As you’ve probably noticed, we’re back from vacation. We had a good time as a family doing a variety of activities together. Janette and I also had the opportunity for a short getaway at The Shack through Shepherd’s Care Ministries. It was a refreshing time.
We also had the opportunity to attend two different churches during our vacation. Both were fairly traditional in style but still used one or two modern worship songs along with the hymns. The thing that struck me most was how few people from my generation were there. Perhaps they attend other churches with more contemporary worship services. Perhaps they happened to be away for those particular weeks. What ever the reason(s) the younger generations were definitely a minority in those churches. Sound familiar?
This isn’t an isolated problem. If you were here when Rob and Kelley Parsons presented their ministry, you heard some statistics that should have broken your hearts. (If you were not here, you can download the presentation from our website or ask for it on CD). Or, consider the need for the following book, Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts (Rainer & Rainer, B&H Books, 2008), which came out of a study of 18- to 22-year-olds who have dropped out of the church.
On Wednesday night, I began to pose the following questions to those who came for prayer and Bible study:
1. How would you describe young(er) families and/or singles?
2. What are the needs of young(er) families and/or singles?
3. As a church, how do our mission, abilities, and resources connect with those needs and descriptions?
4. And, finally, What are we willing to do about it?
I encourage you to think deeply about how we can reach the younger generations and spend some time praying for them/us. Then, consider, “What are we going to do about it, and how can I contribute to the work?” Let’s get involved and see what God will do!
In His grip,
Pastor Decker
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