I think there are lots of valid answers to the question, "Why do you go to church?" On my better days, it's to give, instead of to get. It's to worship God and encourage others, not to be fed and encouraged myself (though there is nothing wrong with those things; we all need to be fed and encouraged). And it's not just because worship is part of "our bounden duty," but because it's a sheer joy and privilege to be with Christ's people, doing what Christians do: loving God and each other.
But the whole topic of whether it's appropriate for churches to be market-driven is highly complex and controversial. My basic answer: it's important for the Church, like the rest of today's society, to be consumer-oriented, instead of futilely trying just to "push our product."
But the key reservation I have about being consumer-driven is that the truth of the gospel must not be compromised in the process (as it is say by the infamous prosperity gospel that is so popular in some circles). The problem is that lost, unsaved people don't even know what they need most. They think it's something like help in raising their kids to be moral, decent people, or how to restore some balance to their crazy, out-of -control lives etc. When what they really need most is a new life, delivered from the power of sin and death through putting their faith in Christ.
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I think there are lots of valid answers to the question, "Why do you go to church?" On my better days, it's to give, instead of to get. It's to worship God and encourage others, not to be fed and encouraged myself (though there is nothing wrong with those things; we all need to be fed and encouraged). And it's not just because worship is part of "our bounden duty," but because it's a sheer joy and privilege to be with Christ's people, doing what Christians do: loving God and each other.
But the whole topic of whether it's appropriate for churches to be market-driven is highly complex and controversial. My basic answer: it's important for the Church, like the rest of today's society, to be consumer-oriented, instead of futilely trying just to "push our product."
But the key reservation I have about being consumer-driven is that the truth of the gospel must not be compromised in the process (as it is say by the infamous prosperity gospel that is so popular in some circles). The problem is that lost, unsaved people don't even know what they need most. They think it's something like help in raising their kids to be moral, decent people, or how to restore some balance to their crazy, out-of -control lives etc. When what they really need most is a new life, delivered from the power of sin and death through putting their faith in Christ.
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