Review of Called to Stay by Caleb Breakey
There are a lot of books out there on why 20s & 30s are leaving the church and leaving Christianity. Many of them are descriptive of the problem. Of the books that have a prescriptive focus, most are about what the church needs to do to reach this group. “Called to Stay” is different than […]
Church Life Cycles and the Failure to Pass the Baton to Our Young Adults
Churches don’t appear out of nowhere. Someone has to start them. Starting a church requires vision, courage, and energy. It requires people who are willing to take risks for the kingdom of God. There are a lot of churches that were started 40-60 years ago that have reached a stage that makes keeping young adults […]
Harding Lectureship 2013
Anyone out there going to the Harding Lectures that start on Sunday? The theme is the Sermon on the Mount. I haven’t been back to Harding in about 10 years so I am excited to see all the changes that have taken place. I am going to be teaching a few classes on 20s & […]
Knowledge is potential, not power
Knowledge does not guarantee the ability or willingness to do something about it. Too often in the church we describe problems, analyze problems but then do little to solve them. The 20s leaving the church is a classic example of this. People describe and explain why and then it’s like everything is ok now that […]
Hot Topic of the Week – Why are Young Adults Leaving the Church?
This topic has been brought up for every generation of young adults since after the Vietnam War. It has received a lot of attention over the last several years especially and has been something I have spent a good deal of time writing about, speaking about and actually ministering to people from this “missing generation”. […]
Karate Kid, Discipleship, and Why Some Are Leaving Christianity
Mr. Miyagi knew discipleship. He knew what it took to train someone to be able to do the things he did. Miyagi trained Daniel this way, not because cars needed to be washed but because these were the moves Daniel had to repeat enough times that it became natural to him (think muscle memory). When […]
We’re All In This Together – A Sermon on Breaking Down Barriers in the Church
This year we are focused at getting the church to be more inter-generational. This past Sunday I preached on taking down the divisions that so often divide us in the church. The one I picked on the most was the generational barrier and how to have balance with that. A few of you ask that […]
The One Thing the Conversation About Young Adults Leaving the Church Brings Out…
is the bias (or read that expertise and passion) of the person who is making their case: The educator says we need more solid biblical teaching The evangelist says we need to be doing more outreach and teaching them to be evangelistic. Their parents will say they are just in rebellion. The pastor will say […]
1 Corinthians 13 Young Adult Remix
If you want to reach 20 Somethings, here is the key – Love them and let them know it. You may not have all the “right” programs (as if there is a giant cookie cutter you can press into your congregation and make it work). Your worship may not be flashy. Your members may be […]
Marc5solas Take on Why 20 Somethings are Leaving the Church
After my post on why young people are leaving the church, several of you sent me the same link to what I think is one of the best written pieces (and most commented on 300+) in the current discussion on why young adults are leaving was written last week was written over at marc5solas. You […]