Occasionally, I get calls where I’m asked, "What does your church have to offer me?" In order to answer that I would have to call every person in the congregation, since they are the church, and ask them what they think we offer them. The real issue is that this kind of call is a telling sign of the times - consumer Christians looking for a product, instead of looking for a place where they can serve the Lord.
I am highly encouraged that when this kind of person calls during one of his or her church shopping episodes (some people do it on a monthly basis), I can say without hesitation, “We have people here who will serve Jesus and those He sends to us. That’s what we have to offer you.” This may not be the product the person shopping for, but it's exactly the product early Christianity had to offer. For instance, there are many, many accounts of Christians, who would stay behind in villages when plagues hit and all other healthy villagers would flee. These Christians, who didn’t fear death, stayed behind to serve the sick and either nurse them back to health or help them die with dignity and the knowledge of eternal life found in Jesus Christ.
If you have genuinely given yourself to Jesus Christ and placed complete faith and confidence in Him for eternal life; if you have really acknowledged Him as Lord and have died to your old self-serving self and become a New Creature in Christ; you shouldn’t find yourself among the church hoppers/shoppers. If you are, leave behind the mindset of a consumer looking for a product - that is not a reflection of true Christianity. Instead, look for a place that is in need of what you have to offer in time, talent, and treasure.
Don't call mega-churches, they pay the people that “serve” there. They don't need people who want to serve as a part of a sacrificial lifestyle modeled by Jesus himself. All they need from you is your money and the warmth you bring to one of their seats when you attend. They may have great music because they hired the latest greatest musical/worship genius, and they may have myriads of children's programs so you don't even have to see your child while at church or teach them anything Christian at home (after all isn't that why we pay the pastor so much, to teach our children so we don't need to?), but they don’t allow you the opportunity to truly serve the Lord.
Instead, look for a smaller church that values your contribution of yes, finances, but more so, what you can offer of yourself to others, whether it's with children, adults, the poor, or the hurting. Look for a church that is in need of someone to teach your children, or work in the nursery, or have someone who will visit the sick. Look for the church that genuinely cherishes your willingness to live the Jesus life along with them - your desire not to to be served, but to serve. Find a place that follows the real Jesus who said:
“whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28 [emphasis added]
Look for a church whose worship music is pleasing to God, even if it isn’t appealing to you. After all, why are we worshiping, to perform for the consumer or to sing to an audience of one, the Lord Himself? Do we worship the Lord, or do we worship the worship? The truth is, we even don't know which type, style, or worship band God likes. We choose worship music based on our own preferences and assume God shares our taste. As with everything else, God looks at the heart, not necessarily the product. There are those that literally cannot carry a tune (I stand next them sometimes), but sing with all their heart to God. That is more acceptable to God than a well performed song coming from a cold, distant heart that enjoys the accolades of the consumer more than the reward of knowing one has expressed love for their God.
Lastly, look for a church with people that you wouldn't normally associate with. That way, you learn to love all people, regardless of social status, color of skin, financial abilities, culture, etc. That is how we begin to see people through the lens of Jesus who loves all, died for all, and values all - even us.
After thirty years of being a Christian and watching the westernization of the American church, my heart grieves at the loss of The Church. It has been replaced by churches that are in competition with each other and with the world - churches that have competing programs dictated by consumers' wants and desires. In the process it has created, perhaps so slowly that it's not realized, an unauthentic reflection of what Jesus meant by the term church.
Church has become a shopping center for spiritual needs, and a place where idolatry occurs amongst the celebrity preachers, worship leaders, and such. Each service is practiced and rehearsed to appeal to the sensitivities of the patrons who pay to watch a good show. A real Church gathering is meant to be directed to God through the prayers and songs of God's people. Let God be the judge of whether the service was "good" or not.
Instead of band rehearsals, and pastor coaches, and professionals polishing their skills to manipulate the masses, it is time to relearn the art of prayer, Bible reading, and worshiping in Spirit and Truth. We need to spend more time on our knees for both ministers and congregants. We should have calloused knees instead of polished performances; worn out Bible pages instead of out of context verse-of-the-day screen projections; repentant hearts that long for the Holiness of God instead of wondering how we can wrestle a little more money out of God's hand to sustain our American dream; real Holy Spirit power instead of trinkets and religious paraphernalia sold at the church bookstore to charm our way through the week.
Let's become real followers of Jesus.
