By: Bailey QueenConsumerism is a word that you hear frequently around Christmas to describe the shopping rush around the holiday, but the practice has become engrained into our culture in everyday life.
It implores the individual to always be upgrading and becoming better. The marketing goal grabs the senses and attracts them to buy their goods. The consumer is always looking for the next best thing in their life that will elevate them above their peers.
This practice has pushed its way into the Church over the past 100 years. It has even grown to the point that we have a model that is run purely on consumerism called “the attractional church model.” Consumerism and attractional church were not God’s intentions for his people. He wants something deeper and more personal for us.
Christian Consumerism
Christian consumerism is practiced through media, books, music, and weekly gatherings at churches. The organizations that release these products to us typically center it around an individual or a group of people as the pillar to their products, rather than edifying Christ and the gospel as the main anchor of the product.
Many pastors will put their face on the cover of a book and promote their image over promoting a Christ-centered project that will grow God’s people. Every release is just building their own brand to the point where they’re recognized more by the public than Jesus, the person they claim to represent.
With each and every release comes a new, emotional, hope-filled message that leaves the consumer coming back for more. These pastors have the same model for their churches that meet every week: leave the consumer wanting more the next week through emotional hype. This is what is referred to as the “Attractional Church Model.”
Attractional Church Model
This model is purely driven by consumerism from the aspect that the machine is built to consume the Sunday morning service by giving the listeners an experience that hits the emotions instead of the heart. The command given in Scripture to the elders is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:12). Often times, the opposite is done in the attractional church. The attractional church calls the pastor to the work of ministry instead of the members being equipped to ministry.
This practice is often used to attract lost and unchurched people for the speaker’s message and to convert them by moving the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) out of the believer’s hands into the pastor’s hands. Jesus uses the verb “go” for the Great Commission. That command is only fulfilled when we live on mission in every moment of every day, not just once a week. It is to be fulfilled in our “going.” A mission-driven life should seep into all areas like family, work, gym, or anywhere else you go, at any given time; we are to be fulfilling this call. An authentic work of God cannot be contained to one place.
The members of an attractional church cannot be focused on missions when many churches are focused on the success of the organization over the growth of the members of the church. When a church is focused on the Sunday gathering and increasing attendance, the members get lost in the shuffle causing intentional discipleship to be missed because efforts are being placed elsewhere. One of our greatest priorities as a leader is to be sure that the people under our care are equipped to live a holy life that reflects Jesus when we are “going.”
The attractional church model misses the mark by allowing the Church to be contained. The Church is to operate as one body, discipling and equipping God’s people to live a life that reflects the glory of God. Our main focus should not be on how many programs we can build, the great worship music, or emotional services, but on how great Jesus is made every time the body of Christ gathers together to fuel the Church to live on mission every day.
Marks of a Missional Church
When we are speaking of church models, there are two types: the attractional church model and the missional church model. The missional church seeks to glorify God and make Jesus famous.
The missional church’s first priority is to make sure the gospel is proclaimed above all else. The gospel is not the message for the unbeliever, but for everyone. J.D. Greear says it like this, “The gospel isn’t the diving board that we jump from, but the gospel is the pool itself.” The gospel message is needed for the person that has been a believer for forty years, just as much as the unbeliever. The gospel does not just save us, but it is the means of growth and maturity for the believer. It reminds us of what Jesus did for us that fuels us to live on mission for him. Once we realize how much Jesus gave up for us, our response is to live on mission.
This mindset doesn’t happen by gathering once a week on a Sunday morning, but the leadership of a church being intentional about investing and making ways to disciple their people through small groups, weekly bible studies, and different types of learning environments that teach them to love and know God more.
Deeper knowledge and love for him only leads to a deeper call to mission in our hearts. The knowledge and love of God leads us to humility and confidence. We are humbled by knowing that we are completely unworthy to belong to a holy God, and confident in knowing that we are accepted by a just God. Once it clicks, it leads us to live a life on mission.
What the People Really Want and Need
There once was a pulpit in a church overseas that had John 12:21 inscribed on the top for the preacher to see every time they stood behind the pulpit. The inscription read, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” This is exactly what people are longing for—to see Jesus. People are not in need of a shallow experience that neglects the gospel, but one that is full of the gospel. They want more Jesus, more Bible, more gospel, more doctrine, and not less of these things. They do not want a show; they are wanting Jesus. The show of a Sunday worship experience will fade by Monday afternoon, but the happiness and satisfaction from Jesus is eternal.
Pastor, teacher, worship leader, disciple—show the Church Jesus. They really do desire him, and Jesus desires them. Present the living water, so that they will never thirst again. Don’t let them look for any more than that, for that is enough.