Is the Church Making Disciples of Jesus or are we Making Consumers of Ministry Services?

Posted on by Keith Haney Posted in DiscipleshipTagged
lightstock_110147_medium_byrene_haney

I have to admit I have been one who has complained unconnected people only want to be entertained or view the church as a product and themselves as consumers.  Often pondering the “what do members want from church discipleship or services question?”
Upon further review and distance, whose fault is that?  Are churches sending the wrong message to Christ’s followers and to those we are attracting?  Do church leaders have a pathway to make disciples or a strategy to attract customers to improve the ministries bottom line?  The answer is not an either/ or, but a both/and when times get tough and dollars tight you will drift toward survival.  Survival mode leads to an overemphasis on transactional ministry model.

Transactional Ministry

When I graduated from the Seminary, our commencement speaker made a horrible analogy. He said, “When you get into the parish view your people as cows, not pigs. Cows you can milk for years.  Pigs are only useful when they are killed for food.” I was stunned and horrified by that example. This is my flock he is talking about. I am called to care for them provided them with ministry services not milk them and cast them aside.   We are called to shepherd.  A word of caution of we turn the church into an organization which only provides ministry services, i.e., Sunday school, Bible classes, various affinity groups we risk shifting our congregations into a transactional consumer driven destination.

“The Transactional Mindset is actually an old sales philosophy that has 4 main tenants:

  1. Value the transaction over relationship.
  2. Meet only their minimum expectations or whatever the customer will let you get away with
  3. Advertise and “market” to people constantly
  4. Use persuasion as a tool to get people to buy”[1]

Paul Hiebert makes this observation in his book, “Transforming Worldviews” about the church.

“Modern Christians tend to organize their churches the same way they organize corporate action in other areas of their lives. Consequently, many churches are religious clubs. They focus on a single interest (religious life), have voluntary membership, follow democratic procedures in organization, and have their own symbols, property, and patterns of behavior. There are attempts at building deeper fellowship through small groups and church dinners, but few members are willing to pay the price for real community: involvement in members’ daily lives and willingness to bear one another’s burdens through sharing and financial assistance. When a church organizes itself using the social principles of a club, it soon becomes a club, no matter what it preaches about community.”

When our churches reduce ministry to service-rendered (transactional), budgets become inundated with programs, and we pray these programs are what our members (customers are seeking.)  Are these programs changing lives?  Do they help make disciples?  To be fair some do, but that is not usually what the ministries are created to accomplish.  Our focus is on attracting people to our church to get them to buy into joining and being a repeat customer.  This must be balanced with creating a culture and space for relationships, or our ministry can become mainly services provided driven.

Transformation Mindset

I am aware the term “transformation” makes people nervous.  Allow me to ease your minds, The Biblical concept of transformation flows from a personal relationship with God. It is a Romans 12 concept, “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Breathe easy, I am not inviting you to go off the deep end spiritually, into some touchy-feeling time of internal soul-searching.  A transformation ministry mindset is God working regeneration of our being, our thinking, and changing our families and communities. It God doing a work in the heart and soul of our church community and our church’s community. It is reflected in how we witness and share the truth in the communities that called the church to serve with love and compassion.

I truly believe people want their lives to make a difference.  People desire to live lives that are transformed by the power of the Gospel.  These converted people ask different questions about their faith journey.  It is not what can the church offer me (transactional) but what am I called to do for God (transformational).  Imagine your church making this shift in the thinking of its members?

Instead of your members looking to attract more people to fill their pews instead, we are looking for ways to build an authentic community to share the gospel in Jerusalem, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  Here is how that would look.

  1. Relationships that are cultivated over a lifetime.
  2. A church that will exceed unconnected people’s expectations and surprise them with a genuine community.
  3. To be a part of a group of disciples who understand and connect with them without judging the past brokenness and mistakes. (Luke 15 the prodigal son, John 4, the woman at the well.)
  4. To be a community that shares and celebrates stories of transformation.

Not that transactional is wrong, but transformation offers so much more.  If you like this share it.

[1]https://joshkilen.com/results-of-transactional-thinking/

Other posts in the series:

Are We Setting the Church Back 2,000 years?

25 thoughts on “Is the Church Making Disciples of Jesus or are we Making Consumers of Ministry Services?”

  1. Reply
    GodGirl says:

    Transactional verses transformational – great stuff! I love the way you express the importance of a loving community as opposed to a consumerist model of church.

    Like

  2. Reply
    Elihu says:

    I really appreciate this post. So many churches seem to be geared toward the transactional approach—even the more “conservative” ones! I agree—there ought to be more emphasis on transformation, both internal and external.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Reply
    stephen matlock says:

    Really good insight, and something I’m going to think about. I don’t know that there is a single best way to make church, but I can certainly see that transactional church isn’t a vital thing–it can be replaced by something more efficient and less painful that is still transactional. A transformational church with connected intimacy and discipleship is more difficult, and I’m not sure I’d be ready for it! I like shopping for my church service, not growing my own, so to speak.

    Like

  5. Pingback: Is the Church Making Disciples of Jesus or are We Making Consumers of Ministry Services? – Success Inspirers' World
  6. Reply
    Walter Daniels says:

    You are partly right, but also partly wrong. We need to “attract” members, but that means offering what they need. Living lives where: if being Christian were illegal, there would be no doubt of our guilt, not being unsure of what we believe. Setting, and holding to standards, no matter how uncomfortable they are politically. I can say. “Homosexuals are wrong, just as I can say alcoholics/drug addicts/etc. are wrong.”But, that doesn’t mean I turn my back on them. It *does* mean that I pray more for them. They have a harder burden to carry, because their “natural” impulse is denied to them.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      Keith Haney says:

      I never said we should change our beliefs or not care about reaching the unconnected. My point is if our ministries are not about connecting people by the truth of God’s word in authentic faith communities we are missing a chance to make a life changing difference.

      Like

  8. Reply
    Dave Penner says:

    Jesus taught transformational relationship, this is where his followers started their work and why the faith of a few exploded into the Church in a very short period of time. We need to return to basics of the early church, but the process of transformation is challenging. This is an individual process. The power of transformation is from the Holy Spirit. When several individuals in a congregation take on this mindset, a collective power of community starts forming. This requires trust in God to invest in people over programs and activities that we have come to cherish in our definition of the church. Thanks for daring to take a risk, but since this is what Jesus modeled for us, I think this is just what we need…clarity and encouragement.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Reply
    Alex Sanfilippo says:

    Good post, Keith! Some great thoughts here. If you ever want to write more on this topic or something similar to it, and you’re open to guest posting, be sure to check out dailyps.com! No pressure at all though. Great post here man. Keep it up!

    Like

  14. Reply
    Linda Shaikh says:

    I agree with you. There are many lonely people in the world who don’t need another transactional gesture from churchrs, but rather real connection and relationship…. to be loved by one’s neighbour and to be made whole by the transforming power of Holy Spirit. This living of Gospel will stand the test of time in Spirit and in Truth. And it won’t be controlled by technology, culture, race, status or any other changeable worldliness.

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.