| What Teens Want is What We All Want |
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The Barna Group recently released the results of a study they conducted regarding the spiritual lives of teens. Specifically, they looked at what teens want in a church.
link: Barna Group's Teen Church Study
The results are worth reviewing. Even if you don't have kids at home, this is the generation we need to reach for Christ. Their responses were not surprising, but they were disappointing. These kids aren't being discipled. They are searching for something, but they don't even know where to begin. They hop from one idea to another, picking and choosing what aspects of faith tickle their fancy. For example, 31% of these teens say they read the Bible, but only 18% say they are interested in studying the Bible.
What they seem most interested in getting from church is "making a connection with God" (45%), whatever that is supposed to mean. Many of them attend church to be with their friends (34%).
After reading the survey, I don't think teens are much different than their parents. We are a lazy population, wanting everything easy and instant - even peace of mind. The idea of counting it joy when we face trials leaves us cold and disappointed. We want the Jesus who feeds the multitudes, performs miracles and rises on the third day. We don't want to consider the 30 years of prep time He had before his ministry began. We want conferences with awesome praise singing and dramatic "words from God" to keep us at the peak of our spiritual mountain top. We don't want to get up early to be silent and still with the Lord.
It is much more fun to be on the winning team in a spiritual "world series" of sorts than to change dirty diapers in the nursery, clean up after the potluck or even get up early for a prayer meeting.
Feeling good about ourselves is great, but that can't be the whole point of drawing close to God. How do we meet the immediate want of comfort and a sense of belonging while meeting the deeper need of learning to abide in Christ no matter the circumstance?
Maybe the answer lies in the greatest want in the survey: Connection. One significant way God shows His love to me is through His children. I have learned a great deal about walking with Christ alone, but I have also grown a great deal by listening to the insights and teachings of others who are walking with Christ, too. So, if people are coming to church to be with friends, maybe we need to make a point to become friends who introduce them to the best friend they will ever have. Of course, that takes time. Are we willing to make the effort to welcome people coming to our church for the first time? Will we call and visit those who occasionally drop off the church map? Are we willing to hear their struggles and pray with them even if it means we miss the kickoff of the big game?
Why do we go to Church? What are we looking for? What do we want? Is it all about us? Shouldn't it be about ministry, too? |
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