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I posted to my blog
Why are Kids Leaving the Church?
Reading this article got me thinking. Why is there a mass exodus from the Christian church? What we are talking about here is not only…...
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I posted to worthyisthelamb.info
http://worthyisthelamb.info/blog/rss.xml
worthyisthelamb.info
Reading this article got me thinking. Why is there a mass exodus from the Christian church? What we are talking about here is not only just a problem with church attendance but also, and more importantly, a failure to transmit our faith to the next generation. This is really the problem — the next generation is leaving Christianity. <!--break--> h2. Incorrect reasons
It’s NOT (lack of) sound Biblical teaching
You’ll often hear this type of argument in Fundamentalist churches. For example, Ken Ham, says:
...the church opened a door for the exodus of youth … when it began teaching that ‘the age of the Earth is not an issue as long as you trust in Jesus and believe in the resurrection and the Gospel accounts.’
I’ll admit that Ken does challenge you to be more true to the Bible — this is a good thing for Christians. However, the answer to dwindling attendance is NOT more Biblical teaching. Consider what Jesus said to a group of orthodox believers:
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life (Jn 5:39-40).
You can be very “Biblical” — know and believe all the “right” doctrines but completely miss the mark. In Jesus’ time, people like this were called Pharisees.
No, I’m not implying that Fundamentalists are Pharisees — you are a Pharisee or a legalist when the object of your faith is Scripture and not the Person that Scripture points to, Jesus — and this can happen in any denomination.
And no, I’m not saying either that we need to abandon Biblical truths. All I’m pointing out is that sound Biblical teaching, in and of itself, is NOT the solution to a dying Church. In fact, Fundamentalist churches with their strict adherence to the Bible have the same generational problems as other denominations.
It’s NOT because the Church doesn’t evangelize
You’ll often hear this argument in Pentecostal and Evangelical churches that are performance-based:
The church is dying because you are not doing your part (evangelizing, praying, attending services, etc.)
There is obviously some truth — if a congregation doesn’t “get the word out”, then no one will know about it, and if no one knows about it, then it won’t grow.
However, genuine church growth is NOT directly proportional to a congregation’s evangelistic effort. To see that, look at the apostle Paul’s life: on the one hand, Paul was a passionate evangelist (and a very qualified and capable one). On the other hand, Paul wasn’t successful all the time. Sometimes he was able to convert thousands, while other times only a handful of people (Acts 17:16-34).
No, I’m not saying we shouldn’t evangelize. I’m merely pointing out that evangelism, in and of itself, does NOT guarantee a bigger congregation. In fact, I’m going to state the obvious: a congregation that’s focused on numbers will indeed pack its pews but with a roster of rotating visitors, not genuine Christians.
It’s NOT because the Church isn’t “relevant” enough
You’ll often hear this argument in liberal churches. For example, I remember reading this article about churches using Halo to draw teens in. For those of you who don’t know what Halo is, Halo is a video game where players run around killing each other.
Believe it or not, this issue is controversial in Christian circles. (“Ironic” is really the word that comes to kind since we preach love but are using violence to draw a crowd.) Still, I don’t want to be too harsh on the church leaders as I’ve made the same mistake myself and I also don’t want to go the other extreme of being a killjoy (I’ve also made that mistake myself.)
Perhaps the best way of looking at it is that the Church needs to be true to herself. Who are we? What is our identity? We are love and holiness. It’s as simple as that. It therefore follows that we do NOT need violence or immorality to draw people in. When we do, we only make the Church look desperate. You see, people aren’t stupid, they can see right through the gimmicks (in the same way people can smell a sales pitch a mile away). The result is, again, packed pews but with a roster of rotating visitors.
On the other hand, a “video game” night (or game night or football night or NASCAR night, etc.) in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The key condition is that you actually enjoy what you are doing, that is, that you are being true to yourself. (So as a Christian, immorality may not be who you are but you are definitely not a killjoy either, and I’ll leave it up to you to define what is and what is not appropriate.) Authenticity is the key. People sense that vibe. Genuine bonds of friendships and fellowship are formed, and that’s a good thing because it’s part of what the Christian life is supposed to be about.
So why are kids leaving the church?
Allow me to first point out that this trend isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What we are seeing is the end of organized religion as a force in Western Civilization. Isn’t that a bad thing? It depends on what you mean by “religion” and “force” — if by powerful religion you mean a community joined by genuine faith in Jesus Christ and love, with the power to help heal and transform lives, then yes that is definitely bad. But if by powerful religion you mean rituals, traditions, customs, money, and political muscle, then the end of organized religion is definitely a good thing.
Fortunately, I mean the latter. Another way of putting it is that we are seeing is the end of the Christian religion but not the end of the Christian faith. Jesus promised that the gates of Hell will never prevail against the church. (Yes, that means no culture or government will ever be able to get rid of us. For example, see modern-day communist China.) The real church will always prosper and grow stronger. However, we need to rethink what we mean by “strength” and “prosperity” — gone are the days of large temples, wealth, and political muscle. Real prosperity is lives transformed by Jesus, real strength is faith even in the midst of the worst tribulation.
The problem is that along with “false” believers falling away, there are also real believers who have given up on the Church and, in many cases, have even given up on trying to live any type of Christian life. So why are kids leaving the church?
The answer to the $64 million question
The Church is failing to transmit her faith to the next generation because she has degenerated into religion and has stopped being relevant. And by relevant I mean, not “let’s add more pop culture” or “let’s change culture” (that is, politics), but a congregation that touches your life in a personal way. And no, I don’t mean a cult. Remember what the Church really is — a community of believers, a family, joined together by love. Consider what Paul had to say to a group of believers who had stopped going to church:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Heb 10:24-25)
Do you see the picture that Jesus (through Paul) paints of a healthy congregation? Love and good works. A family joined together by love, motivating each other to keep doing good. (Yes, evangelism is part of the Christian family but it is a fruit of love, not an end in itself.) It really is that simple — all those church programs, speaking in tongues, seminaries, etc. are just icing on the cake.
The problem is that the vast majority of “modern” churches are far from the image of Christ’s real Church. Instead of “family”, “church” is a building and an hour during the week. Instead of “love,” “church” is an angry guy screaming from the pulpit telling you what to do. Instead of “community”, “church” is a program of activities or just another stressful job. What you have here folks is good-old fashioned religion, and non-believers and believers alike are are getting sick of it. Throw in a secular society that mocks religion and the result is that people are leaving the Church in record numbers. (DUH!)
What the Church needs to do, what God will do since He is working through us, and what is happening right now, is that the Church needs to go back to her roots — vibrant communities (families really, not necessarily in the literal sense) joined by love and with a common faith in Jesus. If it doesn’t feel like a loving family, then we are NOT doing it right. It’s as simple as that. The mission of the Church is to let everyone (including and specially the Church) feel Jesus’ love.
I should very briefly point out that, yes, sound Biblical teaching is still included, but it is only a part and not the center of the Church. The Christian life is much more than that — it’s a relationship with the living God. (And this relationship expresses itself in many ways, among them is studying Scripture.) The same goes for prayer, evangelism, ..., good works — these things are all different manifestations of our love and faith.
Well that concludes my two cents. I just want to remind you that I’m just a regular “Joe”, so don’t take my word for it. Study and investigate Scripture for yourself. Ask God to reveal to you what you don’t understand. (But at the same time, don’t be stubborn and unteachable.)
Array ( [title] => Why are Kids Leaving the Church? [permalink] => http://worthyisthelamb.info/blog/content/why-are-kids-leaving-church [content] =>
Reading this article got me thinking. Why is there a mass exodus from the Christian church? What we are talking about here is not only just a problem with church attendance but also, and more importantly, a failure to transmit our faith to the next generation. This is really the problem — the next generation is leaving Christianity.
<!--break-->
h2. Incorrect reasonsIt’s NOT (lack of) sound Biblical teaching
You’ll often hear this type of argument in Fundamentalist churches. For example, Ken Ham, says:
...the church opened a door for the exodus of youth … when it began teaching that ‘the age of the Earth is not an issue as long as you trust in Jesus and believe in the resurrection and the Gospel accounts.’
I’ll admit that Ken does challenge you to be more true to the Bible — this is a good thing for Christians. However, the answer to dwindling attendance is NOT more Biblical teaching. Consider what Jesus said to a group of orthodox believers:
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life (Jn 5:39-40).
You can be very “Biblical” — know and believe all the “right” doctrines but completely miss the mark. In Jesus’ time, people like this were called Pharisees.
No, I’m not implying that Fundamentalists are Pharisees — you are a Pharisee or a legalist when the object of your faith is Scripture and not the Person that Scripture points to, Jesus — and this can happen in any denomination.
And no, I’m not saying either that we need to abandon Biblical truths. All I’m pointing out is that sound Biblical teaching, in and of itself, is NOT the solution to a dying Church. In fact, Fundamentalist churches with their strict adherence to the Bible have the same generational problems as other denominations.
It’s NOT because the Church doesn’t evangelize
You’ll often hear this argument in Pentecostal and Evangelical churches that are performance-based:
The church is dying because you are not doing your part (evangelizing, praying, attending services, etc.)
There is obviously some truth — if a congregation doesn’t “get the word out”, then no one will know about it, and if no one knows about it, then it won’t grow.
However, genuine church growth is NOT directly proportional to a congregation’s evangelistic effort. To see that, look at the apostle Paul’s life: on the one hand, Paul was a passionate evangelist (and a very qualified and capable one). On the other hand, Paul wasn’t successful all the time. Sometimes he was able to convert thousands, while other times only a handful of people (Acts 17:16-34).
No, I’m not saying we shouldn’t evangelize. I’m merely pointing out that evangelism, in and of itself, does NOT guarantee a bigger congregation. In fact, I’m going to state the obvious: a congregation that’s focused on numbers will indeed pack its pews but with a roster of rotating visitors, not genuine Christians.
It’s NOT because the Church isn’t “relevant” enough
You’ll often hear this argument in liberal churches. For example, I remember reading this article about churches using Halo to draw teens in. For those of you who don’t know what Halo is, Halo is a video game where players run around killing each other.
Believe it or not, this issue is controversial in Christian circles. (“Ironic” is really the word that comes to kind since we preach love but are using violence to draw a crowd.) Still, I don’t want to be too harsh on the church leaders as I’ve made the same mistake myself and I also don’t want to go the other extreme of being a killjoy (I’ve also made that mistake myself.)
Perhaps the best way of looking at it is that the Church needs to be true to herself. Who are we? What is our identity? We are love and holiness. It’s as simple as that. It therefore follows that we do NOT need violence or immorality to draw people in. When we do, we only make the Church look desperate. You see, people aren’t stupid, they can see right through the gimmicks (in the same way people can smell a sales pitch a mile away). The result is, again, packed pews but with a roster of rotating visitors.
On the other hand, a “video game” night (or game night or football night or NASCAR night, etc.) in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The key condition is that you actually enjoy what you are doing, that is, that you are being true to yourself. (So as a Christian, immorality may not be who you are but you are definitely not a killjoy either, and I’ll leave it up to you to define what is and what is not appropriate.) Authenticity is the key. People sense that vibe. Genuine bonds of friendships and fellowship are formed, and that’s a good thing because it’s part of what the Christian life is supposed to be about.
So why are kids leaving the church?
Allow me to first point out that this trend isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What we are seeing is the end of organized religion as a force in Western Civilization. Isn’t that a bad thing? It depends on what you mean by “religion” and “force” — if by powerful religion you mean a community joined by genuine faith in Jesus Christ and love, with the power to help heal and transform lives, then yes that is definitely bad. But if by powerful religion you mean rituals, traditions, customs, money, and political muscle, then the end of organized religion is definitely a good thing.
Fortunately, I mean the latter. Another way of putting it is that we are seeing is the end of the Christian religion but not the end of the Christian faith. Jesus promised that the gates of Hell will never prevail against the church. (Yes, that means no culture or government will ever be able to get rid of us. For example, see modern-day communist China.) The real church will always prosper and grow stronger. However, we need to rethink what we mean by “strength” and “prosperity” — gone are the days of large temples, wealth, and political muscle. Real prosperity is lives transformed by Jesus, real strength is faith even in the midst of the worst tribulation.
The problem is that along with “false” believers falling away, there are also real believers who have given up on the Church and, in many cases, have even given up on trying to live any type of Christian life. So why are kids leaving the church?
The answer to the $64 million question
The Church is failing to transmit her faith to the next generation because she has degenerated into religion and has stopped being relevant. And by relevant I mean, not “let’s add more pop culture” or “let’s change culture” (that is, politics), but a congregation that touches your life in a personal way. And no, I don’t mean a cult. Remember what the Church really is — a community of believers, a family, joined together by love. Consider what Paul had to say to a group of believers who had stopped going to church:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Heb 10:24-25)
Do you see the picture that Jesus (through Paul) paints of a healthy congregation? Love and good works. A family joined together by love, motivating each other to keep doing good. (Yes, evangelism is part of the Christian family but it is a fruit of love, not an end in itself.) It really is that simple — all those church programs, speaking in tongues, seminaries, etc. are just icing on the cake.
The problem is that the vast majority of “modern” churches are far from the image of Christ’s real Church. Instead of “family”, “church” is a building and an hour during the week. Instead of “love,” “church” is an angry guy screaming from the pulpit telling you what to do. Instead of “community”, “church” is a program of activities or just another stressful job. What you have here folks is good-old fashioned religion, and non-believers and believers alike are are getting sick of it. Throw in a secular society that mocks religion and the result is that people are leaving the Church in record numbers. (DUH!)
What the Church needs to do, what God will do since He is working through us, and what is happening right now, is that the Church needs to go back to her roots — vibrant communities (families really, not necessarily in the literal sense) joined by love and with a common faith in Jesus. If it doesn’t feel like a loving family, then we are NOT doing it right. It’s as simple as that. The mission of the Church is to let everyone (including and specially the Church) feel Jesus’ love.
I should very briefly point out that, yes, sound Biblical teaching is still included, but it is only a part and not the center of the Church. The Christian life is much more than that — it’s a relationship with the living God. (And this relationship expresses itself in many ways, among them is studying Scripture.) The same goes for prayer, evangelism, ..., good works — these things are all different manifestations of our love and faith.
Well that concludes my two cents. I just want to remind you that I’m just a regular “Joe”, so don’t take my word for it. Study and investigate Scripture for yourself. Ask God to reveal to you what you don’t understand. (But at the same time, don’t be stubborn and unteachable.)
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I posted to worthyisthelamb.info
http://worthyisthelamb.info/blog/rss.xml
worthyisthelamb.info
I finally finished watching Soylent Green. This movie is a cultural staple in the US. You’ll find references in the Simpsons, other movies, etc. I wanted to see what all the hub-bub was about.
The movie scared the crap out of movie even though (or specially because) it’s almost 40-years-old. It’s basically a story of when Poverty meets Amorality. The world population has gotten out of control and nations don’t have enough resources to provide for all the people. The US turns into a third-world country. On top of the economic problems, there is a lack of basic morality. The results are chilling. Human life pretty much loses its value. Women sell themselves to the highest bidder. There is no marriage — or families for that matter. People die and no one mourns them. The majority of people can choose to either commit suicide in luxury or live in concentration-camp-like conditions. Despair reigns. People are treated like numbers.
Prophecy or just a stupid movie?
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI1MjcxMzI1M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTA5MDAwMQ@@._V1._SX96_SY140_.jpg
Array ( [title] => Soylent Green Scared the Crap Out of Me [permalink] => http://worthyisthelamb.info/blog/node/14 [content] =>
I finally finished watching Soylent Green. This movie is a cultural staple in the US. You’ll find references in the Simpsons, other movies, etc. I wanted to see what all the hub-bub was about. The movie scared the crap out of movie even though (or specially because) it’s almost 40-years-old. It’s basically a story of when Poverty meets Amorality. The world population has gotten out of control and nations don’t have enough resources to provide for all the people. The US turns into a third-world country. On top of the economic problems, there is a lack of basic morality. The results are chilling. Human life pretty much loses its value. Women sell themselves to the highest bidder. There is no marriage — or families for that matter. People die and no one mourns them. The majority of people can choose to either commit suicide in luxury or live in concentration-camp-like conditions. Despair reigns. People are treated like numbers.
Prophecy or just a stupid movie?
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