What's Next?

As I sit to write, I notice that on the calendar, we’ve made a transition from summer to autumn. And in that transition, we will prepare for what comes next. We’ll batten down the hatches, insulate the windows, turn off the air conditioning, and make sure that the heater is ready for what’s next.

I wonder if we do the same with church? Do we really prepare for what’s next, or do we find ourselves in the midst of it, wondering how we got here and how we can get back to where we were? In his book, The Present Future, Reggie McNeal says that “The current church culture in North America is on life support.” This is his first sentence! The church culture he goes on to describe as dying or in transition, is that which was prevalent in the middle of the last century. He says: “So far the North American church largely has responded with heavy infusions of denial, believing the culture will come to its senses and come back around to the church.” That’s not really happening. Over the course of the last few decades, researchers have suggested that the perceived participation of people in churches (roughly 40%) has been greatly over exaggerated. The real numbers are closer to 25%. And as you go further down in the “generational food chain”, as he calls it, the numbers are even less. “The drop is from the 52% of builders (those born before 1946) and seniors to only 36% of gen Xers. Armed with this information, of course, churches are launching an all-out effort to reach gen Xers. I wish! Most churches have actually just written them off, waiting for them to grow up and learn to like what the church has to offer.” (p.3)
And McNeal writes: “Dawson McAlister, national youth ministry specialist, says that 90% of kids active in high school youth groups do not go to church by the time they are sophomores in college. One-third of those will never return.”(p.4) This isn’t just rebellion. This is exodus! The question is not “how do we do church better?” The question is “are we doing what the church was intended to do in the first place?” Are we making disciples of Jesus Christ? And does that process look the same as it did in the last century?

In the past, discipleship has emphasized learning as the primary goal of that discipleship. Unfortunately, just knowing isn’t enough. We’re not learning about God so that we can take a test on the information we’ve gathered. As disciples, we’re called to know God. Now, I’ve gotten to know a lot about Debby over the course of the last 18 years. I could probably even pass the test. However, I could do that without having a real relationship with her, too. Fortunately for me, I've also gotten to know her, not just know about her. Part of the problem with discipleship in the 21st century is that we don’t deal in relationship. And we wonder why there is no passion for Jesus and His mission!

Is it too late? Is it possible for us to wake up and be about the business of forming disciples of Jesus? I’m not speaking of making people who look like us, as comfortable as that may be, but rather those who look, serve and act like the One who transforms hearts and lives. What would you do if it meant the difference between reaching and losing a generation? What if that generation were your children or grandchildren? Would you model discipleship that is more than Sunday morning? Would you be a part of a small group who does mission and ministry together? Would you gather with friends over coffee and wade through life together? Would you make discipleship about more than just learning about Jesus?

Keep praying, Avoca. We can make a difference yet.

PK