Starting Today
Blog 6.6.2022
Starting Today
Record numbers of those professing to be followers of Christ are leaving their churches. Across the board, young people are turning their backs on formal religion and its ritual observances. The Barna Research Group noted an alarming statistic that “nearly two out of every three young Christians (64%) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15.” Reading a statistic like this will always break my heart. My heart aches for those that leave and never come back; for them to approach the love of Christ and reject it overwhelms me with sorrow. Their website (Barna Group – Knowledge to navigate a changing world) has a lot of great resources; they have done a lot of surveys and research on how to maintain this disappearing demographic. I highly recommend looking into their assortment of studies to gain perspective.
However, I believe two things can happen when we look at research studies and surveys like this. The first is that we begin to feel hopeless, desperate, and perhaps that all is lost. I encourage you to not fall into this trap of thinking. We (Christians) are built upon hope; even when all seems to be lost, we have a God who can do the impossible. “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
The second is that we tend to point fingers when we read this kind of information. We blame every generation for its failings. We condemn the one generation for their lack of love. We blame another for their lack of conviction. Yet another is blamed for its soft stance on biblical issues. We point fingers and blame everyone for their contributions to this problem. Jesus has a far different approach to looking at these issues; they are found in Matthew 7:3-5, the discourse of the speck and log. Jesus plainly teaches that when there are glaring weaknesses in our spiritual walk, we first address our shortcomings and then help out those around us. We all have spiritual struggles; to deny this is to call God a liar, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make [God] out to be a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). The proper adjustment is to take stock of your own walk and fix the areas you are lacking, and if you are lacking, God will bring you to maturity. If you don’t know if you have a speck in your eye, ask someone; perhaps they can see it well enough to help you pinpoint the culprit.
In their book “Faith for Exiles” David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock present a strong strategy for exodus-proofing a church. It is by maintaining a multigenerational approach to all aspects of life. This means breaking out of a “Sunday morning mentality” or having conversations with people in a different age category. It might even mean leaving your specific region of the building to talk to someone across the aisle. Here are some questions to consider: when was the last time you spoke to someone that was not your “”normal”” group at church? When did you seek out someone in a different age group than you? These little questions are the specks in our eyes; let’s not let them turn into logs.
One final thought on issues like this. It is easier to “”Monday morning quarterback”” or second-guess what we should have done in the past. It is harder to look forward, hold ourselves accountable and make the necessary adjustments. It is like putting our hand on to plow and looking back; we can’t live like that. Starting today, we must keep our eyes firmly fixed on our intended direction and start moving the way we should be heading.
Luke 9:57-62
“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “”I will follow you wherever you go.”” 58 Jesus replied, “”Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”” 59 He said to another man, “”Follow me.”” But he replied, “”Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”” 60 Jesus said to him, “”Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”” 61 Still another said, “”I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”” 62 Jesus replied, “”No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”