 2013

Weekly Commentary (May 12, 2013)

A Defence against Pastoral Burnout | Counseling One Another:

Without a plurality of shepherds, both the teaching pastor and the people suffer and do not experience the best the Lord has for them. Certainly there are times when solo shepherding may be the only option, but it should be viewed as temporary and men should be being intentionally discipled toward leadership qualification, roles, and responsibilities.

(Via counselingoneanother.com)

Five Questions to Discern Ministry Idolatry:

How can you tell if you are prone to committing ministry idolatry? Here are five questions I have been considering:How much of my contentment is connected to the tide of my ministry influence?

      1. Do my prayers reflect that I am more thankful for the salvation He has provided for me or for the ministry He has given me?
      2. If I had to choose, which would I prefer: a closer walk with Jesus or a more “effective ministry”?
      3. If my ministry were suddenly taken from me, would I still rejoice as Lloyd-Jones did?
      4. Do I seek God only for His blessing and direction or do I also seek God for Him?

We too can be perfectly content if we rejoice most in the reality that Jesus has separated our sins from us, as far as the east is from the west.

(Via ericgeiger.com)

Reactionary Christianity: Step Off the Pendulum:

We are in a reactionary culture and unfortunately Christianity has followed its ways, but God’s call to love Him most and lovingly challenge our societal norms with His ancient truth has not evolved or changed. Modern culture will be different in a decade, but the truth of the gospel will not be. The Scriptures lay out a clear and simple direction for church that will not be different either.

(Via Project TGM)

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