Why People Choose a Church

Warning: Some Pastors may be insulted by this even though it's true...

I have watched people's habits of choosing a church for many years now and here's what I have discovered: People choose a church the same way we choose a supermarket to frequent. It's got to be good and close. There might be one better that we know of, but if it's not good and close, chances are we'll be infrequent attenders at best.

Case in point: My wife and I love Whole Foods. If we could choose 1 place to buy everything, Whole Foods would be it. So why don't we go to Whole Foods then? Because the nearest Whole Foods is all the way across town in North Miami Beach (which is about 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic). Sometimes, Carey and I will plan our day out there so we can do our shopping at Whole Foods, but the truth of the matter is that the Publix across the street gets most of our business. Why? Not because it's the best, but because it's good and close. Whole Foods has all the best organic stuff that we want. But Publix gets our business because it's right across the street.

Here's why this is important: people want to be avant-garde and plant churches in areas of cities where no one lives. That's not a good plan. You've got to go where people live. Because people choose a church like they choose their supermarket. They want one that's good and close.

If hundreds of thousands of people live in the cities, then go where they are. If everyone lives in the surrounding areas (which by the way, is the case in Miami. People work downtown, but few live there), then go there. Because while people will drive 45 minutes for work, they won't do it to go to church. And even if per chance they do, it will next to impossible for them to be part of the life of the church when they live so far away. I'm not saying location is everything, but I am saying it matters a lot.

Comments

[Luis]

WHOLE FOODS??? Man, has a baby & marriage made you soft!!! (jk- I go to Whole Foods, albeit with sunglasses & a hat on).

Your actual point is 100% spot on. I think it stems from the growth of the suburbs, where people are living farther away from downtown. 50 years ago, most people lived pretty close to their city centers, and there would be 1 church from each mainline denomination- and depending on what denomination the person was affiliated would dictate where you would worship for the next 40 years.

Now, the proliferation of the suburbs has spanned an explosion of evangelical churches outside the traditional mainline denominational framework; being the good free maketeers we are in the USA, we treat churches like we choose any product: where is the best product for me right now- and as soon as there is something better, we will go there. To prove my point, drive down Pines Blvd or Yamato Rd in Boca (or Quebec Street here for me in the Denver suburbs) on any given Saturday afternoon, where at least 10-15 churches will all have their banners, A-frame signs, and bus stop signs all telling us all the great programs they have. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this- there’s actually lots of coming out from this- but it does hurt in terms of getting people to commit long term to a church. This long term commitment will help a person grow, as only after a LONG while does the church leadership get to learn a person’s strengths and weaknesses, and those weaknesses can be addresses in the person’s personal growth & sanctification. Church-hopping can seriously impede this process, and quite honestly, make us look pretty shallow in the process.

[Jeff]

The dynamic is different where I live. This is a small town (only 90K people) so people are free to whatever church they prefer because nothing is really far away. Our church is across town from where we live but here that means a 10-15 minute drive max. The downside is that "church-hopping" is pretty common.

[bryonm]

true that... but the bigger you grow, the further people will be willing to drive to be a part of what's happening in your fellowship... especially in a metro area... on occasion, people will even MOVE to be close to the fellowship. but people will rarely - or never - move to be close to Whole Foods.

[Cole Phillips]

You're right that people will do what's more convenient for them. However, the sad truth is that for most people, what's easiest is simply staying away from church altogether. Unlike the grocery store, where we've basically got to go to get the things we need, most people don't see the need to be a part of a church family. We've definitely got to be where people are, but we've also got to give them a reason to get out of bed on Sunday morning. We've got to be close and EXCELLENT or people won't bother. (If that doesn't work, you can always pull out the old church bus :)

[revolutionfl]

I would agree with the proximity principle, but I would also propose that it can be overcome by the invitation of a friend/coworker. We've driven as far as 35 minutes to church in the past. At our last church, I'd say 30% of the congregation lived outside a comfortable geographic radius.

revolutionfl.blogspot.com

[LukeM]

I totally agree... after we first got married, my wife and I were attending the church I was raised in. The teaching was wonderful, the fellowship was great... the drive took an hour!

We slowly learned that true community is hard to achieve when you're traveling one hour, once a week. We've since been led to attend a church closer to home and are enjoying all that God has in store for us here!

I think the other side of this issue is that where you're located dictates the composition of your church. I've heard lots of criticism about certain churches being "too pretty" or lacking a lot of economic diversity. Churches should strive to create a culture of diversity, but I believe a large part of that is determined by the neighborhood you're located in. We can waste a lot of time and energy trying to create diversity that simply doesn't exist instead of just being faithful to minister to the people God has brought through our doors.

[Luis]

One more thought on this: is it bad that people want to live close to church and don't mind driving an hour to work? The qualifications that people look in both are different: for work, they want to get PAID, and often that calls for traveling to a city center that is crowded & distant; for a church, they look for, among other things, community & friendships: and it's almost impossible to find these if you have to travel 40 minutes each way- especially with busy schedules & gas at $3/gallon.

[addafire]

Bob, i thought about you yesterday and wanted to pass on this link. I thought you might be interested since you swear by Fiji water.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html

Maybe you can do another post on why people choose a bottled water?

Thanks for your blog. It helps me stay connected to what's happening in Miami. Things are going surprisingly well in Berkeley.
Peace, jose