---

The Retail Church
As American churches become more like chain stores, they’re ruining communities and distorting the Gospel.

Modern suburban American churches are based on what might be called the “department store” model. Like retail stores, churches cut costs and expand their facilities by moving out of neighborhoods and drawing on a larger “customer base.” Also like department stores, each church has its own “distinctives” (denominational, musical, racial, or political) that appeal to a particular “market.”

It is common throughout America to have three or four large churches sitting right next to each other, forming a kind of spiritual shopping mall. Instead of Sears, Foley’s, and Merwyn’s, we have Central Baptist, Faith Bible, and Grace Assembly, all within walking distance. On Saturdays, the mall parking lots are filled with customers’ cars from miles around; and on Sundays, the very same vehicles crowd the church parking lots. ...