ministry name

Whatever happened to the family of God? Somewhere in the consumer-driven craze that took over Western society in the mid-20th century, the Church morphed from a family into a business. And not just any business, but a big, international corporation, complete with expensive advertisements, million-dollar buildings and well-paid staff (some with annual salaries of more than $100,000). The family of God has become J.C. & Co. Inc.

In The Salvation Army, we have only to look at our titles to realize how much this business mentality has taken over our organization. Words like “office,” “executive,” “operations,” “secretary” and “director” are commonly used to describe positions within the Army. Even those shepherding positions in the local corps now carry the title of “director”—the director of pastoral care, the director of program, etc. There is nothing wrong with these words in themselves, but corporately (pun intended) they project a business model for what the Bible calls the family of God. And the vocabulary we use defines the way we think. It's what Marshall McLuhan described in the phrase, “the medium is the message.”

The chief concern of big business is the bottom line—profits. When services cost too much they are cut. When buildings become too expensive to maintain they are sold. When products are no longer profitable they are discontinued. That's good business. But it doesn't make for a good family. We are shocked when we hear of parents who abandon their children or even sell them because they can no longer afford to keep them. Yet church denominations, the Army included, have been known to abandon some communities and some of their “children” because they were no longer profitable. Thinking like big business results in ministry only to those who can afford it.

The business model has also engulfed the local church. Have you noticed how much local churches are beginning to look like big super-stores for Christian programs? The bigger the store, the more customers it will attract. And just like the big-box stores, the mega-churches don't care about putting the smaller one-pastor churches out of business.

Those churches that succeed in attracting the highest numbers can boast that they are seeker-friendly. In reality, they are consumer-friendly churches. They succeed in attracting the most consumers of Christian programs. The more programs a church offers, the better chance it has at attracting the consumers of those programs. It's a safe bet that wherever you see a church growing, there is another church in the same town dying, and that most newcomers to the growing church are from that dying church. The Church is not growing. Christians are merely switching brands.

Your church is struggling financially. It had to let its youth pastor go. Not a problem. The church across town just hired a new youth pastor and it also has a music pastor and a visitation pastor. Take your business there. You don't like your church's new management? Don't worry. The church a few blocks over just hired a Bible-thumping, pew-jumping, charismatic pastor who also happens to play a mean guitar. Take your praises there (along with your weekly offering, of course).

It used to be that churches were family. And families stuck together through thick and thin. Sometimes they had their family problems, but they learned to work through them. The members sometimes hurt one another, but they also learned humility by asking forgiveness and they learned Christlikeness by forgiving hurts. Members of the church family not only laughed and learned together, they also cried and grew in their faith together. But with the consumer-driven church, this is unlikely to happen.

The one characteristic that identifies healthy families above all other institutions is commitment. Family members are loyal to each other. Husbands and wives make vows to each other that include faithfulness and dedication. These commitments keep them together in tough times so that over the years they see things through together. This is the exact opposite of the consumer mentality that says, “I will stay in this church as long as I get what I want. If you don't have what I want, I will go somewhere else and get it.” It's also the opposite of the denominational approach to ministry that cuts programs and congregations that don't make a financial profit.

If we're not careful, J.C. & Co. Inc. will go the way of GM and Chrysler. Oh, I think that's the bailiff at the door!

Major Fred Ash is the corps officer at Burlington Community Church, Ont.