There was a time when church would not be compared to a rock concert, a motivational speech, or a political gathering. As American culture has changed it would be hard for someone who has never seen a church service before tell the difference between a church service and the categories of gatherings listed above. Consumer or Disciple? There is a difference.
One questions for pastors, are you attracting and serving consumers or are you educating, developing, and honing disciples? The Rock music of worship, the stadium seating of the building, the topics of the sermon seem to point to satisfying consumerism rather than devoted to developing a disciple.
After a sermon a consumer will ask or say “did I enjoy this” or “was this good”? This is based off of emotion, chemical reactions in the body, and perception. A disciple after a sermon would say “am I better”. They would say, I am blessed. A disciple would bow down before God in silent reference. A consumer will stand and cheer with a light show and a subwoofer driving their excitement.
If you are a pastor, who are you serving , a disciple or a consumer.