Adam Sauer.tv

What does our customer value?

When it comes to our customer – which is teenagers – I think there 3 main things they value (in regards to church):

1) They value relationships.

A students world evolves around relationships. They come to church because they have friends or people there that they have built relationships with. They stay at church because they enjoy and value the relationships they have established. They invite their friends because of relationships. To a student relationships are key. Why do you think they are txting, IM’ing, or chatting all the time? Those things build relationships.

At Consumed, if we can’t set up aspects of our ministry to include and fuel the students need for relationships then we are going to fail. Therefore, we intentionally take strides to allow students to build relationships with not only each other – but with adult leaders as well.

2) They value honesty.

I’ve heard it over and over again – “I just want to someone to tell me about living a life with God without dumbing it down and making it so “feel good” and easy. I want the truth.” Students aren’t kids anymore. They don’t want people to baby them. They don’t want people to make God seem so innocent and “child-like.” They want to see God for who He really is. They’re at the age where they are making informed decisions about what will shape their entire future – they need the truth. They need honesty. They need depth. They don’t need a 15 minute sermon in which the entire purpose is to make the student “act better.” They need God in a real and honest way so that they can live with Him in their school and community.

3) They value relevancy.

Students are consistently on the frontline’s of creativity and technology. Their world is constantly changing. It’s changing faster now than it ever has in the past. There are issues that they face today that we didn’t face until we were in college. Students need a ministry that is relevant to those needs. Middle-schoolers are hearing faced with issues like homosexuality each and every day and they need a ministry that is relevant enough to confront these issues.

At Consumed, if we aren’t attempting to meet these 3 things that students value we will be ineffective. We will be a ministry that is simply being – instead of a ministry that is impacting.