“What you win people with is what you win them to.”
This motto warns against seeker-sensitive church growth methods. “Try to get people in through what appeals to their wants (good music, lots of programs, relevant sermons), and then—once they’re in—give them what they need (deep discipleship, sound doctrine).”
The problem with this approach: if people come for catchy music or feel-good sermons, then that’s what they’ll expect to continue. And if you don’t supply it, they’ll likely be unhappy.
I imagine most pastors reading this article do not have an explicit philosophy of ministry that is seeker-sensitive. You’re not saying, “We are intentionally trying to appeal to the wants and desires of non-Christians or baby Christians so that they come to church to hear the gospel.”
However, it’s easy to cater to consumers in our ministries. Rather, we should shepherd consumers to develop spiritual tastebuds for the ordinary means of grace: the faithful preaching of the Word, the observing of the ordinances, meaningful membership, deep-discipleship, and the like.
KINDS OF CONSUMERS
Before you can shepherd a consumer, you need to know the kind of consumer you’re shepherding. There are various kinds. Let me name four.
1. The Event Consumer
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