Where Are They?
I can't help but raise a question that was apparent as I traveled out of town to minister this weekend. When it comes to most traditional churches, I can't help but ask the question, where are the young adults? The ages 18-30, if you were to be honest, there is somewhat of a black hole in that no one can tell me where they are! Can anybody answer the question or does anyone even care that when our kids reach 18 years of age that there is nothing offered?
It's an issue that no one seems to want to address or if they do, they do it HALF-AZZ to where it doesn't account for much. I have such a desire to see young adults grow in the fear and the knowledge of the Lord and it bothers me to tremendously when I see our churches ignore what I see is a dying generation! What do we do? It's important that we ask ourselves this question because if we don't, we run the risk of losing yet even more of our young people when they reach college and begin to learn about other religions and begin to question the foundation in which many were given.
I know from personal experience, the kinds of temptations that wait out there for them and I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to reach them. I struggled and wrestled with the same issues during my time at Morehouse and thank the Lord for a "New Birth" (the church that I attended while I was in the ATL). The church, which is pastored by Bishop Eddie L. Long, ministered directly to my needs as it pertains to where I was as a young adult. As a young adult, you feel like you are a square peg trying to fit into a round hole and Bishop, in his uncanny way of ministry, was able to speak directly to those issues. In addition, he was willing to go against the grain in a lot of issues in reaching the youth as well as young adults. It didn't come without criticism from the "church" because you know change dies hard but he stuck to his guns and decided that "come what may" he wasn't willing to risk the next generation to appease the "old" money in the church.
What are most pastors willing to do to make sure that their youth and young adults stay in the press? Are they willing to risk losing some of the older bunch to make sure they have a church standing in twenty or thirty years? Or do they just want to maintain the status quo? I've had these discussions with a few people over the past few days and it's a question that we must ask ourselves because it's not just for pastors. It's for the everyday people as well. We wonder why our young people look elsewhere for guidance. We wonder why Louis Farrakhan is so attractive to them, well, I'll tell you, he has a relevant message that meets them where they are!
Unfortunately, many of us are stuck at Calvary and never progress forward! Jesus isn't even there anymore so why do we continue to pitch our tents there and act like that's all there is. To be honest, and I may be asked to turn in my credentials in making this statement, even I wouldn't be interested in that type of god!
I want something more in my experience with the Lord as do most of the youth and young adults in the world. If the church refuses to address the real life issues that pertain to our youth and young adults, we'll continue to lose the hip hop generation to the world! Now, I've said what most of you have been thinking and I've put it in the atmosphere...DEAL WITH IT! Let's reach the next generation before they end up like the NOW generation...broke, busted, and disgusted.
posted by Pastor Rich at 10:00 AM
5 Comments:
This is a great thought provoking question. In my church, the young adults have been steadily vacating the premises and mark my words, my church will be a mausoleum within the next 10 years unless some of the old traditional people begin to step aside and become relevant.
Very good word! Thank you! This makes people think...BIG TIME!
NUFF SAID and we have to show them how it is done! Do what God tells you to do! God takes care of everybody else around you that tries to disrupt His or intefere with His agenda - He just needs poeple to put there agenda down and accepts His and He does the rest!
U TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH! GOOD POINT PASTOR RICH, YOU'VE BROUGHT UP SOME REAL SERIOUS ISSUES THAT THE CHURCH HAS TO ADDRESS! IF NOT, THE CHURCH RUNS THE RISK OF BECOMING EXTINCT!
While a fear of the Lord is something that many church leaders and outreach groups try to instill in their members, I think that this fear is the problem. With many of the things that youth and young adults have to face in their communities and see what's happening around their towns, fear is something that is definitely not absent in their lives. I think that many pastors try to show the immense power of God as something that is to be feared, as if God were some omnipotent tyrant in the sky. While teaching people to fear God is common in some churches, I think that God's never-ending love should be what's emphasized. Youth and young adults who are struggling with relationships of all kinds need to know that they will always be loved and accepted by God. They shouldn't learn to fear him or be taught to fear him.
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