“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Matthew 7:13-14 NLT
The researchers tell us that “20 somethings” and “30 somethings” are leaving the church in unprecedented numbers. As I have thought about this, one of the issues that has presented itself to me is the fact that these people are the products of very extensive and expensive “youth ministry” efforts by the church in the 90’s and the “aughts.” Clearly, although that ministry was not a complete failure, it was largely so. What did we do wrong? And can it be corrected?
I suggest that the failure was in the very concept itself. We created for those kids an alternate to church, one that was full of fun and special activities, and now that they are in their 20’s and 30’s they find that the “church” in which they are expected to take their places is not like youth group. Instead, it is a long walk in the same direction. How boring! How exhausting! The fact is, we did not prepare them for the realities of the Christian life. John Bunyan had it right, and we did not prepare them to be pilgrims on the long road.
Are we doing better with GenZ, who seem to me, as a generation, to be bi-polar? They appear to cycle rather sharply and suddenly between depressed and manic. Unless life is extreme it is the pits. Well, as my mother used to say (to my extreme disgust), “Honey, life is very daily.” Yes, a life of dedicated service to Christ and the world may result in a martyr’s death, but much more likely, it will be a steep and narrow road that will require putting one tired, but determined, step in the place of the preceding one. Oh, all the while our hearts can be infused with the quiet joy of knowing our hand held firmly in Jesus’ hand. But still, it isn’t very exciting – it isn’t “extreme.” I wonder how we can best communicate that vision to a generation that has seen very few examples of quiet people who can be trusted to be as faithful tomorrow as they were yesterday?
Called To Be Transformed 