Hey Church, who is your customer?
When I go into Target to purchase a toy for my kids, I become a customer of Target.
When I go into Chipotle to order a burrito for lunch, I become a customer of Chipotle.
These organizations are trying to satisfy me with their products and services.
When I go into my church on Sunday morning, does that make me a customer? Is the church trying to satisfy me with their “products and services” or am I a part of the church’s plan to reach a “customer” that’s outside the walls of the church?
I fully embrace that the church’s mission is to glorify and worship God. In that sense He’s our ultimate “customer”. But how does the church engage others in that mission?
Peter Drucker has a great definition for the primary customer for non-profit organizations. He says that your customer is the person whose life is changed through your work. In order to define the church’s customer we must get clarity on the definition of the church.
If the church is perceived as the building on the corner of 1st and Main that employs 2-20 staff people then it would seem that the customer is the person who shows up to the church for any of the services or programs it offers. With this in mind the church and staff should do whatever they can to create a potentially life-changing experience for those customers.
If the church is perceived as the people who are following Jesus then it would seem that the customer is anyone that comes into contact with those followers of Jesus. With this in mind every conversation across the cubicle or interaction between neighbors becomes “the church” serving its “customers.”
Look at your mission. What do you have to do today to reach the people you want to reach? Whose life are you hoping to see changed? Who is your customer?
Hey brian, I enjoy your posts – may sound odd coming from a mktg/consumer behavior prof, but I study the conceptual power of metaphors and believe the unfortunate church-as-firm/member-as-customer metaphor (and all their entailments, i.e., elder board as board of execs, pastor as CEO, vision as business plan) is a subtle and expansive, but quite pernicious metaphor for the Body of Christ today… at least in america. Lots of metaphors in the scripture that we could corporately use to substitute (kingdom, marriage, body, others) but none of these are as congruent with the customer one that reflects the dominant mental and cultural models we’ve embraced as a society.
Chris-
Great insights. No doubt that the corporate metaphor for church is probably inappropriate. So I guess with the metaphor of kingdom, marriage, family in mind … I still wonder how to define success or health. Is a family the healthiest when the members themselves are healthy … or when the members are also helping others outside the family become healthy? I don’t think it’s either/or … but it’s hard to find a balance on how much do we work on the internal and how much do we work on the external.
Brian,
If you haven’t already, you might check out the book “Dirty Word” by Jim Walker. He talks about the difference in the way a church behaves if they think of themselves as a store vs if they think of themselves as a bridge. And he has some interesting thoughts on community as well as balancing internal vs external. It’s a provocative read.
Thanks for the post Brian. Though we have never met I would like to tell you I appreciate your service and have for years (I do mean that). I’m not convinced Paul, Peter, John and the rest of the 1st Apostles / Elders viewed their flocks as 1st time customers or returning customers. Additionally, I’m not sure if God views us in this way either. I think embracing this particular metaphor may be more detrimental to local church leadership than one may realize. Tragically, many non-Christians believe they are viewed merely as potential customers that we, the annoying salesmen, are out to trick. We must remain focused on ending this misconception because when it comes down to it we aren’t selling anything. Please help us to eradicate consumerism from our churches not embrace and propel it.
Grace and Peace.
Phil – thanks for your comments. I am very saddened by the consumerism that plagues our culture and how it has crept into the church. I realize that my question and post is potentially feeding into that.
Just for conversation’s sake … the analogies of Jesus’ day were fishing and farming and things that his culture was familiar with. Is it possible that if Jesus were speaking to an American group in 2010 that he would use something like a business/customer metaphor to challenge his audience? I don’t think that “business” is inherently bad — but we’ve warped it into the consumerism that it is today.
Phil and Brian,
Your exchange is thought-provoking in a way that honors God. Phil, I have long been put off by the metaphor (the church with business terms) and your comment puts into words precisely why. Brian, I believe your response s display a humility that in that you are willing to see the view of others without needing to defend yourself. Moreover, your article reaches a point at the end where we are reminded hat as people who have accepts Christ’s work on the cross as the only way to redemption and peace (two things that most non-Christians are secretly looking for), we have the precious opportunity to represent Christ and His bride in ANY daily interaction. Well done. May God continue to give us insight and courage.