How others see us

A young adult friend tagged a Facebook posting to me the other day. This is a young man raised in a church home, with passionately believing grandparents and parents. And for a time he followed in their footsteps, using his gifts of music to give expression to faith. But then something happened. Disappointment and disillusionment with the church, and the anti-religious writings that seem so daring to the young have combined to cause him to turn away, and to critique the "arrogance and hubris" of many Christians. Now, he says, he's interested in "making the world a better place."

I love him dearly, and I know where his passion comes from. I know in his heart he values his upbringing. And I know he really wants to make the world a better place -- don't we all. His heart is so much in the right place.

I wish he could have come with me last weekend to a conference in Hamilton put on by True City, a network of churches committed to working together 'for the good of the city." What blew me away was that these churches are all evangelical, and several have a long history with fundamentalism and separatism. But they were talking about their mission simply being to witness to the love of God in their neighborhoods, regardless of whether people become Christians. They talked about how important it is to love people, but not treat them as "a project." Their biblical texts were Jeremiah 29-- "Pray for the welfare of the city where God has put you" -- and Abraham's pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah.

The church has a pretty dismal history in many ways, and impressions of that history have stuck in the minds of many outside the church. But I think God is doing some pretty amazing and trasnformative things in many churches, and I pray (patiently) that those like my friend will come to see them.

Being there when we're needed

We're at a stage in our life when we have contact with a lot of young adults. They're our kids' friends. And, even though our own kids sometimes think we're a little square, their friends think my wife and I are pretty cool.
One of their friends recently asked if she could talk to me. Some things have happened in her life that have made her open to the possibility that God might be trying to get her attention. She wants to come to church.
I know this happens frequently. Young adults have moments of spiritual crisis or awareness and they need someone to help them shape and direct those experiences. But it's not always easy to know where to tell them they should go. If a young person in another city asks me what's a good church to attend, often I don't know.
I'm glad I have enough confidence in my church and its ministry to encourage this young woman to come here. But it's something I think we need to worry a lot more about than we do. We say we want young adults to come back to church, but we're ill-prepared to receive them when they do -- or to give them the spiritual support and help they're looking for.
One of the young adults who responded to my survey commented that the church needs to be ready when people his age find their way back. I don't think that means launching a lot of gimmicky market-driven programs. I think it means making sure there's enough depth in our own faith, worship and community life that it doesn't feel like a waste-land or a closed club when they arrive.