Everywhere you turn there’s a new report, survey, poll, or article saying that churches in America are shrinking, fewer people are going to church, less people claim to be Christians, more people are saying they don’t even believe in God. The news is depressing!
There are a lot of reasons why that has happened, but the most basic reason is that our nation didn’t make church a priority for our children in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Our children didn’t grow up learning the beautiful standard hymns, practicing spiritual activities like communion, group prayer, community service, and reading the Bible.
Then the pandemic separated us from church for up to 2 years and we’re finding it hard to return because we’ve filled our church time with personal time. That personal time is sometimes more fun, more fulfilling, and easier to do than getting the kids ready for church and showing up on time and motivated to hear God’s word! Yes, that’s a simple answer but it’s a core nugget of the truth.
How would you feel if you went to church with your SUV full of kids, maybe each spouse drove their own vehicle because of different responsibilities that day, and when both of you got home you realized that one of your children was missing!
Besides the guilt you’d fear because each of you thought the other parent had the child, imagine the fear you feel for your child’s safety and well being! When you show up, your 12 year old has the minister and elders all sitting in a classroom answering questions about God. As you walk in, your pastor says “This child has the wisdom of God! I’ve never seen anything like it for such a young person!”
You’d be proud but you’d also likely be a little upset that your child chose to stay at church and didn’t think there was anything wrong with not telling you. When you tell your child how scared you were, you hear “But this is where I belong!”
That's what happened with Mary and Joseph when they found 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52, check it out here: https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=544859231). We need to find a way to replicate the excitement that young Jesus had about his place in the church for our children & young adults so they carry that enthusiasm into adulthood.
We need to find ways to make church as fun, exciting, interesting, and engaging as all of the other activities we compete with that are part of today's modern families. Wouldn’t it be great if your child hung back at church because they wanted to engage more, learn more, and be part of the holy experience?
The same is true for adults whether it’s Gen Z, Millennials, or the Baby Boomer Generation. We need to compete with modern society’s plethora of activities that draw people away from church. We need to show people that church is a lot more than ritual, committee meetings, or attending church on Sunday morning.
Church is about community, moral instruction, having a healthy network of like-minded friends, and getting closer to God!
Our churches are declining because we’re not providing what families want and need. Our churches are declining because we’re not providing what individuals need.
Post a comment on the blog and share your ideas about what churches can do that will draw and keep people in the church! I look forward to seeing a lot of great ideas!
(Image from https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/283648-7-suggestions-church-decline-ron-edmondson.html)
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