So I work with students quite a bit and essentially have since I was one myself. Quite simply, they’re awesome, and it’s exciting to see people with such a unique combination of passion, inexperience, idealism, silliness, and skill have so much fun while bearing so much fruit! Today’s students (I’ll concede, I’m firmly in the “yesterday’s student” category now) have been characterized in many ways, but one of the most consistent traits is this: they know how to spot a charade. Whether due to their own lessons learned or lessons forced upon them, they’ve endured enough facades to be cognizant of them.
Including facades at church, and as a result, many have decided to leave, so I explored why. I’d like to share an article by blogger Rachel Held Evans that answers more insightfully and helpfully than other responses I’ve seen. It seems when humans use their own means to draw young people into church (TV’s, cafe’s, performances, etc.) they forget the only draw that matters: Jesus. And apparently, you young ‘uns are onto them…
What do you students think about you or your peers leaving church? And for us (sigh) older adults, what do we need to understand—perhaps more about ourselves than our juniors—to allow Jesus to truly reveal himself to those favoring reasons to skip?
Have a happy healing weekend!
