Being a consumer is not always a bad thing. When we go to the grocery store we are thinking about our needs.  The stores also want to remind us of our wants.  This is completely appropriate, but this is not how you should relate to everything.

If your thoughts, in all your relationships, are about your needs and wants, your life is going to be terrible. It will be a constant disappointment.  Sure there will be bursts of joy, when you are getting what you want.  But most of the time, a low-grade dissatisfaction and anger will accompany your life.

Consider your family.  Imagine how you would treat your children if  their existence was just to satisfy your wants and needs.  How about your spouse?  What quality would your relationship have if your spouse had to satiate your desires?  How about your relationship to your parents?  Imagine if your approval of them was only based on how you wanted them to act?

Of course we can imagine this, because this is often how we treat our family.  Do you see it?  Every dissatisfaction can be traced to our consumer mindset. Consumers are fine at the store, just don’t bring it home.

And don’t bring it in the church.  Or, at least, recognize your consumer attitude in the church.  A church operates more like a family than a store.  If we miss this, then we will always have dissatisfaction towards those who are trying to love and help us.

Here are a couple attitudes that show we are relating to our church like consumers:

1. A consistent dwelling on the thought: “Is this church the right fit for me?”
2. An attitude that says, “If the leadership would just  do ______________ better, than I would be happier.”
3. Comparing the offerings of your church to another church.
4. When you see something that needs to be improved in your church you take no responsibility to see it improved.  You only expect someone else to do it.  Or you just leave.

Certainly this list is not exhaustive, but hopefully you see how these attitudes can kill the benefit you could receive through the local church.  All of these attitudes can work at the store, but not with your local church. For a local church’s benefit is not always immediate, like the marketplace, but her power is deeper and more lasting to those who approach her like family.