What’s In It for Me?

Capitalism needs consumers. Without someone to purchase manufactured goods our economic system couldn't work. That’s just fine, until we allow Consumer to become our identity. The label chafes God’s people.

Because of their high percentage of disposable income, our teenagers are incessantly marked as advertising targets. To get a good picture of what I’m writing about, check out one or more of these links…

Consumer Spending Statistics 
7 Things to Think About When Talking to Teens 
How Branding is Shaping Teenagers

Fascinating stuff, I think.

Because this is the shape of our culture, it’s easy to allow our kids to become consumers of the church. It’s as if the church offers programs and services for their purchase and use (or not). We measure their need for involvement by what they may or may not “get out of it.” But in 1 Corinthians 12:7 the Apostle Paul points out that God gives spiritual gifts to “each of us so we can help each other.” This implies that our church or our youth ministry can not become everything God wants it to be without the active involvement of all of its members. One of our primary purposes in our gathering is not to consume, but to offer ourselves for consumption by our brothers and sisters, in Christ. This requires intentional investment on our part. Here’s a few suggestions:

1. Encourage and challenge our children toward engaging with the church or the youth ministry in order pass on what God’s given to them, trusting that God will provide them with what they need through others.
2. Help our kids begin to discern their spiritual gift, and to find ways to use it in the church or youth ministry. Helpful counsel can be found in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:1-8, and 1 Peter 4:10-11.
3. Make sure that we genuinely model a lifestyle of intentional investment in the Church, not consumption of it.