It’s far easier to consume content on a treadmill or on your commute than it is to drive to a place at a set time and sit in a back row and consume.
As a result, many consumers have left and more will leave. It’s just more convenient.
Consumer Christianity isn’t about what you bring to the mission, it’s about what you can squeeze out of it. A podcast or online broadcast and a few songs on Spotify is just an easier way to do that.
Not much is lost in seeing consumers leave. It was hard to build the future of the church on them anyway.
3. The Contributors and the Curious Will Step Up
While consumers lean away, two more groups will lean in…hard.
The contributors are people who engage in the mission. They love to serve, give, do community and invite their friends. They aren’t into consuming nearly as much as they are into contributing.
Bold visionary leadership that calls people to give, sacrifice and exist for the sake of others will define the future church. These will be life-giving people, and their willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom and outsiders is something you can build the future of the church on.
The final group that will lean in are the spiritually curious. These are people who haven’t made a commitment to Jesus, but want to know more.
Despite all the disillusionment with the church (much of it deserved), over time the curious will become a growing group. I think we’re seeing early pockets of this in Canada, where I live, and perhaps in Europe. The angry, disillusioned and hostile generation of people who left the church gave birth to an indifferent generation, who in turn spawned a generation where curiosity is emerging (Jesus? Really? Tell me more…I’m looking for something…). It may take a decade or two for the curious to really emerge in the U.S., but they’re there now in pockets.
Curious people are open people. And they’re looking for Christians who can answer their questions.
