Church Hopping and Shopping

03/09/07 07:41 AM
This past Sunday night in our first 301 class, I shared about a pastor I know who received a call from a woman who was interested in their congregation. After talking for just a minute, the pastor realized she was "shopping" for a church and that ultimately, what she really wanted to know was, "what's in it for me?" The exchange ended up going something like this:

She said, "We're looking for a church where we can be blessed." The pastor said, "That's fine, but we're looking for members who can bless the church."

She said, "You don't understand, we're looking for a place where we can be fed." He said, "That's fine ma'am, but we're looking for members who can feed others." She finally said, "What kind of a church is this?"

I shared that story to illustrate the fact that the consumer mentality of our culture often affects the way many approach the church today. Many 'hop and shop' for churches like they do a different vehicle. Obviously I was being facetious to make a point.

I am definitely interested in making sure that our flock is spiritually fed. But a part of being fed and growing up in Christ involves the recognition that the body of Christ doesn't revolve around my needs – just the opposite – it needs my ministry.

In I Cor. 12:18 Paul wrote, "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be." Verse 27 tells us why: "Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it." (emphasis mine) Separate and necessary. . . in other words, every Christian has been saved to serve.

Biblically speaking, a "non-ministering" Christian is a contradiction in terms. God designed the body of Christ to grow and build itself up in love through the proper working of each individual part. So when any of us fail to use our God-given gifts in ministry, the entire body gets cheated, because we are all a necessary part.

Along with this being fresh in my mind from teaching on it this past Sunday night, I also just finished reading Steven Furtik's blog (he's the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC). It's a bold response to a "hopper & shopper" who came to Elevation looking for the church that's "perfect for us."

You can check out it here.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." (I Peter 4:10)