Most allegories are hyperbolic.  They teach lessons about one context by illustrating the same principles in another.  They’re useful when familiarity breeds acceptance, not contempt, blinding us to harm caused or inconsistency with values we once held dear.  However, our hypothetical stories about two non-existent pharmaceutical companies (Merkklessia and Eli Layleader) – intended to shed light on the lunacy of treating church members like customers – aren’t exaggerated.  For many churches, the reality is more concerning than the allegories.

Years working in management consulting for Fortune 500 companies with EY and PwC taught me that demand drives product and technology development, at least in the business world.  Meet The Need is a non-profit because we don’t build what churches and ministries want – we build what they should want.  Only a handful of (mostly small) players like us have a visible and viable presence in the tiny market for technologies facilitating a church’s most biblical and critical functions – evangelism, discipleship, and compassion.  Yet there are over 250 church management (ChMS) software providers and the online giving application market is valued at $4.6 billion with an 8% annual growth rate.  Not surprisingly, the AI sermon writing industry is also booming today.

Assuming these vendors are attuned and reacting to demand, then many churches are prioritizing growth and survival over larger Kingdom goals.  Rapid declines in the number of frequent attenders tempt pastors to draw attention to an exciting, weekly event at a comfortable facility.  America’s contemporary church growth movement has redefined “church” as a place and pastors, not congregants.  Indicators of church “health” now approximate those companies use to gauge performance – scale, facilities, staff, budget, and reputation.  Members are treated more like “customers” (to attract and retain) than Kingdom employees (to equip and deploy).  The early Church employed a decentralized distribution strategy to reach the real “customer” – the “lost” in the community.  Today, church growth “experts” recommend a centralized, less demanding, more accommodating alternative to Jesus’ model.

Two decades serving thousands of churches, following a corporate consulting career focused on Customer Relationship Management (CRM), made me acutely aware of those dynamics.  It has also confused vendors who sell products, services, and software to pastors – because they think I’m one.  Each day I receive several emails responding to their perception of my needs as a pastor, advertising with a marketing messages clearly intended to appeal to my (presumed) customer-focused mentality and metrics:

Associate Size with Health (although most new attendees left another church)

• “The Grow Visitor Plan we’re implementing for you this fall to help you break through your attendance barriers and grow your church to the next level.”
• “Get an accurate view of your church’s health and drive initiatives forward” (accompanied by graphics only showing attendance, giving, and volunteering)
• “Track involvement across attendance, groups, giving, etc.”
• “A brand-new approach to Facebook & Instagram ads – we’ve been testing this all summer, and the results are blowing us away!”
• “Church Fuel Grow now includes our own brand new visitor software that integrates your entire visitor system into one seamless experience.”
• “Downloading the FREE Pastor’s Survival Kit for a Healthy Church is a great place to start”, including the “Thriving Church Sermon Series Kit.”
• “Get ready for fall visitors and update your building with attractive stretch fabric sleeve banners!  Right now all three sizes of these bright, vivid banners are on sale 30% off – but hurry, the sale ends Friday at midnight!”
• “We put together a 7-Week Planner to help guide pastors and ministry leaders in their preparations for an incredible Back to Church Sunday event.”

Order “Church in a Box” (imitating business practices like marketing & outsourcing)

• “900+ Church Graphic Bundles like these:  Find fresh graphics for the next ministry season.  Each graphic bundle includes downloadable graphics for websites, presentation slides and social media — many also include editable PSD files to help you customize your message with ease.”
• “130+ Church Videos like these: Download engaging videos that inspire and invite.  Bring your message to life with powerful video content included in every Digital Kit Subscription.  From welcome videos to sermon bumpers, countdowns and social media promos, these ready-to-use mini movies are designed to capture attention on screens big and small.”
• “Make planning simple with our ready-to-use digital kits.  Get instant access to customizable graphics, videos, and social media tools.”
• “Combine the power of Smart Mail postcards with a FREE coordinated Meta Social ad package—a $300 value!  But hurry, this offer ends Friday, August 1!  Pick Your Routes.”
• “Increase Your Reach with a Postcard Invitation & FREE Social Ad.  We can help with everything from design, a targeted mailing list, printing, postage, and post office delivery.  We also have a low price guarantee!  PLUS we have over 500 design ideas ready to customize for your church.  Or Upload your own design and we can print it and take it to the post office for you!”
• “Don’t miss our Church Growth Essentials webinar today.  Learn to build an invitational culture, pick the right outreach methods, and apply real growth data.”

Automate Sermon Prep (either prepackaged templates or AI generated)

• “70+ Sermon Series like these: Turnkey sermon kits are always ready when you are.  Get instant access to a growing library of digital kits—each packed with everything you need to plan your next sermon series.  From presentation graphics and videos to social media posts, sermons and planning tools, every kit is included with your subscription.  New kits are added regularly—with two more on the way right now!”
• “By adding your church to the map, you’ll have access to a powerful set of Back to Church outreach tools containing all the materials from our Sponsors as well as the FREE Sermon and Video Kit in your Resource Bundle, including:”
  • A customizable sermon
  • A social media guide and graphics
  • Five videos for services and promotion
  • Sermon presentation slide templates
  • Children’s lessons and presentation slides
• “You can also learn about our Sponsors’ contributions to the bundle, including the latest addition, a six-week sermon series!”
• “Handling a funeral and inspiring people at the same time is like trying to climb a mountain.  You wish there was a way to have a ready-to-use sermon.  And, there is!”
• “Try Sermon Maker today and unlock ______ (and all our other series).”

Leave Evangelism and Discipleship to the “Professionals” (just extend invitations)

• “We offer high-quality tools that help make your invites unforgettable:”
  • Printed Personal Invite Cards
  • Banners (Indoor & Outdoor)
  • Social Media Ads
  • Door Hangers
  • Promo Videos
• “Help your congregation be more intentional about inviting their neighbors, friends and coworkers to church by providing easy, attractive personal inviting tools that anyone can use.”
• “Personal Invitation Cards – these small cards come in six different sizes and shapes.  They are easy to customize online (no designer needed) with your service information. Shop Invite Cards.”
• “Pair these personal invitations with an Invitation Station in your lobby to increase engagement!  Shop Invitation Stations.”
• “Door hangers can easily be customized with your church information and events on front and back using our online editor.  Shop DoorHangers.”

These companies have done extensive market research.  Their words are carefully chosen to entice purchases by as many churches as possible.  It’s no accident that googling “outreach systems for churches” pulls up primarily ChMS and donor management vendors.  Those search results deliberately redefine “outreach”, diverting attention from evangelism, discipleship, and compassion to address less important (but more pressing) concerns like “organizing data, managing events, offering online giving, and tracking attendance.”  It’s not coincidental that companies and conferences marketing to churches promoting “celebrity” pastors and their endorsements.  Those are effective business marketing tactics, but do they align with biblical practices and metrics that produce new believers and healthy congregations?  In other words, are they more conducive to a decentralized (equip and deploy) or centralized (attract and retain) church growth strategy?

It’s Your Turn…

How do those tag lines, pitches, and offerings strike you?  Do they sound more appropriate in the context of a Christ-centered church or an (allegorical) Big Pharma company like Merkklessia or Eli Layleader?