Attention Church!

Often times my blog is simply a recap of the previous message. Therefore, you might be tempted to skip over it. This blog is not that.

Here I attempt to apply all that we have learned over the past three weeks about creating a church for the next generation to some practical next steps for the church.

I once read a story of a little boy named Billy who sheepishly walked into the kitchen where his mother was working. As he stood before her with his head towards the floor he said, “Mom, you know that vase you said was handed down from generation to generation?”

“Yes?” his mother responded.

“Well, this generation just dropped it.” Billy confessed.

Over the past several weeks we have been reminded that the Church of Jesus Christ has been entrusted with a precious gift that has been passed on from generation to generation and we are stewards of that gift. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the generation that drops it. As the current generation of adults who make-up the church, no matter your age, whether you are 26 or 62, we carry the burden of responsibility to pass on our faith to the next generation.

So, the question we must ask ourselves as we conclude our series titled Generation to Generation is this: “What is the best way for us to pass our faith on to the next generation?”

There are many potential approaches to passing on our faith, but what is the best way? We could take the systematic educational approach much like the public school system, but information is not the same as transformation. This approach also confines involvement to a limited number of teachers in classrooms a few hours per week.

I am not dismissing the importance of Sunday School classes and increasing biblical knowledge in our children. But can I propose to you that the biblical model for faith transmission from one generation to the next is much more relational/conversational. In Deuteronomy 6:4-8 God tells the Nation of Israel:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

The emphasis in these passages of Scripture is upon conversations that happen in the midst of daily life. It is relational. It happens as a result of sharing life together. This has great implications upon the role parents play in the faith formation of their children, which I will be talking about this Sunday, but what implications does it have upon the church. I believe it means that the church must recognize that faith transference to the next generation reaches beyond our Sunday School rooms and how we engage our children and youth in the life of the church.

Here are some practical next steps for us to consider.

1. Serve together. One of the best things we can do as a church is to engage our children and teens in our service events to the community. What better way to show them our faith in action than to involve them in what the gospel looks like in action? And I think we need to be intentional about not just having them present, but having them work alongside the different generations in the church so that relationships are fostered.
2. Allow them to Minister. At one of our recent fellowship events I was thrilled as I watched the kids from our children’s department take delight in the opportunity to wait on tables and serve food to the rest of the congregation. They enjoyed it and the adults enjoyed it. It was a great opportunity for them to grow as they served in the church.As our children grow into teenagers the opportunities for them to serve in the church are numerous – if we will let them! As Reggie Joyner writes, “Think about it. When did you grow as a leader? Didn’t most of us get jumpstarted in our faith when we plugged into a ministry and served? If most of us grew more when we assumed ministry responsibility, what makes us think that wouldn’t be true for teenagers as well?”

   Last month my eyes filled with tears as I watched my daughter Katy raise her hand in worship to God as she participated in leading the congregation in worship during the youth service. I cried as I watched her best friend Macy (who we have watched grow since kindergarten) play her guitar in that same service. I was emotional not just because I was watching them grow-up, but because I was watching them grow-up in their faith as they were ministering to the Body of Christ.

   One last note on the subject of creating room in the church for them to minister – it provides a natural environment for mentoring relationships to be fostered. As adults are engaging them and helping them to learn how to serve in the church, deep relationships and trust are built.

3. Multi-generational Connect Groups. I am a big supporter of age-specific environments. I believe settings like children’s church and youth group allow us to teach them in such a way that truly connects with them and addresses issues that they are dealing with. Having said that, I think we need to look for more opportunities to bring the generations together. One of those opportunities could be to encourage more multi-generational connect groups. These groups could be on-going or seasonal. The important thing is that we intentionally and consistently look for opportunities to bring ALL generations together for practical spiritual conversations.

I hope these next steps are helpful and will give us much to think about as we move forward as a multi-generational church for ALL generations!

-Pastor Brandin