One of the things that our boys miss about Thailand is all the 7-Eleven convenience stores that seem to be at every street corner (and in between as well)! Whenever we were hungry and all the street food stalls were closed, 7-Eleven was always our go-to place for drinks, snacks, and fresh steamed pork buns. You can even pay your water and electric bills there!
So you can imagine Caleb and Caden’s excitement when we shared with them that they were building a new 7-Eleven just right beside the Harris Teeter grocery store near our home here in Clarksburg, MD. (By the way, I have already brought our boys to the grand opening of this 7-Eleven, and they got their fill of free Slurpees and snacks!)
A fun fact is that Thailand ranks as the country with the 3rd most 7-Eleven convenience stores in the world (behind Japan and the United States). There are actually over 8,300 stores spread out across the country, and they are constantly building more! In contrast, Thailand as a whole only has 5,120 churches. In South Thailand, where we serve as missionaries, there are only 411 churches. So that means there are far more 7-Eleven stores than there are evangelical churches in Thailand! Why are there so few churches in Thailand? There may be various reasons, but one of the contributing factors is that Buddhism is so embedded in Thai culture. The saying goes, “To be Thai is to be Buddhist.” And so sometimes it takes a generation to even establish a solid church plant. It’s certainly not quick and easy!
Perhaps a more perceptive question to ask is why 7-Eleven stores are so popular in Thailand. The central underlying values in Thai culture can be summed up in the four S’s: sanook, sabaay, saduak, and suay. Roughly translated, they mean: fun, comfortable, convenient, and beautiful. 7-Eleven stores are so popular in Thailand because they are convenient. Especially on a hot and humid day, you wouldn’t want to walk too far to get your cup of Slurpee and steamed pork buns!
The sad reality is that the four S’s of Thai culture is evident in our churches as well. How many times have we made decisions based on what is fun, comfortable, and convenient for us? How many times do we make an effort to look beautiful on the outside while at the same time hiding the mess that is on the inside? With this type of mentality seeping in like spreading yeast, it is no surprise that the church has become more a consumer church than a missional church.
There is a fantastic diagram that delineates the difference between the consumer church and the missional church. It defines the consumer church “as a dispenser of religious goods and services. People come to church to be ‘fed’, to have their needs met through quality programs, and to have the professionals teach their children about God (i.e. I go to church).” In contrast, the missional church is “a body of people sent on mission who gather in community for worship, community encouragement and teaching from the Word in addition to what they are self-feeding themselves throughout the week (i.e. I am the church).” So which one are we? And which one do we want to be?
Information from Wikipedia, eStar Foundation website, The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball
From Pastor Dave’s Heart
November 15, 2015