Floating Axhead has a wonderful article called The Wal-Mart Way which does a great job of explaining how the modern church has tried to market itself and failed. The article mentions Wal-Mart’s new slogan of “Save Money. Live Better.” and compares it to the slogan of “Find God. Live Better.” that so many churches have slowly adopted. I fully agree with the article and appreciate Floating Axhead’s candidness on the topic.

Here are some of my thoughts.

Sam Walton may be right in saying, “There’s only one boss. The customer.” but that’s not how the church, the Body of Christ is organized and operated. The customer mindset may be fine for business but it’s not for church. In fact, I believe one of the biggest problems with church today is that people have brought the customer mindset into it. We believe that we are customers and the church is there to entertain us! And when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. People drive up and park there cars in large parking lots, walk into the building (which very rarely has a cross on it anymore), are greeted with warm hands and smiling faces, find a cushioned seat somewhere in the auditorium, and then…the music begins! They’ll have people welcome them from the platform and hand out “up coming events” literature to them. There will be musical numbers sung by the choir and soloists, and eventually, the main attraction — an eloquently delivered message from the minister. This whole time the “customer” has had to put forth no effort except for maybe dropping some money in the offering plate as it passes by. And many of them will only drop in as much as they think the show is worth!

Is this a picture of every church. Absolutely NOT!!! Is it a picture of your church? I hope not. But I know it is for many people.

The problem with the customer mindset is that a customer is a consumer. And consumers are those who purchase and use things, often for self gain. So is it any wonder why people with this mindset come into the church and give based on how well they were entertained instead of from their heart? Is it any wonder why people don’t get involved and volunteer at the church, because that would require giving of themselves which goes against everything a consumer knows to do.

Instead of a customer/consumer mindset we should have a child of God mindset. What’s the difference? A child of God is one who has an intimate relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son. We recognize others as members of the same family and would do anything for each other. We laugh together but also cry together. We do life together!

“Find God. Live Better.”
Oh really? Did Jesus live a better life after he fully committed himself to the Father’s will? Did the apostle Paul or any of Jesus’ disciples have a better life after they “found God”? Not according to the world’s standards. All of these people were verbally and physically tortured, and (for most of them) were killed for their faith. God is in the business of redeeming people back to him, not necessarily in making their lives more comfortable while on Earth.

Should the church have a vision statement?
I’ve always had problems with a church needing a vision statement. In some respects those kinds of statements are useful for uniting and bringing purpose to a group of people. However, I thought the Church already had a vision/mission statement!

Matthew 28:18-20
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Does a church need an image to market to the world?
I think this is actually why so many churches have problems relating to and being believed by the world. The church has advertised an image that is not of God.

Colossians 1:15-20
15He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Take a second look at this passage. Verse 15 says that Christ is the image of the invisible God and verse 18 says that Christ is the head of the body, the church. So if I’m reading this correctly, the image churches should be conveying to the world is that of Jesus Christ since He is the head of the Church and is the only image of God we have!

The unfortunate thing is that the vision statements and marketing image of some churches are spoken louder then the Gospel of Jesus…and people buy it. These people have bought the “form of godliness” instead of the real thing.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

If a church wants to be successful it needs to preach the Word of God with great boldness (Acts 4:23-31; 9:28; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 28:31), period.