Ridgell's Originals

I think a lot about the future of the church.  Maybe because I am old and wonder what it will look like for my kids and grands.

So here are a few things I am counting on my grandkids generation to rethink about how we do church.

It is easy to talk about all that is wrong with the church.  But I really think there are lots of exciting and significant things going on in our churches.  But we can be handicaped by our blind spots.  Sometimes we can't even see how things could be better.

But young people can.  I am counting on them to lead us to do things better.  It's not that we haven't tried.  Or that everything we old folks have done is bad.  But there are a few trends that have to change. 

And I believe our young people will help us to...

Stand on Scripture.  One of the most encouraging things I see among young people is hunger for Scripture.  Maybe it is because they live in a culture where truth is constantly changing.  Or maybe because they have been raised in churches that use the Bible for proof texting their positions.  Or maybe because they grew up in churches that did not read or study Scripture.  But they are hungry to know what God is saying.  

Stay on mission.  Jesus expects us to make disciples.  That is hard, difficult work.  That is our mission.  Young people get it.  They share their faith.  That is exciting.  

Help us depend on God.  The church has become very self-sufficient and that is bad.  We can raise the money.  We can make a budget determining what we need and how to raise it.  We can build buildings.  So we think we can take care of business.  I don't think this reliance on us was a conscious decision.  But that is where we have evolved to.  I want our young people to dream the dreams and ask God to provide.  And to help us believe that He will.

Help us actually become communities of faith that are intergenerational and really family.  This is not how they have been raised.  They have been segregated in many churches.  Age based ministries.  Adoption of the public school model.  Lead us into family church.  In real practice.

Live counter-cultural.  Be the rebels in our world.  Most of the older generations were rebels against church.  Change it.  Fix it.  Show how wrong it has been.  We need you to show us how to be rebels against our culture.  Living the way of Jesus, not the way of the world.  

Help us learn that we are all valuable in the Kingdom.  Not because of power or position, but because what we do matters.  Parents that believe their kids are their ministry.  Members that believe we have to take care of each other.  Communities of faith where older men and women teach the younger men and women how to live as men and women of faith in this world.

Break the Sunday morning model.  Back to where the worship together is motivation to live in real worship the rest of the week.  Where it is not dominated by one voice.  Where communion is actually communal.  

Or maybe everything is just fine the way it is.  

But I think some things have to change if we are going to really grow the Kingdom.  

We old folk probably can't do it. Or won't do it.  But maybe you can.

I am counting on it.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM