I had a good friend write a blog about church and it stirred up some feelings inside of me that have been repressed and now are coming forth. As it is my blog. Might as well write about it.
I am sitting getting ready for a Wednesday Night Youth Gathering.
Most people call it Youth Group.
I wonder about all of those who have been in my ministry in the past and recognize it is a wednesday night.
They know where I will be and what I will be doing.
They remember the times they came down to the altar at Youth Group.
When God met them so strong and they were able to cry and pray and feel like God cares about them each.
In fact they had there lives changed
they were able to see things in a different light
and to be able to make right decisions and they knew people cared about them.
Then they graduated High School.
and they stopped caring or coming.
No longer did it matter that there former friends and Youth Group members were desperate for
someone to care about them.
No longer did it matter that the wisdom and stuff they learned needed to be passed down to people going through similar situations. That there insight was needed to keep the expressions of Faith (The way services go or are planned) new and fresh.
It was boring to them. They knew what was going to happen or they were older or had more important things to do than to spend a hour downstairs in a basement with stupid teens.
and so they left.
Most will start to fall away from God. They think it is maybe because God wasn't real.
They stop coming on a Sunday morning because it feel irrelevant or doesn't apply to there lives.
God just doesn't move the same or there knowledge is so strong in who God supposedly is that its boring.
They get older and come to church every once in a while. They wonder why it can't be cooler or fit into a cultural context that is appealing to them. Why the music is old people music? Why doesn't the church keep up with the times and it is old and out-dated.?
A long time ago (7-8 years), I Spoke to Rob Bell about my frustrations with the church.
I complained about all of these things that I see so many people in my generation saying.
He said " Be the change, you want to see"
If you want church to be different.
If you want the world to be different
If you want to have a better life
If you want something more.
Then start doing something about it.
Be what you want to see.
Stop living for yourself and do something for someone else.
Church is more than your needs.
I promise you until I began caring about my brother christian I never truly understood.
Until I sat and cried with a 70 year old man who talked about overcoming his addictions. I never understood.
I wish that those who grew up in my ministry came back and tried to recapture
What I call the body of God
or
Church.
1 comment:
David,
Good luck in the blogosphere.
interesting thoughts .
i too wonder what happens "after" HS. not sure if its not our culture where there is a right of passage and some expectations that "you are ready for the world, now go gettem".
I wonder if the path after HS is an indicator of where the youth saw their guidance during the years of "captivity". All of a suddenly teachers are out of the picture as well as parents if the young person goes away to school or moves out....my point is that if they took their lead from a DIRECT relationship with Christ,the relationship would continue but direction taken from parents (although they may be followers of christ)or teachers who are now out of the picture might leave them lost and in unchartered waters....as one who was told what to believe and do in church growing up.....i was focussed on the christian actions rather than the spiritual realationship. take away the church......no place to go throught the motions(actions) eatcblis the personel relatiuonship...its stays with you....Thanks for what you do david
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