Much has been written about the need for churches to move beyond consumer based approaches to ministry and mission. Philip Nation, Director of Adult Ministry Publishing at LifeWay Christian Resources, recently suggested three different ways to name transition from a consumer approach to a missional one:
- From window shoppers to community,
- From gym membership to covenant, and
- From consumer-shaped bazaar to mission-shaped community.
So What?
Sometimes it is quite difficult for churches to recognize the way in which they frame aspects of ministry and mission as things folks can consume. Since most marketing in America leverages that perspective, overcoming it must be an ongoing and intentional decision.
What areas of your own congregation may appear to newcomers as having a framework that sounds like it would attract shoppers (window shoppers or bazaar browsers) or membership seekers?