Consumer Christianity, what does it really mean?

Pastors and leaders are getting frustrated because they are overworked, and overwhelmed with their jobs. Being a religious minister is appealing for some and in the christian religion the appeal to save souls for Christ can be a strong motivation to serve in the ministry. Whatever your calling is in life, it takes hard work to succeed and there is no guarantee that you will be living out your "calling" for the rest of your life. But this is where most of us are now or somewhere where we want to be in the future. There is no greater delight than taking pride in your work, but if you are a minister or a leader in a church, where do you find the motivation or momentum to keep doing what you are doing? To be motivated in the right way, requires that you know internally what drives you and what you are working for? I am learning from a mentor that if you find a job, external motivation (Things like rewards, fame, accolades, and making a name for yourself) will eventually fall away, the motivation that is.

I am also learning from my mentor that to be internally motivated, keeps you doing the thing(s) you set out to do, because the motivation is coming from within yourself. The ideal is to find a job where you are not driven by external forces, but motivated internally from within yourself. This builds the momentum to carry on in spite of what your ministry looks like, or how greedy the people in your church have become. This is very hard when your motivation is an external motivation to win souls, and when your religion is externally motivated. Such as "good behavior pleases God, so when I am bad, God is displeased with me." (external motivation!) You can be a person of faith, and your faith can be internally motivated, even though your religion might not be!

The problem isn't religion, it's what motivates you if you are religious! I believe in God, but if my motivation to please God is externally driven by some reward, I will live in fear of my church and my pastor, and my leaders because I want their approval instead of God's approval. In a consumer driven church it is all about pleasing the Pastor or the religious minister. I go to confession, not because I have a healthy fear of displeasing God, but because I fear man, and the external consequences of looking bad to myself and to the public if I don't "show" my religion. This is what drives a consumer church, external motivation. This is Mike.

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Some Bible Verses on Money.

Bible verses about money. I bet you didn’t think the bible said that? Proverbs 23:5 When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Proverbs 13:11 Wealth quickly gained is quickly wasted — easy come, easy go! But if you gradually gain wealth, you will watch it grow. Psalm 62:10 Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that

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In 1999 I suffered a mental health crisis and admitted myself into the hospital where I live, in which I was given a mental health diagnosis. I didn’t want to receive medication at the time, but unwillingly accepted it. I was in the hospital for about two months, when I asked my doctor if I could go home, and he said yes, even though he thought it would have been better if I stayed longer. I was glad to be home though, but at 25, it took some adjusting to feel truly at home. One of the problems I was having at home was it was hard for me to eat the food in the house. I was having a psychosis where I felt the food wasn’t mine, and I literally had to go out to eat, or buy bread from the supermarket and take it home to eat it. Eventually this wore off, but I don’t remember how long. I was now on ODSP and had a check come to me every month in order to have financial support. I would occasionally have a crisis, and ask my mom to drive me to the hospital, but eventually the crisis would

Why has the church lost its capacity and power?

The church has modernized itself and in the process has lost something very valuable. It has lost its capacity to be personable. The way we reach lost souls is by seeing them, by getting to know them, and by recognizing them, but people are getting lost in the church. The church has become a busy place and is also becoming a less holy place. To make disciples we have to get to know people, and technology in the church is depersonalizing souls, and depersonalizing God for them. Faith becomes a marketable commodity, whereas in the past, churches and their leaders nourished and valued personal faith. While faith is still valued, it’s becoming something that is marketable, which reminds me of the story of Jesus in the temple turning over tables (Matthew 21:12-17). The problem isn’t that the church doesn’t work or doesn’t want to share the gospel, it could be how we are doing it. The church is currently being run like a business, and each Christian metaphorically speaking has a profit val

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