Consumerism in Campus Ministry Isn’t a Trend—It’s a Reality

In a book written more than 20 years go, Eugene Peterson wrote: 

“It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness…We’ll try anything—until something else comes along.”

(Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, p.10)

Consumerism is no longer a “trend”—it’s a reality. I’ve been a part of these conversations for over 20 years of ministry; first in worship ministry, then as a pastor, and now as a campus minister. I’ve been involved in immersion trips and conferences. I have read many books about the college campus. I find that the conversation about consumerism and its effect on disciple-making is extremely complex and heavily nuanced. It affects every area of Christian living: the way we receive the gospel, the way we share and preach the gospel, and the way we apply the gospel. It affects our Christian systems and reporting. It essentially affects everything we say and do. My fear is that it affects us so much, that it becomes our identity—yet we don’t even realize it.

The Lure of Campus Ministry Consumerism 

One definition of consumerism notes, “Consumerism is the idea that increasing the consumption of goods and services purchased in the market is always a desirable goal, and that a person’s well-being and happiness depend fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions.”

Translation: Selfishly seeking to have our needs, desires, and preferences met is something to be celebrated—always— and is essential to personal happiness. 

Apply that definition in our Christian culture. How does the next Bible study material benefit me? Does this worship song suit my personal preference?  Will I have fun and feel comfortable at this event? 

If we don’t like the product, we just shop at a different store. 

For those of us in ministry, consumerism is a dangerous springboard to lead from. What Bible study material will be easiest for students to commit to? Which worship songs get the crowd excited? How do we get the most people to register for the event?  Give the people what they want, and we’ll have a chance to share the gospel. That’s how the justification goes.  In the name of “reaching people”, we feed consumerism, in ourselves and in them—and that’s a problem.

The Trouble With Campus Ministry Consumerism

According to consumerism, the above questions are the most important ones to be asking. According to the Bible, they are not. Not even in the ballpark. The kind of Christianity Jesus taught involved a narrow gate (Mt. 7:13-14), death to self (Galatians 2:20), choosing Christ over friends and family (Luke 14:26), cutting off that which causes you to sin (Matthew 5:30), laboring for the advancement of the gospel and the maturity of fellow believers (Colossians 1:28-29), surrendering personal ambition for sake of the mission (Philippians 3:3-7), and taking up a cross to follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). John the Baptist summed it up well: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) Consumerism is the antithesis of the Scriptural call of the gospel.

Another way to describe consumerism is finding our identity in anything but Jesus alone. We find it in our worship song preferences. Our denominational affiliation. Our personality type. The list goes on. If you’re thinking that sounds an awful lot like idolatry, well, it is.

Think on that for a moment: leading ourselves and others in consumeristic ways is leading us in the opposite direction Jesus calls us and toward idolatry. 

The State of Campus Ministry Consumerism

I’m afraid that my generation (Gen Xers) has fed into this problem of consumerism in our campus ministries. We are all about the conferences, the latest podcast, and the newest worship song…the latest “fad” while we gain good “vibes” until the next best thing. Our fear of becoming irrelevant by not staying up with the current “trends” has increased the amount of distractions in our lives and ministries. 

How has consumerism affected campus ministry? Stay long enough on one campus and you soon find out. New ministries come and go based on the trends. Collectively, ministries that grow rapidly are celebrated among Christian circles. However, if you dig into the statistics, we are reaching the same percentage of students we were before. It’s just that other ministry’s numbers have decreased. Student commitment and ministry longevity are increasingly hard to come by. This isn’t to say that the stories that we hear from these ministries are not to be celebrated. They are amazing stories of life change and should be celebrated. It does mean that we should take a hard look at the “why”. 

My attempt to talk about this subject probably leaves more questions than it does answers. However, I think we need to  heavily consider it. Personally, we must ask: how does/has consumerism affected my identity? As ministry leaders we must ask: how does/has consumerism affected our metrics? Our activities? Our leadership development pipeline? Our stances on issues of the day?

The Remedy for Campus Ministry Consumerism

Philippians 3:18-20 says 

“For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”.

I may not have all the answers, but I can point you to the ultimate remedy: Jesus Christ. We fight consumerism by setting our minds on the things of eternity and the Savior we eagerly await.

Some things don’t change. God doesn’t change. He is still on His throne seeking and saving the lost. Our response is to listen and follow. For me, understanding my need for God over these past three years has helped me to push away the distractions and focus on what matters.

I don’t know about you, but the words I want to hear most when I pass from this life to the next are, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). So maybe rather than asking how we can draw a better crowd or avoid isolating a group of students because they don’t like the music or lower the bar for our leadership team, we should be asking: Have I been a good servant? Have I been a faithful servant? Have I pursued the things of heaven? Have I shaped my ministry around those things?

The path of obedience is long. It’s  messy. It’s not trendy. It doesn’t always (or even usually) give us what we want.

But it’s worth it.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

(Philippians 3:8a)

For Further Reading: This article that helps us think tangibly about what the author calls the “god of consumerism”.