Discipleship for the 18+ (So we long for Jesus)
My burden was once again punctuated by a moment where I witnessed you kids singing Vacation Bible School songs at a church near our home. I teared up as I took in the sight and sounds of 100+ kids praising Jesus. In that space, I prayed that the seeds of faith would be planted deep in your hearts. And that your faith and the faith of the ones surrounding you would grow and mature and survive the transition from home to adulthood.
Because so many young adults these days are packing their bags, moving away, and saying goodbye to church.
I believe the North American church does a reasonable job of introducing our children to Jesus. We have our Sunday School programs, mid-week Kids' Clubs, Bible camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. And as our children transition from childhood to the teenage years, Youth Groups take over with their mix of Bible Studies, pizza parties, and community service. It is often the hope and prayer of Children Ministers and Youth Pastors that these experiences would somehow cement an individual's commitment to Christ. Yet, studies done by the Barna Group indicate that 59% of young people born between 1984 - 2002 will either leave the faith or reject the institutionalized church at some point in their first decade of adulthood (Source: 5 Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church). 59%!!!!
Today, we had the privilege to hear from a Missionary who works in a creative access country. As he spoke, he said something that made me consider the Great Commission in a new light. Here are Christ's words:
Back in my undergraduate university years, I elected to join a Campus Crusade Club (now known as Power to Change to avoid the stigma of the historical crusades). While the club's evangelistic methods were not necessarily my style, I appreciated the club's ability to disciple young adults. As a club member, you could choose to be spiritually mentored by a leader in a group of no more than twelve people. And eventually, you would be encouraged to mentor a group of your own. The contents of the classes first focused on the essentials and your ability to communicate the essentials to others. I remember finding the experience stretching. And even though I elected to go the more "friendship evangelism" route of InterVarsity during Grad School, I never forgot the impact that Power to Change had on my life in terms of discipleship. Lately, I was reminded of this fact as your Daddy and I hosted a young couple associated with Power to Change in our home. Their testimony of Christ's transformational power and their subsequent eagerness to share the Gospel was intimately connected with the fact that someone took the time to disciple them.
So what does this have to do with young adults leaving the church? In the same Barna Group article that quoted the statistic of 59%, it was found that one of the reasons why young adults stay connected to church is a meaningful relationship with another adult in the church. Furthermore, young people want to know that the stuff preached from the pulpit on Sunday morning will make a difference in their society, in their jobs, in their lives from Monday on. And that understanding can't be gained just through a transmission approach to learning, where an authority speaks and everyone listens. A deeper relationship with Christ and the desire to share the power of the Gospel with others often happens through dialogue, community, and mentorship. This is something I pray for you as you one day, God willing, cross the threshold into adulthood. And I hope your home church will engage you in this regard instead of resigning the task to some other organization out there, such as Bible School, which more and more young people don't attend.
In closing, I will leave you with Rachel Held Evens' perspective on the issue. Much of what she says resonates with my desire for church. Here are her words:
Because so many young adults these days are packing their bags, moving away, and saying goodbye to church.
I believe the North American church does a reasonable job of introducing our children to Jesus. We have our Sunday School programs, mid-week Kids' Clubs, Bible camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. And as our children transition from childhood to the teenage years, Youth Groups take over with their mix of Bible Studies, pizza parties, and community service. It is often the hope and prayer of Children Ministers and Youth Pastors that these experiences would somehow cement an individual's commitment to Christ. Yet, studies done by the Barna Group indicate that 59% of young people born between 1984 - 2002 will either leave the faith or reject the institutionalized church at some point in their first decade of adulthood (Source: 5 Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church). 59%!!!!
Today, we had the privilege to hear from a Missionary who works in a creative access country. As he spoke, he said something that made me consider the Great Commission in a new light. Here are Christ's words:
Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)The missionary proposed that the purpose of the Great Commission was not so much going or baptizing or teaching. It was to "make disciples of all the nations". The making of these disciples could be accomplished through different methods such as going or baptizing or teaching. Regardless of the method, Jesus' commandment is clear: make disciples. Those who know the truth must share the truth with those who don't know. Then he proceeded to disclose how their church's baptism classes ran for half a year to make sure the candidates really understood the core truths of Christianity. Talk about discipleship!
Back in my undergraduate university years, I elected to join a Campus Crusade Club (now known as Power to Change to avoid the stigma of the historical crusades). While the club's evangelistic methods were not necessarily my style, I appreciated the club's ability to disciple young adults. As a club member, you could choose to be spiritually mentored by a leader in a group of no more than twelve people. And eventually, you would be encouraged to mentor a group of your own. The contents of the classes first focused on the essentials and your ability to communicate the essentials to others. I remember finding the experience stretching. And even though I elected to go the more "friendship evangelism" route of InterVarsity during Grad School, I never forgot the impact that Power to Change had on my life in terms of discipleship. Lately, I was reminded of this fact as your Daddy and I hosted a young couple associated with Power to Change in our home. Their testimony of Christ's transformational power and their subsequent eagerness to share the Gospel was intimately connected with the fact that someone took the time to disciple them.
So what does this have to do with young adults leaving the church? In the same Barna Group article that quoted the statistic of 59%, it was found that one of the reasons why young adults stay connected to church is a meaningful relationship with another adult in the church. Furthermore, young people want to know that the stuff preached from the pulpit on Sunday morning will make a difference in their society, in their jobs, in their lives from Monday on. And that understanding can't be gained just through a transmission approach to learning, where an authority speaks and everyone listens. A deeper relationship with Christ and the desire to share the power of the Gospel with others often happens through dialogue, community, and mentorship. This is something I pray for you as you one day, God willing, cross the threshold into adulthood. And I hope your home church will engage you in this regard instead of resigning the task to some other organization out there, such as Bible School, which more and more young people don't attend.
In closing, I will leave you with Rachel Held Evens' perspective on the issue. Much of what she says resonates with my desire for church. Here are her words:
What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance.
We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.
We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.
We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation.
We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.
We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.
You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around. We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there.
Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep down, we long for Jesus.