on a walk with the 5dm2REMAIN - verb
continue to exist, esp. after other similar or related people or things have ceased to exist
Saturday the 9th about twenty of us twenty-somethings gathered for two hours in the PF cafe for some musical worship led from an electric guitar. The sermon time seemed more like an honest conversation between Corey Errett who was "preaching' and us, the congregation.
I would guess that the biggest age demograph of people leaving the church would be between 18 and 30. Why?
Is it that church isn't relevant or is it that authentic community is hard and requires effort from us twenty somethings. "Real life" has set in, and everyones schedule is a lot busier than it was in college when community came easy.
It's our time to be the initiators, the decision makers, the influencers. The very reason you probably don't come to church is the very thing you need to be respectfully and honorably talking to your church leadership about and bringing change.
Come REMAIN with us Saturday Jan 24 2010 in the PF Cafe. Feel free to ask hard questions, we don't promise any answers though. Be ready to take initiative and responsibility for your faith, we aren't going to blame anyone else anymore. Lets be the change we want to see in the church.
JIM baker
apparently you have "0,000,000" comments. Zero million comments?
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts! We can either be the change we want to see and have the courage and drive to see it happen...or we can take the easy route and shy away from it. Let's listen to God earnestly and chase down in faith what we believe He wants us to do!
zero million :)
ReplyDeletethanks for chasing it down man
jim baker
good stuff, Jim. I learned a lot in the past couple weeks and one of those things was about being that change in the church. I was a little bit hurt, but I think God really used it to show me that I need to step out and be there for others, which I'm actually really enjoying doing, by the way.
ReplyDeleteyes and amen. God uses ALL things together for the good of those who love Him!
ReplyDeleteWoW... did a 20something just say that many of his "kind" need to work at community!?!? I LOVE YOU MAN! Welcome to the downfalls of "spoonfed and handheld" Christian nation. We're given and given and given programs and scheduled times in controlled environments that fit nicely into our pseudo scheduled lives (middle school - college) and then BOOM... jobs, rent, marriage, whatever... No longer do we have time... no no, make time! Well, I'm not the demo but my heart aches for genuine Christ driven fellowship among ya'll. It's pretty niche' to say "be change agents" but I also see that you're challenging us to consider that this demo isn't so much leaving the church... as is they simply aren't making it a priority to be there either! Christ compels me into fellowship. The whole 90's marketed ways for churches to "attract" people into fellowship... Oh, good coffee works though so that was something totally redeemable from 90's church marketing strategies!!! Sorry for the word vomit... hope a bit of it made sense!?!?
ReplyDeleteJ - one of the best word vomits I've seen in a long time. :)
ReplyDeleteso how as youth pastors NOW do we not spoon feed and hand hold our youth?
Thanks bro'... I think in reading this you'll better understand my lack of vomit in your other post I commented on. Christ compels... Christ compels... Christ compels... I can't NOT fellowship with other believers and I hunger for that. You keep asking the "How?" question and I really truly honestly and deeply believe that in always keeping Jesus at the core of whatever it is we do... He become responsible for stirring the desire and passion in each of us. No program created that for me... the Spirit did! Granted, I prioritized being in environments and around that are Spirit filled!
ReplyDeletegood stuff J...
ReplyDelete