Monday, August 10, 2009

Loyalty on the Decline- Bad News for All!

This post is an addendum to my post on The ME Society.

Bad news was given recently that will affect Product Producers, Politicians, and Pastors!

It is the decline of loyalty!

We as pastors have always dealt with people coming and going. People leaving the church. You know, 'The hate me now or hate me later' syndrome. Or the ever popular 'Blow in, blow up, and blow out' experience. I am amazed at people being in a church for 10 or 15 years suddenly deciding to leave and move on.

The decline of loyalty has been ever increasing in the church over the years. But now it is entering into the business world, politics, academia, marriages, and so forth.

'Thanks to the Internet, proliferating consumer choices and a dramatic shift in American culture, voters and consumers are more impatient — and more fickle — than ever before. They’re less beholden to old attachments and more willing to make dramatic changes in lifestyle and preferences — whether that’s for a cell phone provider, a spouse or even a religious preference.'

'The decline of loyalty — at least the kind of loyalty that once kept consumers bound to products and voters bound to political parties — is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. '

'Polling shows that Americans over 65 are more willing to get a divorce today than ever before, even after a near lifetime of being married to the same person. College students are more willing to transfer to a new school. And, more than 40 percent of Americans will change their religion at least once in their life — throwing off generations of core beliefs for something new and appealing. '

The major reason is summed up in this quote:

“We’re becoming a little bit of a ‘me first’ society. It’s becoming difficult to really understand what people want because it’s what they want right now. But tomorrow, they might want something else.”

Read the entire article here.

Pastors, there is added stress ahead in trying to keep up with 'The ME Society.'

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You hit the nail on the head. Having faced this twice recently, it has been weighing on me heavily. The most shocking and hurtful part is how self-serving this phenomenon is, not being based on any particular principles or revelation.