29 August 2024 | Belgrade, Serbia [Marcos Paseggi with tedNEWS, and Adventist Review]
Despite seemingly being at odds, the Bible-based principles of Seventh-day Adventism can go a long way towards reaching out and connecting with secular people entrenched in a culture of consumerism, said Adventist pastor Brendan Pratt. Pratt, who was appointed earlier in 2024 as the new director of the Global Mission Centre for Secular and Post-Christian Mission at the General Conference, led a workshop during the 2024 European Pastors’ Council (EPC) in Belgrade, Serbia, on August 28.
In his presentation, Pratt described the main features of our current culture of consumerism and then suggested ways to counter that culture with a focus on community based on biblical principles.
Church as a Product
Based on his own early ministerial experience, Pratt shared how he and his team were good at presenting Adventism as a product. It was something that helped his congregation grow in numbers, but down the road, most members didn’t stay. Why? “Because they disappeared in search of a new product,” Pratt reflected. “If I could go back now, I would put a lot more effort into how to grow people beyond that initial engagement… We never grew people beyond consumerism. We just let them be consumers, and something is just not right with that.”
Pratt reflected on how his experience made him question whether church members are more influenced by consumer culture than by discipleship, prompting him to explore how to counter consumerism using biblical principles.
The Power of Consumerism
Based on the ideas of American psychologist Tim Kasser, Pratt explained that “in consumer culture, the goal is happiness… And in a consumerist society, church members are consistently bombarded with the message that things will make them happy.” He further noted that throughout a typical day, individuals are continually confronted with reminders of ways to feel unhappy, accompanied by suggestions for products or actions that promise to bring happiness.
“Time equals money, and money equals things, and things equal happiness. That’s the consumer culture we live in,” summarised Pratt, paraphrasing Kasser.
Pastors often encounter this issue when individuals nominated for a church position agree to help but decline to be officially listed, because “they don’t want to be tied down.” “In a consumer culture, people value endless choices,” Pratt explained.
This mindset also applies to marriage, which requires time—and time equates to money. “Consumerism is just an iteration of selfishness, and selfishness has been a problem since the Garden of Eden. But, consumerism is institutionalised selfishness,” Pratt said. “It reflects an attachment to what I don’t yet own.”
Pratt explained that consumerism infiltrates and modifies existing systems. This influence is why many people selectively embrace certain aspects of Christianity (or Adventism) the ones that appeal to them as a product, leaving the rest aside.
Just Like Watching a Movie?
In sum, Pratt emphasised that consumerism is fundamentally about individualism, targeting specific markets, and fulfilling personal needs. Referencing the late Polish sociologist and philosopher Zygmunt Bauman, Pratt explained that consumerism has shaped our culture to favour endless choices, instant gratification, and fluid identities, where we resist being defined by our age or gender. It’s a culture that prefers sound bites over in-depth discussions.
In this context, a church service can become a modified experience. “[Members] may start asking, ‘How does this service contribute to my happiness?’” Quoting author Mark Sayers, he shared an example of members who are moved to tears by their worship experience in the morning, only to engage in actions that contradict those emotions later that very same night. “Why is that? Because many people place their church experience in the same category as a movie… We are moved by it, but once it’s over, we get back to real life.”
Facing Consumerism
In light of this, the challenge for the church is, to some extent, “to present itself as consumable,” Pratt said. “Otherwise, no one engages. At the same time, the church must seek ways of growing people beyond consumerism… What does it look like to come up in a modified form [without losing] substance to move people beyond consumerism?” he asked.
On the other hand, Pratt noted that the opposite of consumerism is not anti-consumerism but community. “Consumerism attempts to modify community, creating brands that give the illusion of community, but genuine community stands in opposition to consumerism.”
Countering Consumerism
“What if there were a group of people that had the ingredients to form a countercultural community, one that helps individuals grow beyond consumerism?” Pratt asked. He suggested that such a community should be rooted in biblical principles.
“Take the Sabbath,” Pratt continued. “On the Sabbath, time doesn’t equate to money, which opposes consumer greed. The Sabbath goes against a culture of instant gratification, against a culture of endless production.” Quoting Walter Brueggemann, Pratt emphasised that the Sabbath fosters relational community. “The Sabbath is the opposite of consumerism.” He pointed out that it’s not just about telling people, ‘Keep the Sabbath because studies show that resting one day a week will make you more productive.’ Instead, he argued, “The Sabbath is about being fully human. On the Sabbath, we disengage from the world to engage in something deeper.”
Pratt also mentioned creation. “A lot of authors who are not even Christian say that the more you engage in creation, the less consumer-driven you are.” The reason? You don’t take creation as just a commodity, he explained.
And what about the cycle of life? Pratt pointed out how it forces all to confront death. “Death challenges consumerism,” he said. Death is a reminder of “what you have dedicated our lives to. Death clarifies life… and strips away the superficial allure of consumerism.” He suggested that an antidote to this is fostering intergenerational connections. “When children see and interact with elderly people, they become less inclined towards consumer-driven thinking,” he shared. So, where would you find a community where young and old can be together?” Pratt asked, before answering his own question: “In church. Church is the place where we can put all elements together.”
A Better Way of Doing Things
In sum, Pratt asserted that “a spiritual community is the opposite of consumerism because consumerism is a spiritual disposition and can only be addressed by another spiritual disposition.” He elaborated, “Consumerism gives you the vision of a better life. The challenge is to create a better vision. So, what does it look like to create a picture of a better life for people?
Pratt then connected this idea to the Adventist emphasis on the Three Angels’ Message. ““What if there’s a group of people who say there’s a first angel that calls people to worship the Creator? What if there’s a people that says, ‘There’s a better system. There’s a better system of values not based on the selfishness of Babylon’? What if there’s a group of people that calls people out of that system, saying, ‘There’s a better way of doing things. There’s a better way to be human?’
Pratt concluded by quoting the Apostle Paul in Romans, where Paul urged Christians “not to be conformed to this world.” “In Romans 12,” Pratt explained, “Paul describes life as being about worshipping [verses 1-3], serving [verses 3-8], connecting [verses 9-10], growing [verses 11-12], and sharing [verses 14-21].
This vision can become a reality within the community of the church. And that, Pratt emphasised, is the opposite of consumerism. “Relational community is the answer.”
Brendan Pratt, director of the Global Mission Center for Secular and Post-Christian Mission at the General Conference, discussed how to better reach people immersed in a culture of secularism and consumerism. [Photo Adventist Mission, Shutterstock and David Neal]
