Church Franchises in America

Our American churches have turned into franchise churches.

Step 1:

Create a church that is profitable and growing

We have done this with 3 and 4 services on Sunday morning. 45 minute McSessions. Getting church over as quickly as possible. Herding people in and out. Collecting massive amounts of money. Turning church time into socializing time. Church is more of a social function and less of a time centered around Jesus.

Step 2:

Make the ones that donate the most money most comfortable

We yield to those that donate the most money. We make sure they are heard in and out of church. We set them on pedestals. We do things their way in fear of their money leaving the church.

Step 3:

Make church all about them

Make the church services, the message, the songs, the style, all about them. Upbeat music, slow music, country music, and more. Messages on their overcoming, their issues, money, and more. Send them home feeling good about themselves and they will donate more money.

Step 4:

Grow by using trendy words

Trendy words run rampant in the church. Community is a big one right now. So many people get turned off from church because they were made to feel like they don't measure up, don't fit in, or say/do things the "community" doesn't agree with. It is not a community if you exclude people that don't talk, act, or think like you.

Step 5:

Plant other "Franchises" in other locations

Build, copy, repeat. That is the mentality. Making millions off people while many in their congregation are struggling. Whether it is financially, mentally, or other things, today's American church have learned how to exploit them.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying everything the church does is bad. My heart truly hurts for the condition of the church and the people. I say all of this out of love for our church body and His bride. We have turned church into a place where people want to leave as soon as possible instead of a place where people simply cannot leave. Super hip. Trendy. Super rich. Then we duplicate it over and over. Others copy it because of their growth. We take Jesus out of the center where He belongs and place people there.

Quite frankly, Jesus deserves better. We need to place Him back at the center of everything we do. We may have had the best intentions, but the ultimate results of our decisions are Christians who are starving for the real thing (and many do not even know it). We have former Christians who deny God because of the way they have been treated. We have people that truly love God who can't stand to be around others who speak religious rhetoric, have misguided rules, and striving to stay in their "community." So much they cover up their issues, struggles, and turn the focus on others.

We all need to start with the love of Jesus. The mercy of Jesus. The compassion of Jesus. It starts there. That is the foundation of everything He does. Not hate. Not judgment. Not exclusion. He showed us the way. We just need to see it. Learn it. Exercise it. Let's stop being like the Pharisees and be more like Jesus.