Sunday will become more about what we give than what we get

Sept. 4, 2025

By Rev. Rick King

On July 13, New Life and Falcon Heights churches approved the Plan of Union and entered a new chapter: moving toward life as a NEW church with a new mission, vision, and identity. This is the sixth in a series of columns on 13 predictions for the future church from Canadian pastor and blogger Carey Nieuwhof, reflecting on them in light of our merger opportunity.

While I was away on vacation with family in Ohio, I had time to relax and let my mind wander. And one of the things it stopped and pondered was how much the Church has suffered from its pursuit of better customer service.

“When did the Church start doing that?” you may ask me. Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s, starting with megachurches, but mainline Protestants soon adopted these tactics, as well.

How did that cause the Church to suffer? It completely changed the member-congregation relationship, and even the God-relationship by placing humans at the center and replacing God. By appealing to what people wanted in a church, motivated by a desire to reach more people and connect them with God, the Church inadvertently changed the way people see the divine-human relationship. Sundays became more about “What’s in it for me?”

But things have come full circle in a sort of corrective. “Consumer Christianity” is dying, it turns out. And that death is having an impact on church gatherings, which are becoming less about US and more about God and the world God loves. Carey Nieuwhof writes, “Rather than a gathering of the already-convinced, the churches that remain will be decidedly outsider-focused. And words will be supplemented with deeds.”

Furthermore, the compassion and kindness with which we treat each other in congregations, how we resolve conflict and care for people’s spiritual lives, will all matter more than what causes we embrace and what programs and activities are birthed or allowed to die.

This fall, a Vision Team comprised of New Life and Falcon Heights members and facilitated by Rev. Emily Meyer will be having conversations with congregants and members of the neighborhood. These are designed to identify neighborhood and congregational assets and insights that will go into discerning our new church’s VISION (how the world will be different because the church is here), MISSION (how we bring that vision into being), and VALUES (how we embody that vision and carry out that mission).

And out of this, we’re hoping the Holy Spirit reveals a new NAME for this new church that lets everybody know who we are and what we are about.

Watch the TAB and all our communication platforms for news about members of the visioning team and what’s coming up next!