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This is excellent look at how and why teens do or don’t go to church.
Teen Influences On Church Dropouts
View more presentations from David Rudd.
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Does Church Need to Change?
This is a newsletter article I wrote for our church, check it out and let me know what YOU think:
Recently Pastor Randy gave us statistics that identified only four percent of those around 18 years of age are attending church. Four percent! Wow! Can you imagine if only four percent of those in your age group were attending church? Well imagine this: you would look to your right, your left, behind you and in front of you and guess what? No one would be there, at least no one in your age bracket.
As it has been said, our faith is only one genearation away from extinction. If we fail to share our faith in a way that relates to and speaks to the next generation, then we will fail to share our Jesus. Today’s youth has grown up in a hugely different world than you and me. They have cell phones, PSP’s, Ipods, Ipads, laptops, Iphones, Xbox and a hundred other different ways to communicate digitially or electronically. If we fail to recognize how to use these methods of communication we will fail to share the most important message they need to hear.
Facebook and Twitter have emerged as the most popular mediums to communicate for the under 30 crowd. Don’t beleive me? Try to phone one of these folks and see if they answer the phone. Facebook or tweet them and the response is almost immediate. I know because I live it each day with my own children, They don’t answer the phone, but they do answer texts.
What are we to do as the church? Should we close our doors and just use Facebook and Twitter to communicate our message? Of course not (however, some have tried just that with some “success”), but we must be sensative to those who are different than us.
Would we be so opposed to adopting the customs of those in other countries we visited for missionary purposes? No, we try to understand their culture, learn their language and be sensative to how they communicate and interact. Why is it any different with this new culture in our midst? Make no mistake the under 30 is a mission field, look around most churches and you will see a huge void of these people. The exceptions are those churches that have made it their mission (no pun intended) to seek and attract this crowd. Music, preaching style, dress and even the buildings have been designed to be palatable to the under 30′s.
I can hear many of you now: we will not change the Gospel to attract people, we have done it this way since Christ came and why should we change now? Well, truth be told, the church has changed little compared to society, but the church has adapted to society. Don’t believe me? You have a printed Bible, instead of hand-written. Many churches have TV and Radio programs (Jesus didn’t use these), most every church has a website and many broadcast their services via their websites. Churches do change, albeit slower than others.
I don’t want to change the message either, but is the message or the way the messsage is conveyed sacred? If I were to give you a cup of water in a styrofoam cup it would be water, would the water change if I were to pour that same water into a glass container? In the same the way, the message God gave to us in Christ changes not whether it is delivered in the pastor wearing a robe or a pair of Wranglers. If we want the church in America to grow and change lives we must be willing to switch containers, as God allows. If we don’t I fear we may go the way of Western Europe.
By the way, if you are reading this on a printed piece of paper in the newsletter then you are way behind many others who have already seen it on the web. Times, they are a changing. I would love to hear your feedback, agree or disagree, via my website: www.toddbfreese.com. Peace.
Real Community is Beautiful
Two weeks ago I lost my adopted brother suddenly. Rickey, as we called him, was a proud firefighter from the Denver Fire Department . He called the fire department his “family” for each of the ten plus years he served. I have heard many organizations refer to themselves as “family” and have always been dubious. I have been involved in organizations that called themselves family that were anything but!
The buzzword in corporate cultures, educational institutions, governmental institutions and even churches is to function as a family. Truth be told, most fail miserably. Why? Because to function as a family requires spending time together in ways that are uncomfortable. For example, families take meals together, struggle over bathroom time, make choices based on available resources, namely money and most of all,sacrifice themselves for the good of the family. Does this sound like the institutions above? I hope yes, but have all too often seen the real answer to be a resounding NO!
I was absolutely amazed at what I saw with the Denver Fire Department during the awful week of my brother’s death. I now understand why Rickey called them “family’, they truly personified my description of what a family should be.
Rickey grew up with us since he was in about sixth grade. I will spare you the details, but his home life was precarious and my dad was one who couldn’t see a kid suffer, so we took him in and he became one of the family. My younger brother Troy and Rickey were inseparable during their junior and senior high days.
When I received the phone call from Troy that Rickey had died I was stunned. An enormous wave of emotion hit me, sadness being the most dominant. Why? How? When? All of the normal questions one asks at a time like this. Troy immediately flew to Denver to begin to make arrangements for the service and to attend to Rickey’s affairs. He wasn’t married, divorced, and his birth family was challenged in many ways. So much of what needed to be done was going to be done by my brother and his friends.
Rickey had no church, no funeral plans, no will and little money with which to take care of his affairs. When my brother Troy asked the fire department for help they responded with incredible kindness and selflessness. They helped find a church that would seat over 500 for the funeral. They helped find a mortuary that helped fireman. When my brother asked them to help clean Rickey’s house they showed up before anyone else and had the house completely cleaned before anyone else could get there.
The funeral service itself was amazing. 400 firefighters standing two deep around the church, not to mention the 150 or so that were seated. The fire chief of Denver spoke about Rickey as if he were one of his own, because in his mind, he was. He choked on his words as he described Rickey and when he rang the bell four times to signal that all are safe and accounted for (a Denver Fire tradition), a final farewell to Rickey, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Afterward we went to a bar that was and is frequented by firefighters. I watched hundreds of firefighters gather and honor Rickey in their own way. One of the white-shirted firemen stood atop the bar and toasted Rickey, it was a simple gesture so full of meaning. I thought I was in a movie, but all was real, mostly the camaraderie shared by these brave men.
What if the church looked like this? Ready to help in a moments notice, asking and doing with not a concern about how it may inconvenience them. These men and women cried real tears and did whatever they could to honor the man they worked with, slept with, ate with and faced possible death with on a daily basis.
How I long for real community in my life with others, especially those in the church. I have seen it in the flesh and know it is possible, but only if we are real and selfless, I wonder if the church has it in her? What do you think? To the men and women of the Denver Fire Department, THANK YOU, you are my heroes.
Our Visit to Midland Lutheran
Midland Lutheran Church, Midland, Texas
We visited the week after Easter and found few cars in the parking lot, in fact we thought we may have arrived at the wrong time. But we soon discovered we had the time correct, 10:30, so we went in and were greeted by a kind couple who welcomed us and told us to, “try us again, our pastor is gone this week”.
The regular was indeed there and started the service by telling us not to be disappointed that our numbers were so small, after all Jesus only had ten after Easter. The bulletin contained several pieces of paper with one having a order of service in a list on a small slip of paper. That would prove helpful.
The music was traditional and on this Sunday, only organ music was used, not my favorite. The songs were all hymns, difficult to sing. The message was about 15 minutes long and was on the reappearance of Jesus to his disciples. The pastor made a point I wished he would have elaborated on, namely that Easter was not for the world, but for us, Christians. This gave me pause for thought and I was looking forward to hearing more, but the sermon ended before I could understand what the pastor was really trying to say.
I got the feeling that the church was not growing, we were the youngest, and most were over 60 with only two visible youth or children. We were welcomed to take communion and we were made to feel welcomed by the folks in attendance.
The service lasted about 75 minutes, it seemed longer to me. I had a hard time following the service, a traditional Lutheran experience to be sure. We left through a side door, before we did the pastoral assistance said hello and made small talk, but we left before anyone else could talk with us.
I left our information on the pew, but as of yet have not been contacted by anyone. The folks were friendly, but I get the feeling that the church does not have an evangelism program. Next week we head to a larger church, I’ll let you know what we find there. Until then, be blessed.
Our Visit to Mid – Cities
MID CITIES
Today we visited a large church, Mid-Cities Community Church, midway between Odessa and Midland, Texas. It is a beautiful church, done in old European style. You enter in through a foyer passing a round statue and sitting area just outside the doors. You are greeted by several folks (a bit overdone) wishing you a good day in a sincere way. Oh, the parking lot is well staffed with friendly traffic helpers. We asked where visitors park and were told, “Wherever you want to”.
We were a few minutes early so visited a sitting area that was full of coffee, juice, donuts and other breakfast items and plenty of people partaking in this bounty. There was a flat screened television in this room, as well as the foyer, that had news and announcments as well as a countdown as to when the next service was to begin. I especially liked that part, as it gave an idea of what was next.
As it was Easter the sanctuary was very full. We had ten people with us and no place where we all could find a place to sit together. I asked one of the ushers if we could sit in the pew that was roped off, he said they were trying to push people forward since they were going to have a large crowd. When I told him our number he readily agreed to let us sit in the pew that was roped off in the back.
The music was led by a song leader and orchestra that have to have had at least 25 members. The music was excellent, but for me it felt more like a performance than a worship experience. It was a typical evangelical service in many ways as we sang three songs, shook hands with our neighbor next to us and heard a sermon.
The sermon was 25 minutes and was good, but not great. It being Easter I was surprised there was not more emphasis placed on non-believers than believers. The message made an assumption we knew why you would want to be a Christian, rather than explaining how and why. There was an attempt made to show how Christ could change your life with a cardboard sign display at the end. I have seen this many times before and thought it “tired” but my kids quickly corrected me and told me it was “awesome” and they loved it.
Overall it was enjoyable, but was not a moving experience, or even one that provoked much thought. It did evoke emotion, which is usually the goal in an evangelical and non-denominational church. I thought it slightly manipulative toward the end with the use of personal cardboard signs. We were asked to mimic those that carried large cardboard signs on stage with one side before Christ and the other sign after Christ. We had miniature signs we were asked to fill out and share with a stranger or friend, awkward I think.
The service lasted 75 minutes. It was done with excellence and attention to detail. The use of media was good, not overdone, but certainly used to engage the audience. If I were grading, I would give it a B plus. If you are a big church fan you would feel right at home. However if small churches are your thing, well you might feel a bit lost.
Next week a smaller church, maybe even Lutheran. Until then, be blessed.
