mark o'brien

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.” –Ancient Greek Proverb

Our world is being consumed by consumers. They’re everywhere. And the Church is not immune to the effects of consumerism. Tragically, in many respects, one of key approaches to growing a local church is centred largely around figuring out what people think they need, and then developing programs and facilities to meet those needs. Spiritually, those of us in church leadership are acutely aware that felt needs are seldom our real needs, but we pragmatically recognise that we need to gain an audience to discuss deeper things, and that audience is gained through connecting with shallow things.

I love the quote above… I came across it through Michael Hyatt, and I love the picture it paints. Whether you’re talking about eco-issues or whether you’re talking about the Church, it’s a profound word of wisdom.

I see one of the greatest challenges in the contemporary churches quickly becoming the grip that baby boomers have on the shaping of what church looks like. Baby boomers grew up in a world that they built and shaped for their own purposes, and they were good at it. They are used to things being made to suit them. They helped create the consumerist mentality that has now been taken to new heights by the Gen Y lot (Gen X-ers seemed to rebel a little against their parents in this), but the boomers still have the power because they have the resources, even as they quickly move into retirement.

In churches, boomers have the power to plant for the future or to consume until their last moment. It’s a tough choice. Consuming is more instantly gratifying and enjoyable. Planting for the future often means I won’t get to enjoy it, and I may not even like it. But a great society is built when we unselfishly realise that we either leave a blessing or a curse to the next generation through the decisions we make now.

I don’t think these issues are new. I think they’re just more sharply recognisable in our fast-moving and dynamic world. Personally, I feel very strongly that if I am going to a church when I am eighty that is doing all the stuff *I* like and love, then we’re probably in big trouble for the future. I know I will struggle with being a part of something I may even intensely dislike at a personal level, but I’ve made the commitment to be a planter and not a consumer. I want to be part of something great, not just something that lives as long as I prop it up.