Speaking up for the Younger Generation? – Please hear me older generation!

This is an article I wrote in September's edition or our church's Newsletter.

Is Otterbein reaching our culture? Are we relevant to the younger generation who has less chance today of hearing the gospel than any of the previous generation in America? This problem of reaching the younger generations tends to be a crisis in many churches. In fact the majority of churches in the United States are in decline because they simply are irrelevant to their culture.

“From 1972 to 1993, the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center found that Protestants constituted about 63% of the population. This declined to 52% in 2002. Protestants are believed to have slipped to a minority position sometime between 2004 and 2006 for the first time since the year 1776.”

There are two big hurdles that stand in the way of churches becoming relevant to the culture and reaching the younger generation for Christ. 1. Churches simply don’t know how. The culture and technology changes so fast anymore that many churches simply have trouble knowing how to be relevant. The Apostle Paul understood the necessity of being relevant (1 Cor 9:21-23). 2. The older generation resists changes that make a church relevant. In my short six years of ministry I have been keenly aware of the feelings and attitudes of the older generation in the church. In fact in Bible college they prepared us for leading through change and talked about the generational differences. I have heard it often – “yes BUT, don’t forget the older generation.” The truth of the matter is that I don’t’ want to forget the older generation but rather I want the older generation to take up the servants towel and be willing to make some sacrifices to reach a different generation. I have seen some of the older generation rise up and become teachers and great role models for the next generation. I watched some of them build relationships with young men and women and accept change for the sake of the gospel. However, these people in most churches are the exception not the majority.

Every change in ministry that I make I consider the older generation. If I don’t I know I could not survive in any traditional church. But besides that I really do want the older generation to be a part of ministering to another generation. This doesn’t mean we stop ministering to the older generation – though the way me minister to them will likely change some. The Bible makes it clear that new wine doesn’t last in old wineskins. In other words – new ways and methods don’t typically work well within old structures and ways of doing things. So you see – the church has to change and it desperately needs the older generations help rather than its resistance. I have seen the awesome effects of the older generation reaching out to the next generation but I have also seen churches where the older generation has dug it heals in and allowed the church to exist as irrelevant to the world.

Recently I was at a meeting where I was discouraged because a handful of little things I have done to reach a younger generation were attacked. I know it was not a personal attack but it made a big impact on me. For the first time at Otterbein, I felt like I didn’t belong. I wondered if other young people feel that same way when they encounter Otterbein. I am 33 yrs right now but what about the twenty some crowd (they are considered to be in a different generation than myself) - will they feel as I did in that meeting when they encounter the gospel here?

So – back to the question. Is Otterbein reaching our culture? Look around. How many young people have we reached with the gospel? Is the younger generation made to feel at home here? What will it really take to reach our culture right now and are we willing to make the changes to do it? Is the older generation excited about reaching our culture or just upset that about the changes we are making to reach it? So as younger person serving in ministry at Otterbein will you help to reach the previous generations?