I realize that this article will definitely elicit some critics, simply because it steps on a very sensitive nerve. the wedding of church, patriotism, nationalism and economy has been going on since well before Christ and seems to continue in the person of Western capitalist Christians. the West is just better at executing the transitions than previous cultures, with the possible exclusion of Rome.

it is everywhere: we evangelize not for the good of the person who hears the news, but for the congregation we represent so we might grow in number. that is a quality that is auspiciously in absentia from Scripture. the market-driven mentality toward community and especially denominational territory must be extinguished.

thank you for a poignant, honest, and thought-provoking post. thank you also for bearing with the criticisms that are no doubt to follow.

Excellent Skye – what a clear perspective and challenge you present.
I live in England but even here there are clear signs of churches becoming consumer brands. Leadership teams are working to earn their salary by keeping the customer satisfied - whilst they look in the Christian press adverts for the next job on their career progression.
Eph 4 says God appoints apostles, prophets etc but we recruit, enticing men to move to the larger church or a new project with more status and larger salary and a step up the ladder – big business with a wwJd badge on. The bigger the church the bigger the pot from which the leadership can be resourced and a larger leadership team too – but how long before there are incentive bonuses?
Undoubtedly these churches are doing much good, they are reaching out and impacting their community, their leadership teams are building bridges and undertaking social action and they do rope in their consumers to participate in the hard work. But is the Body of Christ being built up to attain the unity of faith and of the [personal] knowledge of the Son of God to maturity and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
How far we have come from Acts 2 and is there any hope for a way back

This is a great assessment, and I affirm what "subversion inc" said about the wedding of church, patriotism, nationalism, and economy: the criticism is coming!

The evangelical believer has become the salesperson.

A fake-gospel has become the commodity.

A prayer has become the "sale."

And terrible marketing has become the product of the commodity.

Consumerism is the enemy of the Kingdom. It has created a "Faux-lex" that people are buying. It's cheaper than the real thing.

Make no mistake, this post will receive huge criticism. People just don't like taking their watch to the appraiser only to find they've been deceived with a cheap knock-off.

Skye,
I appreciate that you have clearly pursued this topic in some depth. Thanks for sharing some of what you're learning. It does seem that you (and the folks you cite) are coming at the issue from a sociological, rather than theological, perspective. And there's nothing wrong with that. The danger that I would be wary of, though, is detaching the symptom of consumerism from the disease of sin. To be sure, consumerism is a grave evil with profoundly deleterious effects on the church. But ultimately, the root of the problem isn't the culture (or even the megachurch!), but our stubborn sin nature.

I read a great article critiquing "church shopping", and what we ought to really seek in a church--you can find it here.

I agree with Ryan, that the SYMPTOM of the problem in the evangelical church today is consumerism but in reality, it is in our rebellious hearts. To quote the verse in its entirety upon which this article is based, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all." Isiah 53:6

If we don't have monetary goods and social stautus to lead us astray, we will find something else. It could be our self-righetousness in our good works. Or our talent. Or our self-sacrifice. It could be sexual sin, anger or anything that keeps us from a right heart with our Father. Jeremiah 17:9 says,"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure, Who can understand it?" NIV.

Skye, at least in this segment, doesn't give us a solution, but I would submit that some serious expository and even some topical preaching would go a long way toward waking up the church.

when we hear the word "church" today, we think of buildings and programs. when they used the word "eklessia" in first century palestine, they were talking about an assembling of people. i don't believe sin is the problem; i think making churches "businesses" is the problem. american churches reflect american corporations - a ceo (pastor), board of directors (deacons), profit and loss statements (annual budget review). effective early on, they become self-perpetuating.

my view is that the saved-or-not-saved, in-or-out, black-and-white, heaven-or-hell "decision" to which we've reduced christianity has, in effect, made us cubicle-dwellers with a product to sell. Jesus' kingdom of God had much more to do with being salt and light than who was saved or not saved.

americans like numbers. and statistics. it's the way we judge success or failure. and it's the wrong yardstick for the church.

It is human nature to attempt to find or create tangible evidence for our intangible faith. We are more confident in our own faith when we have some kind of a “flag” to fly (bumper sticker, t-shirt, etc.). The result can be that we reduce Christianity to something on a par with being, say, a Yankees fan. And no one who loves the Yankees strives to convert his neighbor who loves the Red Sox over to his side.

The problem is not that we have choices. It is that we have made one choice in particular, the choice to rely on something other than God’s Word and the Holy Spirit for our direction. The Christian community seems to be ever waiting on the “next big thing,” which will follow in the footsteps of the Prayer of Jaybez, the Purpose Driven Life and Emergent.

So Skye’s post is right on. But let’s not conclude that the symptoms are the root problem. The solution begins with each Believer as an individual committing to personal holiness, evangelism, and discipleship. The rest will take care of itself one soul at a time.

Well, Skye hasn't been much criticised so far - because clearly we all recognize the problem and agree with the analysis. But it's fascinating to see how people disagree about the solution.

What will it be? It can't surely be anything as simple as "more expository preaching" or "a closer personal walk with God". If Baudrillard is right, the system of meaning erected by consumerism infiltrates our thinking and mediates reality to us. When we hear the Bible preached, we tend to interpret it through the categories that consumerism has already instilled in our minds. When we set our priorities as disciples, they are already distorted by consumerist assumptions.

The only way out, it seems to me, is to live life in such close community with other believers that bit by bit, one life impacts on another, and we challenge one another's behaviour, slowly and painfully erecting a different, radical new standard. We can't do it alone, and we can't do it in a massive auditorium. Only in the small group where lives are shared and values mutually challenged do we begin to forge an identity strong enough to stand against the pressures of hyperreality.

Over 25 years ago there was young passionate man with a vigorous style who saw this slow train coming.
The late Keith Green of Last Days Ministries railed, with little success, against the looming onslought of materialism/consumerism. His writings denouncing the 'selling of the gospel' as he put it were swiftly put down by Christian executives, particularly as he endeavoured to release his record; So you want to go back to Egypt, free of charge.
I was very influenced by this man, as I was a very young, new believer. I don't know that anyone really emerged to pick up the mantle and work he initiated in this regard.

Keith Green was a prophet. God is still raising up prophetic voices today. Check out Derek Webb www.derekwebb.com

He is a perfect example of leaving a huge Christian band and mostly leaving and speaking against the whole "Christian" music cult in his homeland of Tennessee.

We are society controlled by marketers and sadly our lives have become the advertisement.

Rob Bell, is another strong emerging voice with a prophetic take on things. Check out www.nooma.org. They hust released a teaching entitled "Rich." Simply profound and cuts to the core of the problem.

Personally, I think that if Luther emphasized the free grace of Romans to combat the dominate works-grace Roman Catholicism of his day, perhaps we need to begin reading the Prophets; Isaiah, Amos, Joel, Hosea. It may actually help us understand what the gospels are really trying to say.

Oh, Stanley Hauerwas is another strong prophetic voice of our day.

Unfortunately Christian distributors are about selling books and merchandise, not bringing the truth that forces us to ask why we do what we do.

Shalom.

I think that this is a provocative article with good insights into the results of an organized church progressively acquiescing to the culture around it. It does not necessarily explore the fundamental theological premise for this identification with the world rather than a strong sense of living as aliens and sojourners. But that article would take some volumes to write in and of itself.

It does leave for us the question of what then shall we do about this disparity between what we believe the Church is called to and what the Church has become. I am thankful for the discussion that has begun. I hope that it continues.

I do think that Brother Drennan provides us with a good start. We should all be listening to more Keith Green music! :)

Ryan,
You make a great point about not forgetting that this originates from sin. I also thoroughly enjoyed "A Guide to Church Shopping". Written 7 years ago, it sure seems like it was ahead of its time. Like someone speaking the words of God about what would be relevant in the future. Thanks for sharing that.

Also, Skye - I did enjoy the excerpt that I read of your article. After reading it, I can definitely see the problems that we pastors face as people church-shop. Maybe the rest of the article contains what I am looking for - possible solutions to these problems. I wold love to hear (read - sorry) what your thoughts on solutions are.

I confounds me how people from self-centered, closed-minded, walled-up, aging, shrinking, dying churches talk so much, and write such eloquent long articles about the consumerism of some of today's growing churches. I'm a lay member of such a church, and trying to change the mindset of our members is made more difficult by a pastor who has a distrusting view of most growing churches in our area; charging that these churches have replaced the message with media, entertainment, etc., etc., etc. She preaches sermon after sermon to protect us from these kinds of churches while fewer and fewer people show up each week to hear her message.

Instead of picking apart the growing churches' methods, the naysayers should be looking at their effectiveness. Are these growing churches reaching people in our culture and actually getting them to come to church (even if they are at a remote site watching the sermon on a screen)? Are they encouraging and equipping and empowering people for ministry and mission? Are they transforming lives by using the Gospel message to change hearts, minds, and bodies?

The naysayers would do well to read Paul's words where he says he has become all things to all people so that by all possible means he might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22.

It's not about a competition between churches, it's a competition for souls. We need to be asking ourselves what the score is in that competition.

Ryan, thanks for the link to the church shopping article. Good stuff. For a more satirical approach, try Steve Taylor's song "Steeplechase", written in the early 80's.
http://www.sockheaven.net/music/albums/clone/01.html

I think the problem I have is that there is a difference between the way things ought to be and the way things are in reality. We don't want people to be consumeristic, but they are. We don't want people to church shop, but they do. So do we pine for the way things ought to be, or do we deal with things as they really are?

Maybe, just maybe the church is part of the reason that many Americans are searching for an identity outside of the church. People want to be unique and ultimately part of something authentic. What they see is not authentic Christian products that don't stem from original creative thought , but instead they find cheap imitations of what is popular. These fake imitations are part of what drives people away from the church and in search of what the feel is an authentic community or identity (wether that be Apple, GAP, MySpace, a blog or Starbucks). People are searching for an authentic place to belong, but has the church provided that?

I understand your concern about the church follow the capitalist approach, but I would be most interested in some alternatives. Is the church not out to "make disciples of all nations"? If Apple and Starbucks are having success at authentically selling products, then can't the Christian church learn some things (not copy) from these corporations and apply it to sharing the gospel?

I also find it ironic that this article seems to be posted on the blog because of consumerism. We get a segment of the article here, but to read the whole thing, we have to purchase the entire magazine. I realize that this is probably not the authors choice, but it is a little ironic.

I'm not convinced that consumerism is the problem - at least to the extent Skye might have us believe. That said - consumerism is a huge problem in our culture. But the real issues are murky at best - clouded by consumerism, individualism, a quest for efficiency and immmediacy, along with a host of other problems.

A consumeristic perspective for the average churchgoer might be a bad thing and an approach to doing church that is geared toward stealing sheep from other churches is also bad. But can every successful church be lumped into this category? Can every evangelical be lumped into the consumeristic category? I'm not sure - but I'm leaning toward "no."

Along with consumerism, modernity has introduced concepts such as mass customization, one-stop shopping, fast food, and quik-stop markets. It's no wonder that congregants show up at our churches looking for similar results. This goes far beyond mere consumerism...it hits on an unstated but widely held belief that we are entitled to a wide variety of choices in whatever market we enter -whether retail, service, or religous.

Tied into this is the false dichotomy of the sacred vs. secular. As long as congregants view life divided between these two realms - we can only expect a consumeristic approach to spirituality. It's only when the life changing force of the Gospel redefines our entire lives that we begin to see that the difference between the sacred and the seculare is purely semantics.

Accomodation to attract new believers is not necessarily consumerism...missionaries call it enculturalization. To a degree - it's necessary. Jesus did it. Paul did it. We do it. It's not all bad.

In my mind, the difference lies in the gray area between where we meet people where they're at and we point them to Christ and the point where we require people to accept our personal worldview to see Christ through our eyes.

The height of consumerism is experienced when companies create products that consumers don't need and convince them that they do. Most of us on this site believe we need Christ - the question remains - do people need the version we're selling? This is where the negative impact of consumerism hits home for me...

I tend to agree with John Allen. Changing begins with relationships. Relationships start with community. Small groups, such as Sunday School/Bible Study, are where relationships are built and accountability is developed. My belief is that there aren't any "real" relationships being built in the church. We put on a happy face and say "fine" when we're asked "how are you doing?" on Sunday morning. We should strive to build lasting, sincere relationships with each other and hold one another accountable to the Word. That's what we do in my Sunday School class. We share each others' concerns, hurts, praises, blessings, etc. We're actually brothers and sisters. Don't you have siblings? Don't you know your brother/sister well? Shouldn't we know our brothers/sisters in Christ as well?

Andy says "I'm not convinced that consumerism is the problem." Maybe so. While the influence of consumerism on Christians and on churches is glaringly obvious, I think another piece of the problem is that we've taken "all things to all men" to mean "the end justifies the means." If that isn't a fundamental tenet, nay, value, of the modern corporation then I don't know what is.

Thanks, Skye, for this excerpt. I think you've hit a nail on the head, but more than a few remain.

Rank consumerism dominates the evangelical subculture (and has even made inroads into Catholic and mainline churches), as pastors and parishioners alike fight the seemingly inevitable shrinkage. More and more people are finding meaning in themselves, or a self-centered 'journey.'

What I would like to see is someone pointing to a reasonable alternative. Guess I'm impatient; the tectonic shift embodied by people like Keith Green, Derek Webb, Hauerwas (maybe), et. al. just takes too long.

Although he comes from what John Small would call a shrinking, dying church, Eugene Peterson is another prophetic voice, as is N.T. Wright. Wright's The Challenge of Jesus should rock consumeristic Christians to the core as it presents a Jesus too big and controversial to fit on a billboard or coffee mug.

Speaking of Keith Green, my favorite of all his lyrics, and one that I plagiarize every time I am speaking with a self-described "seeker", goes as follows:

"You're so proud of saying you're a seeker...so why are you searching in the dark?"

Wonderful article and analysis! It reminds me of Os Guinness' book, Prophetic Untimeliness, in which he warns that the idol of relevance is a very fickle god. Instead being relevant to people's felt needs, we need to regain a relevance to people's spiritual condition.

"Andy says 'I'm not convinced that consumerism is the problem.' Maybe so. While the influence of consumerism on Christians and on churches is glaringly obvious, I think another piece of the problem is that we've taken "all things to all men" to mean "the end justifies the means." If that isn't a fundamental tenet, nay, value, of the modern corporation then I don't know what is."

Let me rephrase Tim...consumerism is not the only problem. It is a problem...but we have many. I'm not following your thinking about "all things to all men" being misinterpreted as "the ends justify the means" - but the latter is definitely a dominate theme in our business culture. Ultimately though - it's about greed - money for shareholders and power for those in authority. Or perhaps they're simply struggling to reach people in a hopelessly consumeristic culture. There is no clear cut answer in my view.

Do our church leaders demonstrate a consumeristic approach - or do they use consumerism to attract congregants to concentrate money in specific ministries? or to concentrate authority in specific church structures and institutions?

Accomodation is not "ends justify the means" thinking - rather, it's meeting people where they're at and pointing to the cross - rather than forcing or enticing people to where we're at so they can see the cross from our own socio-economic vantage point. Mass customization in this sense is not a bad thing...

Amazing article.

Consuming to live, not living to consume...

Interesting discussion about a real problem. The same thing had happened to the Jews that were alive when Jesus ministered for those three short years. Look in Mark 11:15-19 where Jesus drives out the merchants and money changers from the temple. They were doing the same thing we're doing today and we'll keep doing it as long as we try to pour new wine into old wineskins. When Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, he did away with the priesthood, the temple, the daily sacrifice, and fullfilled the law. All who believed in Him became the priesthood, their bodies became the temple, the law was written on their hearts by the presence of the Holy Spirit, with Christ Jesus Himself as High Priest and the perfect sacrifice. Jesus' command was to go to all the nations and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything he taught His disciples. This is the command to live in relationship with Christ in obediance and love, not a call to fill up a church building with parisioners.

The challenge we face is not evangelism but rather discipleship. The churches are great at attracting people, drawing them in but they rarely seem to do any more than that. How many of your fellow parishioners read their Bible regularly? How many of them have someone else that is more mature and solid in their faith to guide them into maturity? Who is taking the time to teach parishioners to be disciples in the same way that Christ commanded?

The greatest preaching, most impactful praise & worship, fabulous media, or any church facility cannot replace the fundamental facets of being a disciple of Christ. This article is right on, no two ways about it.

Andy,
what I was trying to get at is that I'm tired of hearing people trot out "all things to all men" as the end all be all to any discussion on outreach, evangelism, or how to create a "cutting-edge" worship service. People use this verse to justify all sorts lame and misguided ventures, usually because they assume they know how to be "all things" to a demographic with which they have little familiarity.

Tim wrote: "what I was trying to get at is that I'm tired of hearing people trot out "all things to all men" as the end all be all to any discussion on outreach, evangelism, or how to create a "cutting-edge" worship service. People use this verse to justify all sorts lame and misguided ventures, usually because they assume they know how to be "all things" to a demographic with which they have little familiarity."

Agreed...

Great Article, I found it through smartchristian.com. I shall be coming back on my daily blog visits. Thanks for the great site.
-Mike

I thought it was a very thought provoking article. I believe his insights were right. I have ordered shirts, hat, etc. with logos for our church, and the article made me think.
However, I found it interesting that the article was on a web page that was filled with consumer advertisements and links. Something about a plank in the eye?

Chris

Sounds like the time is ripe for a Reformation! Reformations start with people that hunger for God's Word and stop at nothing to 'Do the Word', not just hear it. Consumerism isn't the core issue... American Christianity has shifted heavily toward a hyper-individualist spirituality that neglects the poor, devalues community, and gives short-shrift to meditation on life and scripture (too fast paced). Let's work to change this!

I think it is important to distinguish between hyper-individualism, individualism, and consumerism. Consumerism can have positive benefits, in moderation, as it helps us focus on the needs of the people. It can provide a healthy balance against the corrupting inbreeding that usually comes with an organization focused on itself. I don't see that there is anything wrong with a Christianity that seeks to understand and help people meet their needs.

I am glad for a needs-based Christianity that saw people's spiritual and economic needs and strove to give the Word to everyone and teach people the power of self-motivation.

Unfortunately, our churches can no longer tell the difference between needs and wants. Consumerism plays to wants, not needs and the church doesn't stand up anymore to declare the difference.

The roots of the Protestant movement have been forged in response to an autocratic Church out of touch with the spiritual needs of the common people. Historical Protestantism helped forge America because its people were dedicated students of the Word. American churchianity is where it is today because the Protestant Church has failed at educating its people in the Word. We're either all Word no Spirit, or all Spirit, no Word. People, like most on this board, are intelligent enough to want nothing of the autocratic spirituality of a Catholic church that isn't responsive to its people. And we also don't like the do-anything; hyper-indiviudalistm that seeks scale at the expense of discipleship and false freedom at the expense of purity.

Let's create a Christian future that preaches the Word without spin, lives purely, and loves unconditionally.

One over-generalization in the article is that, because there is no state established church in America, churches have to compete for members, leading to a capitalist/consumerist competition. The temptations facing churches that are seeking converts are well known, but they have been withstood before.

Take a look at the church of the first two centuries. Some of the pagan temples around them even had live sex acts on the stage, featuring priests and priestesses/temple prostitutes. Try topping that for entertainment value! Tell me: How did the early church "compete for customers" against the likes of that? Answer: They were faithful to the word and did not overtly "compete." Rather, they had faith that there are many persons who will find the life without Christ empty, and become curious about Christianity. By speaking in public fora, they could both stimulate and satisfy this curiosity. They also did not have numerical goals or believe that they were unilaterally responsible for someone else's conversion. If the heart is hardened, it might not be converted. So be it.

Read John 6 and note that Jesus actually drove away followers with hard sayings, and by claiming that some of them were just looking to be fed or see miracles. Would a modern preacher, consumed with desires for numerical growth, drive away part of his audience?

So, a lack of a state church and competitive pressures are just part of the story. Accompanying these are: (1) A belief that numerical growth is mandatory, that the church must do whatever is required to reach people who are not necessarily receptive to the gospel; (2) the corollary belief that the Great Commission, and love of your fellow man, requires you to leave no stone unturned in your outreach effort, contrary to Jesus' words in John 6, his instructionsw to his apostles to shake the dust off their feet and leave any town that would not receive them, etc.; and (3) the focus on making converts, not disciples, which permits pandering to potential converts in such a way that it will be impossible to suddenly change your message to one of taking up the cross and following. After sending them the message that the church is there to satisfy their felt needs, how can you someday issue a real call to self-sacrifice?

Great article.

Sociologists are speakers of truth; much-needed voices who tell us where were are so we can adjust where we are going.

To Mr. John Small, I believe you are making some rather large assumptions with "self-centered, closed-minded, walled-up, aging, shrinking, dying churches"

How do you know that these churches are shrinking, aging, etc?

As a 24 year old who is part of a living faith community, my contemporaries and I believe that our generation is crying out for authenticity, simplicity, and truth. We have been raised by television, we've been to Disneyland, we've attended the biggest rock festivals, we've overindulged in our hedonistic bloated consumeristic society, and quite frankly, we're tired of it.

And it's the last thing we want in a church. We've been saturated in it long enough to realize that those things do not give us life.

What I appreciate about sociologists is their perspective they bring. What often is lacking are the answers. It seems those are up to us.

What I do know is that the solution is Jesus.
Through studying his life, we are shown how to live. We know what to prioritize, we are shown how to love.

We want to build communities, not mega-churches.
We want to stomp out the hyper-individualism and replace it with sharing and generosity. We want to live among the poor, not just deliver hampers to them at Christmas.

Communities like this are small, but they are growing, and very, very powerful.

Wow! Seems, for the most part, we recognize and agree that rampant consummerism has taken us from the others-oriented Church of the New Testament to the "Me-Church" of the New Century.

Up until a few months ago, my wife and I felt that we were pretty much alone in this country as relates to how God has led us to deal with this problem. We were soooooooooooo wrong!

A couple of years ago, while I was on the verge of stepping into a pastoral position with a new "megachurch", we became heavily concerned over the wordly, fleshly predominance of entertainment and, yes, consummerism. We couldn't get our minds around the little barista from the espresso stand in the foyer delivering espresso orders to customers in the sanctuary during the worship time. There was a lot more, but that pretty much splashed us in the face with ice water.

SO out of order...we were suddenly tired of "doing church". We knew that I was called and gifted to preach and to teach, not to being a business executive. So, we prayed for weeks, and God led us to begin a home-church.

Home-churches are small groups of people who want to be every-day, all-day disciples of Jesus Christ, who desire worship to be a lifestyle, who consider being in the Word on a daily basis as requisite to survival as eating, and who see service to the lost and hurting world around them as an integral part of the mandate to "make disciples in your going".

A couple of months ago we came across a fairly new book by George Barna entitled "Revolution". We celebrated when we discovered that we are part of the millions to whom God has spoken and made broken over the tragedy that we have called His "church" for too long.

There are many of us who have studied and trained and pastored who have had our fill of doing it the world's way, of feeding the Me-Monster. Now we're doing it the way we are confident that God intended it to be done - close-up and personal (oh, would that be what the discipling environment is supposed to look like?).

We have people who attend our gatherings who are actively involved in churches in the commnity. They are growing and deepening their relationship with Jesus Christ in remarkable ways - ways many of them haven't ever experienced. They see the churches that they are involved with as just one their mission fields.

This, I believe, is a fundamental solution to the problem. There is such a peace that flows, even in the midst of some pretty tough trials that our fellowship members have experienced. The "community" that is so needed and sought is found and lived out like the big dogs can't supply.

For the most part, no longer must the church say "silver and gold have I none'; for now we say, "silver and gold have I lots!" Yet, also no longer do we say, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up, pick up your mat, and walk!" We feel that we are part of the move God is making to restore and revive HIS Church and return us to the clarity of vision and purpose and power He intended.

Thanks, Skye, for your clear, concise and very real comments. We need more of this.

I just finished reading the entire article in my copy of Leadership Journal. (A magazine I chose to subscribe to over a host of other offerings aimed at Christian Leaders). I was glad the magazine utilizes color throughout (I prefer color to black and white), I enjoyed the cartoons (I like my magazines with humor) and I was quite pleased that Skye chose to write the article in English rather than Greek or Hebrew (English is the only language I understand)

I am curious, however, why it is considered appropriate for a magazine designed to develop mature Christian leaders to have a modern look (quite different than the look of the first issue I read almost 25 years ago), include elements that are strictly for entertainment and speak in a language that is understood by the common man, and yet a church is condemned for using the same tools to develop mature believers.

Imagine the heat the Apostle Paul would take today for his attempt to connect with culture on Mars Hill. Talk about a salesman using a consumer-oriented approach to evangelism.

To Jac,
I'm glad you are part of an active small church with a Biblical vision. I'm not. Most churches in my denomination are aging and shrinking, yet they relentlessly cling to what they know. I'm speaking of their traditions, not the Word of God. My church and my denomination seem more concerned about protecting our 18th century hymnody and worship style than reaching people with the Gospel message. That doesn't make them bad people, but they aren't producing fruit. We claim that we are called to reach the world with the hope of the Gospel, but the only additions we've have to our church in years are transfers from other churches within our denomination.

Maybe we don't have to be ALL things to ALL people, but shouldn't we be concerned about winning SOME of them?

God bless you for the success you are having.

Thank you for this review of the crisis facing the Christian church in America today. I actually read the entire article in the Leadership magazine. As a Christian in America, I am grateful for the freedoms, even the choices I have, but I'm also grateful for the training God has provided in His Word to control our impulses and desires. I dislike the current movement to consumerize God, and I agree that it is a current that has come and continues to be propogated.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with all of us, and your humility in gaining proper perspective of ways to change this trend. Soli Deo Gloria et Coram Deo!