Shoppers and Seekers

I've been thinking about the kinds of people Trinity retains in its worship and membership. As many already know, New Lenox is a rapidly growing suburb of Chicago and many people moving in are looking for a church to attend.

Trinity is growing, but not as rapidly as other churches in town. We're wondering why that is, and I think I have a few answers. First, most of the people moving into town are Roman Catholic and seek the Roman Catholic church. St. Jude's is, by far, the largest church in town. Second, we seem to attract Lutherans who are beholden to the LCMS. They seek an LCMS congregation, period. They will join nothing else. They come, introduce themselves, and join, no questions asked. This is transfer growth, which is where the majority of our new members come from.

And then there are others who present, in my perception, an interesting phenomenon. They move into town are start looking for a church. They are not beholden to any denominational label, but they can be divided into two groups: shoppers and seekers. Many believe that anyone who's out looking for a church to attend are automatically "seekers", hence they start to have "seeker sensitive" services. I disagree. Not everyone looking for a church to attend are "seekers". I would say the vast majority of them are "shoppers". There is a marked difference.

Shoppers are looking for amenities and conveniences. They look for a church that's entertaining, friendly, exciting, opportunity-filled, and has 24 hour day care (a bit of hyperbole on my part-- humor me!!). Ask any of these people why they chose the church they attend and most will tell you how friendly the people are, how nice the pastor is, how fun and exciting the worship is, how good the messages are (read, they're entertaining and "practical"), etc. They are not true seekers.

It's interesting that very few of them will mention anything about Christ. These are the people Trinity has not retained. When a shopper visits Trinity, he/she will not return, primarily because Trinity does not have what the church consumer looks for. We lack the niceties that this group desires in their idea of a church. For them, Christ is secondary. It's the goodies they're seeking.

Seekers, on the other hand, are looking for things beyond the goods and services they can obtain. They want to hear God speaking. They don't mind if no one says "Hi" to them, or if they don't get a cup of coffee, or if there's no children's church, or if there are no big screens or praise bands or sermons on stress reduction. They only want to listen to God. That's all. They are the true seekers.

There are not many of them out there. Most of the people looking for a church are shoppers. The true seekers are a decided minority. My experience has been that when a seeker, a true seeker, comes to Trinity, he/she stays. Why? Because there's a sense of transcendence and concrete expressions of the mystery of the grace of God. They know that there's something very special, tangible, yet beyond them, going on here. Through the reading and proclamation of the Gospel, the liturgy, the sacraments, the reverence, the hymnody, God is speaking for those who have ears to hear. Christ is proclaimed as the Author and Perfector of our faith. The ones who are truly seeking pick up on this and keep coming back.

Admittedly, Trinity would bore most people who are looking for something fun and exciting to do on a Sunday morning. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.