Category: Great Commission

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Family Great Commission

NGM or the American Dream?

At the heart of NGM lies the Great Commandment (Mat 22:35-40) and the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20). Does the American Dream concept line up with either of the GC’s?

Allow me to tackle the idea of the American Dream first.

One version of the American Dream illustrates a solid family structure with mom in the kitchen, dad grilling out, and kids playing in the yard behind a white picket fence. Granted, there are some homes that still paint that picture today, but I would submit that those pictures are becoming harder to find. Remember when you visited a family in their home and spotted family pictures on the wall or on the shelf? Whereas the traditional nuclear family used to be the social norm, it now appears as abnormal. Brokenness and dysfunction are the themes that rule our day.

A second version of the American Dream states that if you work hard enough, you can be whatever you want to be. Elements of this version are still at work today. It is good to dream. Many inventions would have never been created without the ingenuity or ideas of the dreamer. And Americans often do dedicate themselves to becoming what they have always dreamed about and then later find themselves living their dream out. These are all good things. But what about those dreamers who will never have the ability, talent, or opportunity to do what they were told they always could do. I dreamed of playing in the NBA as a child and dedicated my early life to accomplishing that goal. But my height coupled with my vertical leap (I can jump, but not as high as an NBA player) would never allow me live that dream. At some point, reality sets in and some dreams do die. You can’t always be whatever you want to be.

I am sure there are other versions of the American Dream but I am not going to tackle all of these today. Suffice to say, some of us need to tear the picket fence down, take the pictures off the wall, and or let reality set in. In other words, we need to admit that there are aspects of the American Dream that could shatter before our teary eyes. Yes, in some ways, we were given a lie and we need to call it out for what it is. The American Dream is not all fantasy as some do achieve it. However, the American Dream pales in comparison to the great call of Jesus to love God, love others, and to make disciples of all nations. The American Dream is for Americans and limited in scope. The Great Commission is for all nations. The American Dream is for the here and now. The Great Commission encompasses all time and its efforts will echo for an eternity. The American Dream pleases the self. Obeying the GC’s bring glory to God. Let’s choose to do next generation ministry and fulfill the GC’s over and beyond any call to live the American Dream.

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Great Commission

NGM mantra and anthem

Mantra: Seek to understand before being understood

I cannot remember a time where our nation has been divided on so many fronts. Much of the polarization does stem from generational differences, but not all. In talking to the next generation, one does however, need to be cognizant of the generational gap or disconnect. Recent sports talk has highlighted how old-school NBA players view current NBA players and vice versa. Charles Barkley, an NBA superstar in the 80’s called this generation of players “AAU babies” and too sensitive. However, another 80’s tough guy and ex-NBA player Charles Oakley was kicked out of Madison Square Garden this week after placing his hands on security. Have we stopped to consider that both sides may have a valid point and that we may not have to choose sides or to the point, choose generations?

I was recently discussing the Super Bowl Halftime show featuring Lady Gaga with a student of mine. We entered the discussion with two different viewpoints. For starters, he loved the show and I hated it. My problem was not with Lady Gaga as much as it was the image of America she portrayed as she sang “God Bless America” and “This Land is My Land.” Lady Gaga is a sex image and I understand that she portrays America to a tee in 2017. What I wanted my friend (from the next generation) to understand was that these songs took on different meanings in 1987 and America would not have allowed Lady Gaga to sing these songs thirty years ago before a Super Bowl began. As the country has become secularized, it makes perfect sense that Lady Gaga would be America’s choice to represent the country to the world today.

What my friend wanted me to understand was that Lady Gaga did the opposite of what he expected. She was not overtly political and was conservative compared to past Super Bowl performances (remember Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction). I told my friend that I did not think Lady Gaga’s dance moves were that conservative (and the picture you see above is not from this year’s Super Bowl).

Here is what I want you to take from my encounter. My friend and I did not get in an argument. We both heard each other’s viewpoints and walked away with a better understanding. We were both right. The America I grew up in is not the America he grew up in. While I grew up in the 80’s singing the same songs at PTA with a nationalistic pride, he grew up in country where not recycling is viewed as worse than looking at porn (don’t believe me, just read Barna).

I find it disheartening that our nation’s morals have plummeted over the past thirty years, but let’s not blame the next generation for all of our generation’s failures. And in fact, it wasn’t all of our generation’s failures that are to blame either. Every generation inherits sinful natures, attitudes, and behaviors from the generations preceding. Let’s help the next generation understand we all have a sin problem and we all need a Savior!

Anthem:

I see your generation standing on the truth In each and everyday saying God is on the move Anytime the Gospel stirs a searching souls And someone says “send me, here I go

I know, I know, I know, I know God is on the move, on the move Hallelujah God is on the move In many mighty ways God is on the move, on the move Hallelujah God is on the move On the move today

I recently heard this song on the radio and the first line that I wrote above rang in my ears as clear as a bell. This is NGM’s anthem! When someone from the next generation responds to personally fulfill and advance the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20), God is on the move! NGM is all about gospel advance and reaching the nations. To do so, the next generation must stand on the truth. The anthem is missional, but it is also theological. Missions without theology or theology without missions creates an off-kilter balance that ends up awry from the start. The next generation must both be crazy about going but just as crazy about the truth!

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Great Commission

2017: What are you scared of?

I am beaming with excitement for the year 2017!  I have waited in great anticipation for a book that comes out this year entitled Share Jesus Without Freaking Out by Alvin Reid.  I plan to buy copies of this book to share with all the leaders and students in my next generation ministry. And I would encourage you too to purchase this book as well.

Dr. Reid or Doc as I call him (we are good friends) has often told me the #1 fear in America is public speaking and the #2 fear is snakes. As a middle school student, I loved snakes and wanted to become a herpetologist.  Now, I’m glad I’ve changed my professional aspirations! In middle school, I got nervous speaking, but now I rather enjoy it.  The point I’m making is our fears tend to change over time, but I can understand if you still hate snakes and making speeches (most of America does).

I have other fears though, fears of which will probably make you laugh. When I walk into a post office, I feel like a lost puppy. I don’t know what to do. Tax work scares me. I feel awkward at banks, can’t relate to tellers, and though I like the sound of the drive thru tube, just give me the ATM. I still hate heights, won’t ride a roller coaster, and though I don’t mind flying, airports aren’t my thing.

Maybe you feel right at home while walking in or working at a bank, post office, or airport, while it scares me to death.  Our differences are what makes the world go around.  And as you can see, we often fear different things.

Fear or no fear, Christians are not sharing the gospel like they need to. I think sharing Jesus has become the Christian’s #1 fear. How many Christians do you know of that don’t even say the name of Jesus at home. You don’t have to tell the next generation that you’re scared to tell others about Jesus.  They already know. They are your kids, your grandkids and they’ve been watching you for all the years you’ve been alive.  When you don’t talk about Jesus at home, you’re sure not going to talk about him in the world.

Go ahead, say it…Jesus…there—you did it!…and don’t just say it at church by finishing the hymn out…the sweetest name I know. If his name is really that sweet, you need to get used to saying it wherever you go…at school…at work…to your neighbor…at the lunch table…and the list goes on.  It’s not a duty, it’s a privilege.  You talk about that which you love the most, that which you are most passionate about, but the church has made sharing Jesus sound so complicated, that no one feels capable of doing it or that it’s even possible of being done.

You don’t have to rehearse a perfect gospel presentation or go to a twelve-week training program on evangelism before you start telling others about what Jesus has done for you. All you have to do is open your mouth! The Holy Spirit is pretty good at giving you words too! The outlines, the canned presentations, etc. aren’t bad and can assist you in this endeavor. But why not start with a natural conversation as opposed to an awkward presentation. This way, both you and your hearer will feel more comfortable.

People have always needed to know about hell, but if that’s all they hear you screaming, I’d be running the other way too! We’re not supposed to be hollering madmen scaring away those we’re trying to win to Christ. It’s often the scared man who begins to open his mouth and proclaim Christ that finds success. It’s because this timid soul comes across as someone who doesn’t have it all together. Oh…you mean, they’re just like you and me? Now, I can listen to a guy like that!

Don’t freak out! Just be yourself. When you come across as that person who doesn’t have all the answers, I think you’ll find people are more willing to listen to what you do have to say.  And guess what, they’ll probably ask you more questions and you will probably have some questions for them…funny how that works. Need a resolution for the New Year? How about sharing Jesus without freaking out!

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Great Commission

When is the best time to reach the next generation?

sandlot

I have shared with you the what, where, how, and why’s for reaching the next generation. To reiterate “the why,” I will just say because soul-winning is the most important thing, because hell is real. If Tom Petty, who has a great voice and sang the lyrics, “you can stand me up at the gates of hell and I won’t back down” could stand at the gates and feel the heat from hell, I do not think he would back down. I think he would try to back up. The only problem is that the time for backing up would be too late.

Today, I want to share with you the “when?” When is the best time (age-range) to reach the next generation? It is always a good time to share the gospel and sharing the gospel with any age-group is good, but I have become convinced that churches and families must make a concerted effort to evangelize children. It was revealed in the 2015 Bridge Preteen Conference by George Barna that a “child’s moral foundations are set by age 9. A child’s worldview, theological foundation, beliefs, and religious practices are in place by 13. Only one-third of preteens have accepted Christ.”

A popular notion has arisen, a term originated by Dan Brewster, which has been labeled the “4/14 Window.” The notion is that 85% of all Christians in the USA and anywhere from 60-80% of all Christians in the world come to Christ between the ages of 4 and 14. The 85% statistic comes from a survey completed by the International Bible Society in the 90’s. Research compiled by Barna Group shows that children between the ages of 5 and 13 have a 32 percent probability of accepting Jesus. It has been said that the 10/40 Window and 40/70 Window are about where missionaries should go, and the 4/14 Window is about whom missionaries should focus on. Awana is an international evangelical organization directing such ministry efforts towards children. I happen to know the Regional Ministry Director for the Caribbean Islands and he himself would be considered a missionary. However, you can be a missionary to children right where you are!

I want to re-emphasize that all generations are important and that you should not neglect telling a person of any age about the love God has for him or her. But I do agree with Barna that churches and families should strategically target or prioritize evangelism efforts toward children (focusing even more on younger children). We cannot afford to lose a generation. If we do, we will follow the footsteps of generations found in Old Testament narratives such as the storied relationship between David and his son Absalom or the time in between the various judges who served the nation of Israel. Space does not permit me to write what Jesus or the New Testament has to say in reference to the generational transfer of faith. We just do not want to reach a point in time where a generation forgets what the Book of the Law is or where it may be found (remember Josiah).

I have been serving the next generation the last fifteen years of my life. I have coached eight years of middle school basketball (boys and girls) at four schools, ministered to students at five churches, taught students at three schools (public and private), and served as a counselor at three YMCA’s. In my early years of youth ministry, I would often hear about or read the expression, “Youth are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today.” The expression originated from Saddleback Youth Pastor Doug Fields at about the time his Pastor Rick Warren’s book Purpose Driven Life was gaining in popularity.

As much as I have always loved Doug’s expression, it is beginning to wear thin. Today, we must begin to verbalize a new expression, “If we don’t let students be the church of today, they won’t be in church tomorrow.” Whereas Doug’s mantra required a mind-set shift from the church in mental assent, the new mantra requires a missional mind-set shift from the church necessitating mobilization from students and resulting in action or service. Perhaps this is why servanthood-evangelism is gaining traction.

As we await the upcoming World Series, let me provide you with an example of children on mission by referring to the sport of baseball. How many children do you know of that play baseball? I, myself grew up playing Little League baseball and may have even batted against Jake Westbrook, a pitcher from my hometown who pitched in two World Series. What if we trained, equipped, and released children with missional mindsets to engage the culture, in this case, their baseball teams with the gospel rather than just hand children a trophy and hope they are happy. In other words, what would happen if we provided children a purpose and issued children a calling higher than the goal of obtaining a .300 batting average. We might not only witness a mind-shift, but a culture-shift! God, may we the church allow our children to be the church today so there will be a church tomorrow!

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Great Commission

What can I do to reach the next generation for Christ?

talent

How can I reach the next generation for Christ? This is a personal question so each individual will answer this question differently. In previous posts, I have written extensively on some of the challenges in reaching the next generation and exhorted the church community to not give up on this task. I have also provided evangelistic methods that the church community can use and have gone as far as to include a series detailing the latest research and statistics concerning who the next generation is and how to reach them. However, doing all of the above is still not enough.

Each of us has an individual responsibility to carry out in reaching the next generation for Christ. To reach the next generation, we are going to have to reach them on every level and from every angle. As has been noted for many years now, we are going to have to play ball on their court. To reach not just the next generation but also the unchurched, we must pack our bags and hit the road. We must travel to them because they simply are not coming to us.

I reminisce on a scene from the movie Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner where a voice says “if you build it, they will come.” Not anymore. We can build beautiful church edifices built in with the greatest technology and architectural structure, but this does not guarantee church growth in this day and time. Many churches have gone away from meeting in the traditional church house and are now meeting in coffee shops, schools, movie theatres, and shopping centers. But these alternatives do not guarantee church attendance either. I think we need to rewrite the script to say “if you go, they will come.” Church is not “come and see” which worked in the 1950’s but is “go and tell” which works all the time. Sure, there are exceptions such as Jeremiah the prophet sharing God’s message and not obtaining a single convert. But I find it hard to believe that same logic is at work today as there are over 7.5 billion people residing on the planet earth along with millions who have never heard the name of Christ. I am convinced that if we are faithful to share the good news, we will make disciples in, out, and of this generation!

In the Parable of the Talents (Mat 25:14-30), Jesus says, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance” and in the Parable of the Faithful Servant (Luke 12:35-48), Jesus says, “Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.” We each have an obligation to use the talents, however many they are, that the Lord has given to us to influence the next generation toward the pursuit of a relationship with Christ.

Oftentimes, talents take time to develop. A few years ago, I decided to start a new hobby. I began sports-writing with the intention to spread the good news. I would blog articles and leave business cards or pass out business cards with the phrase, “John 3:16, God Loves You” strategically placed on the back of the card. I was taking my talent, developing my craft, and hitting the road. I have given these cards out in many places including Washington DC and I know people from as far as Boston and Philadelphia have walked away feeling thankful that someone cared enough to provide a gesture that impresses on them the feeling that they are loved by God. I did not approach these strangers as a professional pastor, prophet, apostle, or missionary. I simply developed a talent God had given me and then shared it with the world.

Talents multiply too! I started out sports-writing, evolved into sports-talk, and am now hosting a weekly football show at a local bar and grill (remember church, we are the visiting team now). The goal is to develop relationships with restaurant staff, customers, and the community in order to initiate gospel-centered conversations that will not only bring people to Jesus, but will also bring people in or back to church! This is a sidebar, but when you eat out at restaurant, leave a good tip (especially if you pray for the waiter/waitress, leave a track, or eat out on Sundays).

With that being said, what is your talent? What are you doing to develop your talent? And more importantly, how are you using your talent to couple it with The Story to win people to Christ or to bring them back to church? We are in the world and not of it (John 17:16). We are salt and light to the world (Mat 5:13-16). Don’t lose your flavor and don’t hide your light. Let your talent shine for the glory of God and watch as the next generation begins to flow back into church!

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Great Commission Next Generation Ministry

Evangelistic Tools & Events to Reach the Next Generation

reid

I previously shared a three-part series http://next-generation-ministry.com/tag/millennials/ describing how ministry leaders and church members alike can reach and keep the next generation. I wanted to identify and define who the next generation is and provide suggestions based on solid research on how the church can reach and keep the next generation.

Statistics and suggestions are all well and good, but ministry leaders and church members should also be equipped with evangelistic tools to accomplish the Great Commission. I like what Alvin Reid, professor of evangelism and student ministry at SEBTS says concerning the state of evangelism in the church, “We don’t have a training problem, we have a trying problem. The door to door evangelistic method is better than using no method at all, which is what most of our people are doing.”

How can we reach and keep the next generation if we never tell the next generation who Jesus is and what he has done for them? The evangelistic tools (programs, techniques, etc.) are limitless. I know this is a truism but the first thing we must do (after prayer) is to pull an evangelistic tool out of our evangelism tool bag. We need to do relational evangelism but we also need to do intentional evangelism and whether we share Jesus in a formal presentation or a casual conversation, we need to be ready at all times to share the gospel.

Sometimes we are ready but not willing. When was the last time you told someone that Jesus loved them? Did they give you a blank stare or ask you who Jesus is? Rather than lament about how sinful our culture has become, let’s begin to share Jesus with others. My best guess is our culture has degraded to where it is today because at some point, God’s people stopped sharing the good news.

In our postmodern and post-Christian culture, we must begin by explaining creation. We live in Athens (Acts 17) and not Jerusalem (Acts 2) anymore. Since our society is biblically illiterate, we must continue our oral storytelling by illustrating the fall, rescue, and restoration of both man and creation as we discuss spiritual matters with people. We must walk with people from Genesis to Revelation and share the story in a way where they understand their life narrative fits within the metanarrative of Scripture.

My favorite tools are

Other evangelistic tools include

Evangelistic events also share a purpose and have a place in the church. See You at the Pole was just celebrated around the globe. Disciple Now Weekends occur in the fall and spring. Summer camps along with VBS have also produced positive results. Youth crusades or revivals and mission trips through the social media world are also effective.

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Great Commission Next Generation Ministry

Stick-men Theology

Family Pic

Perhaps you have heard the age-old adage, “a picture says a thousand words.” If you could invert the family in the picture above by placing the individuals in opposite order (shortest to tallest), and then draw a lined arrow which continues through the last family member, you would be looking at a picture of Next Generation Ministry.

We have become all too familiar with this picture of family members in the form of stick figures placed on the back window of vehicles. We like to count the number of figures and then also notice how many pets the family owns. Pets aside, a family is a unit that grows together. Through thick and then, a family hangs tight. I am sure you have heard of the expression, “a family that prays together stays together.” Most have rephrased this phrase today to say, “a family that plays together stays together.” That mantra has some credence but Scripture is clear that godliness holds value for “all things” while physical training is only of “some” value (I Tim 4:8).

A family left to themselves is never enough. The Bible has mandated in the Old Testament and the New Testament that the family partner with the church in the all-important task of raising children up in the way of the Lord. It truly does take a village to raise a child. Though parents will always be the primary disciple-makers of their children, parents should use the assistance of the local church in order to become a Great Commission family.

In NGM, family ministry is important, but there is more to the picture. Families look different today and churches must remember the spiritual orphan while planning. In NGM, church members can become the adopted spiritual parents for the spiritual orphans in the church. Michael and Michelle Anthony note in A Theology for Family Ministry, “what was once simply referred to as a Nuclear Family in North America has morphed into labels such as Non-Traditional Families, Fragmented Families, Single-Parent Families, Gay-Partner Families, Blended Families, and beyond.” Each church must wrestle with how they will minister to the different types of families found in their community.

The arrow that runs through the ages is the biblical strategy that NGM employs across its age-graded ministries (preschool, children, youth, college). In reality, multiple arrows could run through the age-graded ministry stick figures, representing multiple strategies such as the NGM’s mission strategy, education strategy, evangelism strategy, worship strategy, and so on.

The goal is neither Christian education nor spiritual formation in and of itself, but rather Christian formation. Holly Allen and Christine Ross define “Christian formation” as the process of Christians being formed, transformed, and conformed to the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Christians are actively involved in this process both personally and communally.[1] Christian formation is the exact point and place where Christian education and spiritual formation meet. Michelle Anthony and Megan Marshman state, “It’s in the marriage of information and formation that we have transformation.”[2]

Transforming students (birth-college) into disciples of Christ is the goal and NGM is the discipleship strategy of choice for many churches!

[1] Holly C. Allen and Christine L. Ross, Intergenerational Christian Formation: Bringing the Whole Church Together in Ministry, Community, and Worship (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012), 21.

 

[2] Anthony and Marshman, 7 Family Ministry Essentials, 81.

 

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Great Commission Next Generation Ministry

Post Olympics: The Divine Gospel Relay

OlympicsThe 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics hosted by Brazil finished up ten days ago. Perhaps no other Olympic sport competition captures the essence of Next Generation Ministry (NGM) better than the 4×100-meter relay race.

Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to run the race of the Christian faith with perseverance and to fix our eyes on Jesus while running. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7 that he finished his race and that he kept the faith. Paul’s goal in running his race was to win the prize and he trained to win (I Cor. 9:24-27; Phil 3:14). Paul was speaking to training for godliness more than he was speaking to physical training (I Tim 4:7). Paul knew the ultimate prize was Jesus, but Paul also knew the good news of the “glorious gospel of the blessed God” (I Tim 1:11) had been entrusted to him to pass down the torch and legacy of his faith to the next generation. How else could the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20) be fulfilled and how else could Christianity survive?

Paul was to pass down or handoff his faith to “reliable men” who were “qualified” to teach others (2 Tim 2:2). Paul stressed to his protégé Timothy and the church at Ephesus that they were to compete according to the rules (2 Tim 2:5) in order to obtain the crown. Timothy knew that his faith had been passed down to him from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Tim 1:5) and that he was to set an example to other believers as he ran his own race (I Tim 4:12). Believers are also told to “contend” for the transfer of faith as it occurs across generations (Jude 1:3) and to not allow anyone to “cut in” on the good race they are running (Galatians 5:7).

Do you know the USA’s Women’s 4×100-meter relay race history? In 1996, the summer Olympics were held in my back yard (Atlanta, GA) and the women’s team won gold! After that, however, the team’s luck ran out. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics (Australia), the US team lost by .25 seconds and finished 3rd after one muffed handoff. We must be careful to pass the gospel off safely and securely to the next generation that is to follow in our footsteps.

After every 100 meters exists a 20 meter exchange zone whereby the baton must be passed in. In the 2004 Athens Olympics (Greece), the women’s team was the fastest and the strongest team, but were disqualified after passing the baton out of the exchange zone. Being disqualified has to be the worst feeling in the world, especially after you know you would have won the race. I recently heard a Pastor say he would rather God kill him than be disqualified.

In the 2008 Beijing Games (China), American runner Torri Edwards was handing the baton off to Lauryn Williams in the final exchange when the baton slipped from Lauryn’s hand onto the track. Lauryn had dropped the baton. Team USA was disqualified again after being in the lead and for the first time in forty-eight years, the team was not allowed to run in the final medal race. The incident reminds me of the time a parent of one of the players on Alabama’s 2011 National Championship Football Team dropped the team’s Crystal trophy. In the case of the USA women’s team, the dropped baton cost the team gold. The gospel is too precious to miss, fumble, slip, or drop out of our hands in the handoff between generations.

Like the good news of the gospel that we are transferring from one generation to another, there is also a good news side of this Olympic story I have shared with you. In the 2012 London Games (England), the USA women’s team experienced clean handoffs at each exchange zone and smashed the world record winning in 40.82 seconds.

The individual 400 women’s meter relay record is held by Maria Kotch of East Germany at 47.60 seconds. Christine Caine in her book Unstoppable (where I’m getting most of my information from) says, “four champion runners collaborating in the relay are faster than a lone champion runner” because the “unified team of four completed their 400 meters a full 6.78 seconds faster.” In the same manner, I prefer next generation ministry to traditional silo’d ministry because parents, students, and leaders form a unified team approach who collaborate together to provide for smooth transitions between age graded ministries from birth through college. Just like the 4 x 100 relay race, a handoff is made three times at and from preschool ministry to children’s ministry to youth ministry to collegiate ministry. In this instance, the finish line is represented by disciples who have been made who in turn are now ready to make new disciples.

In case you did not know and were wondering how the USA Women’s 4×100-meter relay team fared at this year’s Olympics in Brazil . . . they won! After a collision between a Brazil and American runner in a qualifying race disqualified the USA team from competition, the USA team filed an appeal and won. The rest is history!

Sometimes life will knock you down; Don’t quit. The example of the USA team to get back up and the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12-14 remind us to forget what is behind and to press on towards the prize for which God has called us heavenward for in Christ Jesus.

The divine gospel relay is the best race anyone could run. Leaders, let’s use the gifts and talents God has given us to serve Him in this generation.

The race goes on! I’ve talked about not letting past failures hinder you from running your best race but you also must not let past successes stop you from being your best in the future. After all, the women’s 4×100-meter relay team must now prepare themselves for a three-peat at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

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Great Commission Next Generation Ministry

Reaching the Next Generation (Part 3)

Millennial3

This post is a third post in a three part series on identifying who the next generation is and how the church is to reach them.

In order for the church to reconnect to the next generation, Kinnaman says the church will have to rethink relationships, rediscover vocation, and reprioritize wisdom.[1] Kinnaman says that the church must (1) Cast out fear by discerning the times and embracing the risks of cultural engagement (2) Leave shallow faith behind by apprenticing young people in the fine art

of following Christ (3) Respond to today’s scientific culture by stewarding young people’s gifts and intellect (4) Live by a sexual ethic that rejects traditionalist and individualist narratives of sex (5) Demonstrate the exclusive nature of Christ by rekindling empathy for the other (6) Faithfully work through doubts by doing acts of service with and for others.[2]

To change the perception the church currently has from being un-Christian to Christian, Kinnaman and Lyons say the church must (1) Respond with the right perspective (2) Connect with people (3) Be creative (4) Serve people.[3]

The next generation craves community, depth, responsibility, and connection.[4] The churches that are meeting these needs are (1) Creating deeper community (2) Making a difference through service (3) Experiencing worship (4) Conversing the content (5) Leveraging technology (6) Building cross-generational relationships (7) Moving toward authenticity (8) Leading by transparency (9) Leading by team.[5]

To counter the prevailing Moralistic Therapeutic Deism that is running rampant in the church house today, churches must use the tools they have for “cultivating consequential faith.”[6]

Dean identifies these practices as translation, testimony, and detachment.[7] Rainer states that the “typical Millennial” wants a connected family, wants parental involvement, are diverse, believe they can make an impact on the future, are not workaholics, want a mentor, are green but not that green, communicate unlike any other generation, are financially confused, and are not religious.[8]

In order to reach these Millennials and the unchurched today, Schultz says that church practice must return to (1) Radical hospitality (2) Fearless conversation (3) Genuine humility (4) Divine anticipation.[9] To change the outsider’s perception of Jesus and His Church, Christ-followers need to act in grace and speak the truth in love. The church must embody service, compassion, humility, forgiveness, patience, kindness, peace, joy, goodness, and love.

Not all news is gloom and doom for the church’s next generation. “Lots of information abounds on young people leaving the church. But not all leave; many stay, thrive, and are impacting the world for Christ.”[10] Dr. Alvin Reid has identified some ways that the church can reach and keep the next generation (1) Befriend and mentor someone of the next generation (2) Take students out of the Christian subculture to develop skills and knowledge for interacting with the real world (3) Help students to think and live missional lives now (4) Help young people see how the Bible relates to their career (5) Help students own their faith and see faith lived out in the real world so that they can beyond a check-list Christianity to a lifestyle of following Jesus that matters.[11]

Though a new Pew Research survey found that the self-identified Christian share of the population declined almost 8% from 2007-2014, Evangelicals should not be alarmed. In a USA Today news article, Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of LifeWay Research, states that Christianity is not collapsing but is rather being clarified. Stetzer says that the church is not dying but is being more clearly defined and that churches are not emptying because evangelicals are attending church more than ever before. Stetzer asserts his belief because Pew Research does show that evangelicals in America have risen from 59.8 to 62.2 million in population over the past seven years and that those who self-identify as born-again have also risen from 34% to 35%. Stetzer says that “convictional Christianity” will continue.

Simply put, committed Christians who “value their faith enough to wake up on Sunday morning and head to their local church are mostly still going.” It is the nominal Christian­–people whose religious affiliation is in name only-who are becoming “nones” leading to the shrinking of Christianity in America. Though “Nones” have increased from 16%-23% of the total population over the past seven years, this increase is found to have come mostly from Catholics and Mainline Protestants.[12]

[1] Kinnaman, You Lost Me, 202-212.

[2] Ibid, 205-206.

[3] Kinnaman and Lyons, UnChristian, 206-12.

[4] Stetzer, Stanley, and Hayes, Lost and Found, 67-68.

[5] Ibid, 143-44.

[6] Dean, Almost Christian, 106.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Rainer, The Millennials, 30-48.

[9] Schultz, Why Nobody Goes to Church Anymore, 68.

[10] Reid, Blog, “Thursday is for Training: Keeping the Next Gen in Church,” March 12, 2015.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Stetzer, USA Today, “Survey Fail: Christianity isn’t Dying,” May 14, 2015.

Categories
Great Commission Next Generation Ministry

Reaching the Next Generation (Part 2)

Millennial2

This post is the second post in a three part series on identifying who the next generation is and how the church is to reach them.

In describing the religiously unaffiliated, James Emery White prefers to use the term “none.”[1] White claims that a snapshot or portrait of the average none shows that a none is (1)

Male (2) Young (3) White (4) Not necessarily an atheist (5) Not very religious (6) A Democrat (7) In favor of abortion and same-gender marriage being legal (8) Liberal or moderate (9) Not necessarily hostile toward religious institutions (10) Most likely a westerner.[2] According to Pew Research, the percentage of nones rose from 5 to 15% from 1940 to 1990 but exploded from 21 to 34 % between the years of 2008 and 2012.”[3] White believes this marked difference is due to the secularization, privatization, and pluralization of the modern world.[4]

Why is it that the next generation is shying away from church in larger numbers than years past? The unchurched offer many reasons as to why they avoid church. The unchurched claim church is boring (15%), they are not sure why they do not attend (13%), or that they are too busy (11%).[5] The unchurched perceive church people to be anti-homosexual (91%), judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashion (78%), too involved in politics (75%), and out of touch with reality (72%).[6]

In You Lost Me, Kinnman says that the disconnect with the church that the unchurched experiences is due to the fact that the unchurched perceive the church to be overprotective, shallow, anti-science, repressive, exclusive, and doubtless.[7] “The younger unchurched believe the church is too critical about lifestyle issues, full of hypocrites, and not necessary for spiritual development.”[8] Church refugees also claim they dropped out of church because they wanted a break, they moved to college, or they did not feel connected to the people in their church.[9]

Finally, other reasons given for not attending church come from those who say they do not want another lecture or that God is irrelevant in their life.[10] Katie Galli speaks for many younger adults when she says, “We’re especially disillusioned with the church.

Somewhere between the Crusades, the Inquisition, and fundamentalists bombing abortion clinics, we lost our appetite for institutionalized Christianity.”[11]

The first step for any church that is even mildly interested in next generation ministry is to identify who the next generation is. The second step is to seek to understand what appeals or methods are best utilized for successfully reaching the next generation. Gabe Lyons believes that the next Christians will be (1) Provoked, not offended (2) Creators, not critics (3) Called, not employed (4) Grounded, not distracted (5) In community, not alone (6) Civil, not divisive (7) Countercultural, not relevant.[12]

The idea that Lyons presents concerning the next Christians is one of restoring the culture and the cosmos. The idea of creation restoration is appealing to the next generation not only because they are taken up with social issues but because creation restoration explains in a fuller sense the intent and scope of the gospel and the kingdom of God.

But before the next generation can be creation restorers as God originally intended them to be, they must first be Christians. And in order for one to have his or her soul restored, he or she needs a Christ-follower to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with him or her. The church calls this event and process evangelism.

Unfortunately, White says that the church is avoiding these spiritual conversations thus figuratively closing their front door.[13] “Evangelism is fine in theory but not in practice.”[14] This amounts to the church saying we want the unchurched in heaven but we act like they can go to hell.[15] White claims that a church’s evangelism approach to reach the unchurched must be like an incubator: “Every approach, every program, every service furnishes a particular environment that will either serve the evangelistic process or hinder it.”[16] In reaching the next generation, White also believes the church must offer a cause, be full of grace and truth, establish a new apologetic, be unified, invite the unchurched to church, and renew their own commitment to church.[17]

[1] White, The Rise of the Nones, 13.

[2] Ibid, 22-23.

[3] Pew Research, “Nones on the Rise.”

[4] White, The Rise of the Nones, 45-46.

[5] Ibid, 53.

[6] Kinnaman and Lyons, UnChristian, 34.

[7] Kinnaman, You Lost Me, 92-93.

[8] Stetzer, Stanley, and Hayes, Lost and Found, 65.

[9] Rainer, Essential Church, 3.

[10] Schultz, Why Nobody Goes to Church Anymore, 23-27.

[11] Galli, “Dear Disillusioned Generation,” Christianity Today, April 21, 2008.

[12] Lyons, The Next Christians, 67.

[13] White, The Rise of the Nones, 84

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid, 93.

[17] Ibid, 99-165