Categories
Family

First things first: Be the Family

table

Church, we must reach and we must strengthen the family unit.  Lately, I have been doing a lot of praying and head-scratching, trying to figure out why it appears the traditional church is dying.  I live in a rural area and have always been a small church guy (having worked on staff in multiple small churches).  I have nothing against the mid-size, large or megachurch congregations, having attended these as well.  But as I look around my surroundings and notice a multitude of small traditional churches, I notice a “graying” in church attendance without the balance of other hair colors (think families) in the crowd.

The majority of churches are small, under 100 in attendance, and represent the backbone of the American church.  In remarking on “five reasons why churches are dying and declining faster today,” Thom Rainer comments on five points: (1) Cultural Christianity is declining rapidly (2) The exit of the Builder generation (3) Migration from rural areas and small towns to the cities (4) Faster church transfers, and (5) Slow response to change as change accelerates all around us.  I feel the third and fifth points are most important.  Rainer states that “in 1790, only 5% of Americans lived in cites.  Today over 80% of Americans are city dwellers.”

Thus, one reason small traditional churches do not have many young people in them is that there are less families and young adults to go around than in years past.  However, I would say and Rainer would agree that there are a multitude of unchurched adults and families in any given area that the church is just not doing a good job of reaching. I think the fifth point Rainer makes goes without saying and is a significant reason why the traditional church (big or small) is found struggling.  In this digital age, the reality time gap will only increase for those dying churches who refuse to change.  For these type of churches, it’s just a matter of time.

I do think there is hope for the small church.  For example, my church’s problem is not with Rainer’s point number five.  My church is actually a church that acts like it is living in the year 2016!  Still, my church is not reaching as many young adults and families as it should.  Preaching styles and worship styles often can and should be tweaked, but I do not feel a church’s preferred style is the primary reason young adults or families stay away from church. Attitudes and judgments from church members can play a role, but I do not feel that this represents the core issue.  I think that the distractions and busyness of life, relational division (social media causes or not), and pleasure-seeking have taken over primary concern in family/young adult lives.

What is the church to do?  Just sit back and watch everyone become a gray-head until the church dies?  I think not!  The Bible gives us a solution and I will give you the prescription soon enough.  Know beforehand our answers do not come from the latest seminars, conferences, or how-to method.  Our answers have been tried and true, tested and approved by God himself.  There are many megachurches winning families and young adults to Christ by the droves.  However, about as many are making disciples a mile wide but an inch deep (there are some exceptions). In fact, Rainer notes that healthy churches have members not only in community but have members who read their Bible and pray daily (hint, hint).

Prescription: Acts 2:42 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” v. 47b – “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The key word in the prescription is devoted, a word I feel the church often ignores to its own peril. Have we really devoted ourselves to the Word of God (in public and in private), to being in community (how real are we in sharing our weaknesses and faults with one another), to the breaking of bread (is this just a ceremonial rite or is this a transformative experience), and to prayer (many members are scared to pray aloud-this would not be as big of a concern if we were devoted to the practice of prayer). And are we waiting upon the Lord?  It wasn’t man’s method or ingenuity that led to the church’s growth.  It was the Lord who added to the church’s number.

A friend of mine, noting from Genesis that God made the home before he created the church, once said that as the family goes, so goes the church, and as the church goes so goes our nation.  Stanley Hauerwas notes “that a stable family structure contributes to stable societies through community.”  To keep families in church (and hence to keep the church alive), we must strengthen the home (the relationship between parents and children) and to reach families out of church, we must meet families where they are (remember, families don’t look like what they used to).  More than keeping and reaching families, Acts 2:42-47 speaks of the church as being a family and even sharing their belongings with one another.  There is no better metaphor for who the church is to be and how the church is to grow.  I can still remember singing “The Family of God” chorus every time my small church would add a member, but now I wonder why we left out the stanzas between the chorus:

You will notice we say ‘brother and sister’ round here, It’s because we’re a family and these are so near; When one has a heartache, we all share the tears, And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.

From the door of an orphanage to the house of the King, No longer an outcast, a new song I sing; From rags unto riches, from the weak to the strong, I’m not worthy to be here, but praise God I belong!

Categories
Politics

Post Election: What does it mean for the Next Generation?

worship

I have so many thoughts and feelings concerning this year’s election/results and what it means for the next generation.  First, I was shocked that Trump won the vote.  I can still hear myself telling everyone 2-3 years ago that Hilary Clinton would be our nation’s next President.  Honestly, I didn’t like to say that, but I felt it was sure to happen.

What makes America great is that a man can overcome all odds, including the media, special interest groups, his own party, and the poll favorite herself to become President.  Only in America!  I didn’t think Trump had a chance.  The great thing about Trump is he owes no one anything.  He will not be a puppet on a string.  In fact, Trump doesn’t even want the President’s salary and is opting to be paid the required penny a year.

Trump is far from perfect and said many things he should not, but spiritually, I did feel he was this nation’s best alternative.  Compared to other Republican candidates, Trump put together the best evangelical task force.  Maybe I should not speak of politics, but I feel and believe that theology applies to all of life.

In my spirit, I feel Trump won the election for a few reasons: (1) The prayers of God’s people were heard.  2 Chronicles 7:14 was answered.  Many American Christians who have not faithfully been praying prayed for this year’s election, (2) The people’s voice was heard and it still counts.  What makes America great is that people vote in their leaders and the people’s choice won out.  I couldn’t have been more proud to be an American, and (3) God loves America and has not given up on her.

That being said, it is vital that God’s people use this upcoming 4-year window to impact the next generation like never before.  The cultural landscape of our nation is changing vastly.  Strategically, we must focus our efforts on minorities.  We must learn how to build bridges with those of other colors and ethnicities.  We must worship together, pray together, sing together, hold hands together, and study the Bible together.  Simply put, we must experience a little heaven on earth (Rev 7:9).  Personally, I have many friends that don’t look like me or talk like me and I love them all.

Finally, I think a word of thanks goes out to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and specifically the Graham family.  Billy has been a faithful servant of God for many years.  His son, Franklin, went to every state capitol and called for God’s people to come out, to repent, and to pray for the nation’s election.  I think God in his providence has allowed Billy to stay alive long enough to see the fruits of his labor.  In fact, it would not surprise me at all if Billy passed shortly after Trump is sworn into office as our nation’s Commander-in-chief.

Let’s thank God for the election results, but even more so, let’s be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49).

Categories
Communication

Listen Up

ear

“He who has ears, let him hear. To what can I compare this generation?” – Matthew 11:15-16a

I am burdened for the next generation. In working with the next generation in a church and in a Christian school setting, I am allowed front door access to peer into the next generation’s relationship with God. I realize my view is limited by geography and a host of other factors, but I believe what is happening in my environment are not isolated incidents and are happening on a grander scale in other environments.

When it comes to the next generation’s relationship with God, the next generation encounters distractions from every angle. The enemy doesn’t want the next generation to spend time with God, whether that comes in the form of private or public Bible study, prayer, or worship. The enemy will do whatever he can to keep families out of church and the enemy will do whatever he can to break the family unit up. I believe the devil is unleashing a holy hell on society because he knows his time is short. He knows he is a defeated foe and desires to take everyone down with him that he can.

Besides the enemy’s work, society presents enough distractions itself. The next generation is inundated with marketing techniques and ploys to buy the next great gadget. The next generation then spends excessive time on these devices, being consumed by the images and messages that lie within. In the meantime, face to face relationships suffer as people lose contact with reality while online relationships often create havoc in the virtual and in the real world. Consequently, Christ-followers can spend more time worrying about themselves than they do thinking about how best to build God’s kingdom on earth. In other words, spiritual priorities can get out of whack as the minors take over the major.

However, I think the greatest obstacle standing in the next generation’s relationship with God is the next generation’s unwillingness to let God talk. The postmodern mindset poses a problem in this communication task, but the postmodern mindset is not the only problem. The prominent issue at hand is the ability to quiet oneself to hear what the Spirit is speaking. Noise and busyness is the norm in the life of the next generation. I often notice that when God is speaking to the next generation, the next generation is often found talking above God (or playing on their phones). In other words, the next generation cannot hear God because they are too loud or they have not learned how to act under authority. Discipline comes into play at this point but the enactment of discipline still may not be enough. The intervention of spiritual disciplines such as silence and solitude help but do not provide an immediate fix.

Listening is a practice and listening takes practice. Jesus said to seven churches in Revelation 2-3, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Quieting down to hear the message is only the first step. Listening is not the same as hearing. Once God’s message is heard and listened to, the next generation can then step out in faith and obey. Lou Holtz, the famous football coach at Notre Dame was right when he said God gave you two ears and one mouth so you would listen twice as much as you talk. I think God does have a message for the next generation. Can you hear it?

Categories
Education

Educating the Next Generation

thanksgiving

For those of you who read my blog and have never met me, you are probably not aware that I am a school teacher. I do serve the next generation in church ministry but I also teach the next generation in school. I enjoy working with the next generation in a variety of forms as it allows me to stay connected to their world, which I might remind you is ours.

Where is the field of education going in the 21st century? Are we moving beyond a brick and mortar schoolhouse with traditional teachers who instruct in one specialized subject area? Will there be more distance learning, online education, hybrid classes, and facilitators who oversee multiple subject areas? What are the long-term effects of dual-enrollment for high school students?   And what is going to happen with the movements created and sustained by homeschool co-op’s, homeschool associations, and private or Christian schools? There are many questions and there are many answers in the field of education.

Rather than answering general questions related to the field education, I would prefer to answer specific questions as they pertain to educating the next generation.

There are many realms to be explored, but having taught PE for a number of years, I will start with the physical dimension. The information I share with you today will come from Generation iY by Tim Elmore and from my own personal reflection and thoughts. You may be shocked to hear that Generation Z views “outside sports as a health tool, not as something you do for play.” Older generations grew up playing baseball, football, and basketball after school. Though this current generation seems to enjoy playing the game of soccer more than some of the traditional sports, “more of them are inside, not outside, and they are multi-tasking on five screens.”

Diane Chandler notes that as students (screenagers) spend lengthy periods of time behind the computer, television, tablet, theater and mobile phone screens, the sedentary lifestyle is increasing on a national scale. While students have been playing video games and appeasing other media appetites, “teen obesity has tripled since 1970.” Chandler states that physical inactivity has led the American College of Sports Medicine to develop a national campaign and website titled “Exercise is Medicine.” The US Center for Disease and Prevention reports that one-third of all US children and adolescents are considered overweight or obese. Whereas “obesity is a growing problem” for Generation Y and iY (1983-2000), obesity will be a “gigantic problem” for Generation Z (2001-2018). Don’t be surprised to see video game scholarships offered to Generation Z and don’t be surprised when you see schools using video games to teach. Tim Elmore says, “the written word is losing authority” and that “images are the language of connection in the 21st century.”

In his classic book about Christian education, Will Our Children Have Faith?, John Westerhoff writes prophetically to our day and time by saying that students need to be “enculturated” in an environment where “interaction” becomes the norm. Learning is discovering for oneself and teachers are to become coaches who help students discover through experience. Let students participate in activity and allow students to see what you are teaching (remember, students “think in images”). Hearing alone will never suffice. Rather than doing something for the student or teaching something to students, teachers should do something with students to the point where students can actively do something for or even by themselves. When students become self-learners and self-feeders who can self-discover, be assured that something great is in store for their future!

Teach to the whole child using the child’s whole senses. Teach to “involve both sides of the brain.” Use music, art, drama, and movement to retain knowledge. The media uses this technique and this is why the media often educates students more effectively than schools. Students are using technology to stream their life and to express themselves. This direct involvement of every sense captures a student’s full attention. And you wonder why you cannot unglue your student’s face from his or her screen? “Enable them to use their portable device (phone or tablet) to search and learn about things that interest them.” Don’t fight against technology, but learn how to work with it.

Provide Generation Z with a challenge and a cause and then sit back and watch them change the world. In our digital age, which reminds me of virtual reality, many of us will end up working for innovators found in Gen Z. We are all pilgrims on a journey, thus it remains vital that generations collaborate and learn together. The next generation needs the life skills, wisdom, and mentoring which older generations can provide, while older generations need to understand how to navigate the new world they find themselves living in.

Categories
Articles Next Generation Ministry

The Walking Dead: It is real

zombie

There are dead men and women, dead boys and girls walking around us every day. It is hard for us to believe that they are dead because we see them moving, breathing, and making all types of sound. Ephesians 2:1 and Colossians 2:13 teach that those without Christ are dead in their sins. You may recall how Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again (John 3:3). What does a person who is dead but is alive look like?

The popular television show The Walking Dead, now airing in its 7th season, has garnered more attention than any other cable or broadcast series for 18 to 49-year-olds. The show made its season debut last month with a viewership of 17 million. In a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies (“walkers”), survivors attempt to do just that-survive.

To me, The Walking Dead paints a vivid picture of what it means for a person to be alive, yet dead at the same time. The survivors who have not yet been eaten or infected represent humans who are alive and who are doing everything in their power to live to see another day. The zombies are those who are already dead, who have passed onto the other side. There is no hope for the zombie, but the survivors hang on to a glimmer of hope.

My fear is that there are Christians today who are living out a half-life, a life based on survival. Jesus did not come and die on this earth so that those who know Him could survive this life. He came so that his followers could thrive in this life (John 10:10). Yes, persecution and death may befall the Christian, but ultimately there is life in death for the believer. There is a joy to behold in this life and the next and his name is Jesus, the One who conquered death itself. The Kingdom of Heaven is to come but it is also present in the hearts of men made alive now.

The Dead Man Walking made a way. Jesus may have looked like a zombie to those who saw him soon after he walked out of the grave. But who could have imagined?

Christians, we are more than survivors. We are thrivors! There is no need to drag. The same power that was at work in bringing Christ out of the grave is the same resurrection power that is at work in our lives! We go out into the world to infuse Life into those who have bitten with the death curse. We have the lifeline, the good news cure to share with those The Bible claims are dead in their sins. We hope they will be born again so that they too can experience life to the full.

Let’s rally together and go wake up the dead Christians who seem to be sleepwalking and remind them of what Life is all about. Let’s tell those who are dead in their sins how they can have Life eternal. You don’t have to wait until the apocalypse to see a world filled with dead people. Just look around you, witness the hopelessness and despair, and get moving!

Categories
Parenting

Life unfiltered: No strings attached

beatsWe are very close to celebrating ten years! But ten years of what, you may ask? In 2007, entertainment-focused smartphones hit the market. I must confess that I was late to the game. As a teacher, I would see my students playing on the original iPhone while I was still pulling out my flip phone. Students were navigating the social media world on sites such as My Space and Facebook (which have been outdated for some time now). At the beginning of 2010, I finally gave in and did what I thought I would never do: join Facebook. But in 2011, I took an even bigger step: I bought my first smartphone. I can still hear the sound, “Droid.” I had the world at my fingertips and literally felt like I had stepped into a brave new world. I knew smartphones were a gamechanger when it came to “life as we know it.” However, the point I want to make is that I was and still am “old-school.” I want to stress that students were using smartphones and social media light years before I ever stepped into their world.

What has happened in and to society since smartphones and social media came onto the scene has not always been for the best. People blindly accepted the innovation and progressiveness that media and technology provided without understanding the full ramifications that the use of each medium would bring. This post is not meant to be an all-out condemnation toward any individual or any group of people. For the most part, we are all guilty. We didn’t “count the cost” as Jesus would say or consider the consequences. Still, others must admit they never changed or were late to changing because they just don’t like to change or were scared by it all.

Churches (leaders especially) and parents have often been late to the game. As parents and leaders, we should be out on the cultural forefront of what our students are exposing themselves to and at the same time being exposed to. I wish I could have wrote this post years ago, but I was not out in front as much as I should have been. This is no one’s fault but my own. But now, I want to take the time to dedicate and direct this post to next gen parents and leaders.

What happened in the onset of this digital technological revolution is that parents handed their child (with the permission and approval from church leaders) the world before their child was mature enough to handle this responsibility. On a side note, there are many adults not ready for the utilization of this type of power. I compare the use of smartphones and social media to how the world views the use of alcohol. There should be a time of education about the dangers of texting, posting, chatting, surfing, etc. before use is allowed (perhaps there should be an age-limit too). Many children (not just teens) were given access to the world placed in the palm of their hand only to be controlled with the tip of their finger. In the name of progress, parents and leaders bought in hook, line, and sinker and took the technological bait. Parents installed no content filters on their child’s phone and their children were exposed to words, images, and content that an eight-year-old growing up in 1956 would never have imagined. In other words, children were not ready for what they what they would encounter. And ever since, children have had to constantly battle thoughts and desires that they are not sure how to deal with.

We should not be surprised at these happenings. I John 2:16 says that “everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world.” The world wants the next generation to lose its innocence, to grow up too fast, to become what it already is. Many Christian parents have wised up over time by making sure filters are in place on the smartphones they give their children. But many are like the proverbial ostrich with their heads still stuck in the sand.

Thanks to wiki, google, and a host of other sources, students can learn answers to their innermost questions online. Many do not gain the life-wisdom and experience gleaned by those who came before them. A recent commercial for Beats Wireless (starring Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled, Karlie Kloss, Travis Scott, Amber Rose, Rebel Wilson, Ben Simmons, and a host of other young stars) captures what can happen when the “all-day companion” takes the place of a parent. Beats Wireless slogan is “no strings attached.” When a student lives out this mantra, there are no biblical guidelines to hold them back. Students feel that anything goes because they define what is right and wrong. They become their own god and thus miss out on the sage wisdom from parents, leaders, and God’s Word that states there are consequences to their actions (2 Tim 3:5; Gal 6:7).

What is the wave of the future? How do church leaders and parents stay ahead of the game? Startup investor Scott Belsky recently made 5 predictions about the future of technology (article found at www.businessinsider.com). Belsky predicts that social media will become passive:

The concept of actively “posting” or “sharing” will be frowned upon and entirely replaced by a passive stream of your life’s experiences, whereabouts, and media consumption. Imagine a 24 hour channel of you that is authentic, aways live (or automatically programmed), and always accessible to your friends (or if you’re born in the age of transparency (post year 2000), accessible to anyone). 

I can attest that livestreaming is capturing the imagination of Generation Z. Whether Belsky is correct in the five predictions he makes is another question. All I know is that next gen parents and leaders better pay attention. We cannot afford to lose a generation because we were unwilling to keep up.

Categories
Art Creativity

Christian, Knock it off

christian-art

While attending a Christian college around the turn of the century, I would attend Baptist Student Union (BSU) every now and then. I and every other Christian on campus must have been witnessed to a thousand times and everyone was told these words, “you should come to BSU.” I must admit my school’s BSU could attract a crowd and had a praise team that produced quality sound. The praise team would sing a song at BSU and during chapel that was a favorite of many. The song was titled Celebration and was a knock-off of a post-disco song by Kool & the Gang, released in 1980. Not only was the song a knock-off but the song was also 20 years old.

What I have recounted above is a descriptive picture of the Christian sub-culture or what many have termed “the Christian bubble.” We Christians have everything – Christian t-shirts, Christian music, Christian schools, Christian toys, Christian yellow pages, Christian arts, Christian fiction, Christian movies, and the list goes on and on. I like what Alvin Reid says about the Christian subculture in his book As You Go: “You can spot something in the Christian subculture because it looks like something you would find elsewhere, costs more, and doesn’t work as well!”

Where did all the creativity and originality in Christianity go? Why does it seem Christian innovation and imagination has all but vanished? What do Elvis Pressley, Kurt Cobain, and Katy Perry all have in common? Besides being musical icons in their own generation, they all grew up in church. The church is known for stifling one’s talent, for not allowing one to express him or herself in the way God designed them. This has proven particularly true for teenagers, when identity development enters its peak stage during the course of one’s lifespan.

Do you remember the Middle Ages or the Renaissance and all the Christian art that was produced in that time? Hold up. Time-out. That Christian art was not considered a part of the Christian sub-culture. If people wanted a “Christian” picture or painting, people did not have to go to a Christian bookstore to purchase it. The “Christian” art of the of the Middle Ages or the Renaissance was considered a part of the culture. Where are all the expressions of Christianity in our culture? What impression are we making? We need “Christian” businessmen and women, soldiers and law enforcement, lawyers, teachers, artists, and politicians at work in society.  But we do not need them to work as an entire subset in and for themselves.

Fortunately, a movement has been gaining steam in Christian sub-cultures to break the box wide-open. Remember the Jesus Movement in the 1970’s? We need another movement to take place today where Christian talent and arts can flourish in society as culture and not as sub-culture. Toby Mac and LeCrae are two musical artists who have broken the bubble by topping not only Christian charts but the Billboard charts! That’s what the church needs to do! We need to get back to where we as Christians affect culture, not hide from it or become repulsive to it.

Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Dallas, TX, describes the gospel at work on the ground and the gospel at work in the air. The gospel on the ground refers to propositional truths about Jesus whereas the gospel in the air “connects human salvation to cosmic restoration.” Gabe Lyons in The Next Christians says there is a movement at work where Christians “want to be a force for restoration in a broken world” while Christians at the same time are still found proclaiming the gospel. Alvin Reid calls this being missional. Incarnating the gospel in its full form is the prescription for today’s ailing world and ailing Christian sub-culture.

Categories
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!

Categories
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!

Categories
Next Generation Ministry

Is there any Hope in ministering to postmoderns?

bible-pic

“In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned” -Titus 2:7b–8a

We live in a postmodern post-Christian context where the world tells us that nothing matters, absolute truth does not exist, and what’s good for you may not be good for me.  In other words, everything is relative and everything is tolerated (except Christianity) in this politically-correct pluralistic utopian-like society.  The word “whatever” sums up this worldview because what’s true for you may not be true for me.  In Bible times, the equivalent of this “whatever” lifestyle can be found in Judges 17:6b, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (ESV).  The HCSB states, “everyone did whatever he wanted.”

How do we minister, and specifically evangelize a generation that increasingly adopts the postmodern mindset? I have taken much time in prayer, in the Word, in seeking God, in research, and in study during my leisure time to attempt to arrive with a plausible answer to this crucial question.  I do not have enough space in this blog entry to write all the answers I have found or have been revealed to me.  Most experts will tell you that sharing your story within sharing The Story (Creation, Fall, Rescue, Restoration) is foundational.  I would agree with this assessment as the biblical worldview seen through the lens of Scripture presents a perfect balance that makes sense out of all of life.

However, I want to share with you my personal thoughts and feelings on the subject of ministering in a postmodern world. We know that images capture the attention of the next generation more than words. Young people often live their lives vicariously through the media.  The next generation often make sense of their world through their music, movies, and games.  How many times have you heard a teenager quote a movie, sing his or her favorite lyrics, or talk non-stop about their favorite video game?  Thanks to technology and social media, the next generation could almost be considered to have multiple personalities in the form of a real-life self and a virtual-self.  In essence, these two people should be the same, but oftentimes they are worlds apart.  This makes ministering to the next generation twice as hard.

But it’s no time to give up!  In working with the next generation, there is a lack of seriousness (see the verse above).  We next generation ministry leaders often contribute and sometimes unintentionally add to the lack of seriousness in the next generation that we minister to.  In this world of random, where kids say things out of the blue that have no bearing on anything whatsoever, we leaders often respond with the same postmodern lingo or say nothing and let our students carry on adlib.  The result is neither party gaining anything of substance.  In postmodern lingo, one word has many meanings. This is one reason in which secular songs are so popular because a song or even a word in a song takes on so many different meanings to different people.

In contrast, the Word is full of substance.  The Word is spirit and life (John 6:63). The Word is truth (John 17:17) and The Word is a means to how one worships (John 4:24).  When we next generation leaders pray the Word, speak the Word, sing the Word, or most importantly live the Word, the next generation takes notice.  The next generation sees Christ (John 13:34–35) and in turn sees hope (Col 1:27).  Hope is what the next generation desires and is what is highly sought after by postmoderns.  We have to tell the emerging generations that there is hope, but more importantly, we must show them who Hope is.

The postmodern movement is not all bad.  There are actually some good elements within postmodernism that have nudged ministry leaders to reform the church today!  However, there are extremes on both sides of the movement and any philosophy or worldview left to itself and without Christ is hopeless and can easily deceive (Col 2:8).

Next generation leader, let’s teach with seriousness, but more importantly, let’s live serious lives.  You can still be cool and hip.  You can still relate and have fun.  But when it comes to the Word of God, let’s make sure the next generation understands God’s Word and life itself is no game.