I was talking with a friend the other day about how many people in the church – especially younger adults – will try a church for a while and then leave if it is not good enough for them.  So many people hop from church to church if they specific church where they are attending is not doing it for them.  While there is definitely an argument to be made that people should not stay in a bad situation, there is more of an argument to be made that people need to stay with the church that they are attending and make the changes that they desire themselves!

It is all about the mindset.  Think about it this way.  Many people right now view churches the way that they would view a restaurant.  The restaurant (church) is there for them.  They go to a restaurant that they believe they will like, and then people judge it accordingly.  How was the food?  How was the service?  How was the ambiance?  The restaurant (the church) and the staff (the pastors) are there to make this experience the most enjoyable thing for them.  And if it isn’t quite to their liking – then you just go to a different restaurant.

Things shouldn’t be this way.  This is a terrible mindset to have about the church; unfortunately, this is the reality for many church-goers today.  So what should our mindset be instead of this?

We should view church the way that we view a kitchen.  When you are working and making a meal in a kitchen, everything is totally up to you.  If something is going to happen – then it is up to you to make it happen.  You can always get some different ingredients and different cooking utensils, but if something is going to happen – it is your responsibility.  You make the meal what it is.  You make the experience what it is.

And that is the difference right there.  People will not go church hopping as much if they change their mindset from the “restaurant” to the “kitchen”.  When our mindset is the “restaurant”, we remain detached and in a critical mood, always judging things to see if they are up to our standards.  But when our mindset is the “kitchen”, we take ownership of our actions and our churches, always taking it upon ourselves to make things better.

Young adults, we need to have a kitchen mindset.  We cannot go into our churches with a restaurant mindset and be constantly judging and critiquing and changing.  We need to have a kitchen mindset that encourages us to get our hands dirty and make a difference in our churches.

So where is your mindset: restaurant or kitchen?

(p.s. All this talk is making me hungry… …)