{"id":20036,"date":"2024-09-01T07:21:58","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T07:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=20036"},"modified":"2024-09-01T12:34:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T12:34:51","slug":"relational-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/relational-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Relational Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

29 August 2024 | Belgrade, Serbia [Marcos Paseggi with tedNEWS, and Adventist Review]<\/p>\n

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\u2019 Council (EPC) in Belgrade, Serbia, on August 28.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Church as a Product<\/b><\/p>\n

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\u2019t stay. Why? \u201cBecause they disappeared in search of a new product,\u201d Pratt reflected. \u201cIf I could go back now, I would put a lot more effort into how to grow people beyond that initial engagement\u2026 We never grew people beyond consumerism. We just let them be consumers, and something is just not right with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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“In consumer culture, time equals money, and money equals things, and things equal happiness…”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Power of Consumerism<\/b><\/p>\n

Based on the ideas of American psychologist Tim Kasser, Pratt explained that \u201cin consumer culture, the goal is happiness\u2026 And in a consumerist society, church members are consistently bombarded with the message that things will make them happy.\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTime equals money, and money equals things, and things equal happiness. That\u2019s the consumer culture we live in,\u201d summarised Pratt, paraphrasing Kasser.<\/p>\n

Pastors often encounter this issue when individuals nominated for a church position agree to help but decline to be officially listed,<\/span> because \u201cthey don\u2019t want to be tied down.\u201d \u201cIn a consumer culture, people value endless choices,\u201d Pratt explained.<\/p>\n

This mindset also applies to marriage, which requires time\u2014and time equates to money. \u201cConsumerism is just an iteration of selfishness, and selfishness has been a problem since the Garden of Eden. But, consumerism is institutionalised selfishness,\u201d Pratt said. \u201cIt reflects an attachment to what I don\u2019t yet own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pratt explained that consumerism infiltrates and modifies existing systems. This influence is why many people selectively embrace certain aspects of Christianity (or Adventism) <\/span>the ones that appeal to them as a product, leaving the rest aside.<\/p>\n

Just Like Watching a Movie?<\/b><\/p>\n

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\u2019s a culture that prefers sound bites over in-depth discussions.<\/p>\n

In this context, a church service can become a modified experience. “[Members] may start asking, \u2018How does this service contribute to my happiness?\u2019\u201d 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. \u201cWhy is that? Because many people place their church experience in the same category as a movie\u2026 We are moved by it, but once it\u2019s over, we get back to real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facing Consumerism<\/b><\/p>\n

In light of this, the challenge for the church is, to some extent, \u201cto present itself as consumable,\u201d Pratt said. \u201cOtherwise, no one engages. At the same time, the church must seek ways of growing people beyond consumerism\u2026 What does it look like to come up in a modified form [without losing] substance to move people beyond consumerism?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Pratt noted that the opposite of consumerism is not anti-consumerism but community. \u201cConsumerism attempts to modify community, creating brands that give the illusion of community, but genuine community stands in opposition to consumerism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Countering Consumerism<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if there were a group of people that had the ingredients to form a countercultural community, one that helps individuals grow beyond consumerism?\u201d Pratt asked. He suggested that such a community should be rooted in biblical principles.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the Sabbath,\u201d Pratt continued. \u201cOn the Sabbath, time doesn\u2019t equate to money, which opposes consumer greed. The Sabbath goes against a culture of instant gratification, against a culture of endless production.\u201d\u00a0 Quoting Walter Brueggemann, Pratt emphasised that the Sabbath fosters relational community. \u201cThe Sabbath is the opposite of consumerism.\u201d He pointed out that it\u2019s not just about telling people, \u2018Keep the Sabbath because studies show that resting one day a week will make you more productive.\u2019 Instead, he argued, \u201cThe Sabbath is about being fully human. On the Sabbath, we disengage from the world to engage in something deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n

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“The more you engage in creation, the less consumer-driven you are.\u201d This photo, Loch Erne, looking south from Enniskillen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pratt also mentioned creation. \u201cA lot of authors who are not even Christian say that the more you engage in creation, the less consumer-driven you are.\u201d The reason? You don\u2019t take creation as just a commodity, he explained.<\/p>\n

And what about the cycle of life? <\/span>Pratt pointed out how it forces all to confront death. \u201cDeath challenges consumerism,\u201d he said. Death is a reminder of \u201cwhat you have dedicated our lives to.\u00a0 Death clarifies life\u2026 and strips away the superficial allure of consumerism.\u201d He suggested that an antidote to this is fostering intergenerational connections. \u201cWhen children see and interact with elderly people, they become less inclined towards consumer-driven thinking,\u201d he shared. So, where would you find a community where young and old can be together?\u201d Pratt asked, before answering his own question: \u201cIn church. Church is the place where we can put all elements together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A Better Way of Doing Things<\/b><\/p>\n

In sum, Pratt asserted that \u201ca spiritual community is the opposite of consumerism because consumerism is a spiritual disposition and can only be addressed by another spiritual disposition.\u201d He elaborated, \u201cConsumerism 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?<\/p>\n

Pratt then connected this idea to the Adventist emphasis on the Three Angels\u2019 Message. \u201c\u201cWhat if there\u2019s a group of people who say there\u2019s a first angel that calls people to worship the Creator? What if there\u2019s a people that says, \u2018There\u2019s a better system. There\u2019s a better system of values not based on the selfishness of Babylon\u2019? What if there\u2019s a group of people that calls people out of that system, saying, \u2018There\u2019s a better way of doing things. There\u2019s a better way to be human?\u2019<\/p>\n

Pratt concluded by quoting the Apostle Paul in Romans, where Paul urged Christians \u201cnot to be conformed to this world.\u201d \u201cIn Romans 12,\u201d Pratt explained, \u201cPaul 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].<\/p>\n

This vision can become a reality within the community of the church. And that, Pratt emphasised, is the opposite of consumerism. \u201cRelational community is the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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]<\/span><\/p>\n

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The answer to a consumer-driven world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1592,7,1577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bosnia-herzegovina-montenegro-north-macedonia-serbia","category-news","category-organisational-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20036"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20071,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20036\/revisions\/20071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}