I wasn’t planning to write another post so soon, but sometimes you come across something that just won’t leave you alone.
Today, I watched a TikTok about how churches will spend millions of dollars on buildings, sound systems, and programs to keep people entertained—but almost nothing to actually help the poor.
I’ve been thinking about this all day.
One of the very first commands of Jesus is to love your neighbor as yourself. Not to build empires in His name. Not to build bigger stages. Just love people—really, practically, sacrificially.
But somewhere along the way, the church started believing the best way to “love” people was to invite them to a performance. A performance that often has very little to do with meeting their real needs.
Here’s the truth: people can’t hear a sermon over the growling in their stomach. They can’t care about your Sunday production if they have nowhere safe to sleep on Monday.
And it’s not like this is some new psychological discovery. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the most basic concepts in understanding human motivation:
1️⃣ Physiological needs—food, water, shelter.
2️⃣ Safety needs—security, stability.
3️⃣ Belonging—love, connection.
4️⃣ Esteem—respect, purpose.
5️⃣ Self-actualization—growth, fulfillment.
A teacher learns this on day one of training: You cannot teach a hungry, scared, neglected child. Their brain literally can’t process higher learning until their most basic needs are met.
The irony is that I’ve seen religious homeschool circles call public school teachers “godless heathens,” while those same teachers often do more to care for children’s real needs than any church I’ve seen. Teachers keep granola bars in their desks. They buy coats with their own money. They notice when kids are scared or tired or lonely.
Meanwhile, many churches ignore these needs and then wonder why people are leaving in droves.
I left a comment on that TikTok saying this:
This is why people are leaving. The churches focus on finding new ways to entertain but won't do the hard things they were called to do-- like actually taking care of people.
I don't regret saying it, because it's true.
Jesus understood 2,000 years ago what so many Christians still don’t: You can’t talk about saving people’s souls if you don’t care whether their bodies are safe and fed.
He didn’t say, “Love your neighbor with an asterisk.” He didn’t say, “Build a bigger sanctuary first.”
He just said to love them as yourself.
And maybe if the church really practiced that, instead of trying to outdo each other with the next spectacle, it wouldn’t have to worry so much about keeping people in the pews.
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