Our Target Audience

Your Target Audience - It's a buzz phrase that has been around most businesses for some time now. From Walmart to Whataburger the question is the same, "Who is your target audience? Who are you trying to reach with your product and how best can you get that product in front of that audience? Who is your target audience?"

But this question isn't limited to just the business world. Many churches are asking the same question as they plan their worship services, programs and strategies for growth. "Who is it that your church is trying to reach? How are you meeting their needs so that they will find your church attractive, attend," and since we're trying to be honest, add give to that list?

The unintended consequence of this strategy is that the church slowly has turned into a consumer driven industry. We market, build and program in an attempt to fit the needs of the community, growing trends and felt needs. In order to keep up, a church must change as often as the trends, felt needs and the community. That can be a lot of change for any congregation.

I recently watched my little girl at a birthday party. It was great to see all the cake, balloons, streamers and games. The candles were lit and the birthday girl filled her lungs and blew them off the cake. It was exciting. But I noticed something about my little girl. The party wasn't for her but she had a huge smile on her face. The presents weren't to her but she was thrilled to see them opened. The cake wasn't for her but she thoroughly enjoyed eating her share and more. All of the things at that party were to another girl but they were also for my daughter. She enjoyed just being a part of it. She wasn't the target audience but she was filled with joy just being there. For days she talked about that party and how much fun it was and it wasn't even for her.

A church, with all its programs, ministries and worship services, is very similar. We assemble not as individuals, but as the body of Christ to make the focus of our attention the One who has made all things. We join our voices to celebrate Him. Our target audience is focused, singular and satisfying…it's just no us. On Sunday, we are aiming at Him and our prayer is to bless Him each Sunday in such a way that the rest of our week is different. Without a question, we have a target audience and it's God.

Can you imagine being Galileo and how revolutionary it must have been to see that the earth wasn't the center of the universe? It changed everything and that's the kind of experience we need to have each Sunday. Our culture does a fine job at helping us believe that all things revolve around us. The Church has to do all that it can to point out that our world revolves around our God.

When we begin to grasp what all creation understands, our lives can begin changing.
We want to walk away from church on Sunday knowing that our lives revolve around a God who does not change, loves us and is able to meet our needs. We have a target audience; it's just not any of us. It's Him. Let's make Him our aim every time we come together.