Gabe
Lyons makes some interesting comments in this short video: https://vimeo.com/184206469 He talks about
Christians (and Millennials in particular) feeling marginalized and afraid to speak
up and to talk about what they believe. It is certainly true that our culture
has grown more hostile toward Christians in general, and perhaps the church has
not done a very good job in equipping and encouraging members to be able to
speak intelligently about their faith.
At
the same time, I have seen this same reluctance to speak up within churches as
well. From small group meetings where only a few people ever say anything, to
board or conference meetings where those with strong opinions dominate the
discussion and decisions. And it tends to be the older generations that hold
onto control and ignore what younger people may have to contribute. Todd Wilken
writes:
“Boomers don’t leave institutions when things don’t go their way (something intolerable to Boomers), they stay and fight, they protest, they sit in. In short, Boomers seek to recreate the institution in their own Boomer image.”
As
a member of Gen X, my stock answer to most debates is “Whatever.” I may have an
opinion, but I usually don’t think it is worth fighting over. It’s not
surprising that many young people have decided to start new churches rather
than try to fight to be heard in existing churches. Others leave the church
entirely as they get discouraged by the lack of opportunity, authenticity, and
community.
Even
the Apostle Paul had to remind Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth,
but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in
purity” (1 Tim. 4:12 ESV). It seems to be a perpetual problem in the church
that those who have been around the longest don’t want to let things change. Churches
can become ingrown because of that. Thom Rainer wrote a brief list of warning signs of inwardly focused churches. He notes,
“Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives… Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and the community in which they live.”
It’s
worth the time to think about how well your church or small group functions, if
you don’t mind a little uncomfortable examination. Do those who attend also participate
with their words and actions? If not, why not? If a visitor were to come in,
would they feel welcome? Would they understand what was going on? Would they
feel free to contribute to the discussion? Do church members know how to share
their faith with unbelievers, and are they actually doing so?
Many
of us need to find courage to speak up, both in our churches and our culture.
That courage comes from confidence in who we are in Christ and in His ability
to speak to us and through us. I’ll be the first to say “I’d rather not,” but His
grace is sufficient for all such difficult interactions.
“Not that we are
sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our
sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new
covenant…” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ESV).
©
2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from
pixabay.com.
