It's about Him! And him. And her. And that person standing over there and the one sitting on the bus. And that person right there - the one you can't see because of that house standing in the way. When I think about it a little bit more, I guess it is also a little bit about me, but its not ALL about me - definitely not ALL about me. I have heard it preached, said, read and I have even preached it myself that everyone has a hole in their soul that only Jesus can fill. Nothing else will fit. After almost 25 years of preaching that message, I still think that is very true. Almost all of us at one time or another has tried to fill that void with something other than what really fits - Jesus. On another but very related matter, our churches are even struggling right now with empty spaces, because many of those who are in my line of business see nothing but empty seats where younger faces ought to be. We understand that if we don't fill those seats with younger faces then at some point in the future our church ceases to be. It's simple math, and those empty seats are a weekly visual reminder of our church's lifespan, and it seems right now to us to be in serious jeopardy. As we wonder what we did wrong, some of us do everything we can to make our churches attractional to the younger crowd, because we know of the dire consequences that face our churches if we do not do something. I can recite a litany of the steps that many of us have taken, but I won't here and now - maybe later. In some places the steps seem to be working. Crowds - younger crowds - gather. We see this and we scramble to do what looks to be working over there, but honestly, in most places though it doesn't work.
I read an article the other day, that said 82% of millennials don't attend church (Relevant Magazine). I kind of figured it would be higher, because I don't see 18 percent of them in the chairs or standing around in the halls, and I'm in a lot of different churches. I have also read maybe a hundred articles about why many don't attend. To me, it really boils down to just a couple or three reasons. In no particular order those reasons are:
1) They are disgusted with church.
2) They have no idea what Jesus through His church has to offer.
3) They just don't want to!
I get that. I understand that. 1. Honestly, I too am often disgusted with church. No not really the church so much, it's the people in the church that bother me. You see in my position I often see how "good" people treat each other, and my heart breaks for all involved. That's not Jesus; it's never Jesus; it's just selfishness couched in righteousness. 2. Even though I do have a great idea of what Jesus offers through His church, it still often surprises me as to what extent and length that the church does for good in the world. Just look at the church's response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and now as it is getting geared up to tackle the consequences of Irma and the next one coming in called Maria. This response is nothing short of amazing. In my position I am privileged to hear the stories of actual people giving up their comforts and sometimes their lives so that others may live and find Jesus. This is just incredible. But if you don't happen to be in the KNOW about what Jesus accomplishes through His church, it's incredibly hard to find out, so people - especially millennials don't know, and they are steamrolled with tons of information, disinformation, false information or just the lack of it. 3. Don't get me wrong here, because I love the church; I serve Jesus through the church, but sometimes I just don't feel like going to church - my warm cozy king sized bed and a cup of coffee is something hard to get away from on a brisk fall morning. And if a church goer is reading this and gets upset with me for saying this truth, you can't lie to me, because I know that sometimes you too feel this way. It's normal. We're human.
So with all that said, what is the church going to do about "attracting" millennials to itself - to fill those empty spaces with smiling young faces? My recommendation is - stop trying. Instead of trying to attract millennials to something they don't deem important - invite them to Jesus. In the church business we've been trying to sell an address for a very long time, when we are supposed to be giving away a person - Jesus. Once someone understands that Jesus is the only thing that fills that void in their souls then the church may very well become important to them, but even if that bridge isn't quickly crossed then JESUS is important to them. Instead of asking a millennial to come hear our band or see our show, invite them with you as you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and love the unloveable. Because it's about HIM. It's about them; it's about me, and how all three interact. You see what's really important are the real people with warm red blood and not brick and mortar or galvanized steel and glass.
Good day,
Steve
