Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Lost Generation

"Young adults said they are bored with the lack of spiritual depth and excellence in our churches. This led them to a perception that the church is irrelevant. They just didn't see passion and excellence. Unfortunately they were probably right." LifeWay article. I found this quote about a year ago and it's plagued my thoughts since then. My mind keeps being drawn back to this and it has weighed heavy on my heart and mind ever since. This maybe because I fit into this age group of young adults and I've seen the ramifications of this played out in far too many lives. Not only have I witnessed it but studies have been done that reflect the same results. According to the Pew Foundation, more than a quarter of American adults have left the religious affiliation of their youth. Lifeway Research has found that 70 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 22 leave the church — at least temporarily. I think so much of this stems from young adults, being that group from after high school through 30's even, that are desperately trying to find their place within most churches and are failing to find a place that they belong. This group is the most diverse of any age group, in that there are many sub groups within this main one. Within just this group you have those that are in college, those that are out of high school but not in college, the newly weds, the singles, those with young children and even the divorced. Because this group is so diverse and large many churches find it difficult relating to each sub group and so they either lump them all together or over look them entirely. The problem is that most churches place a premium on the children's departments and the majority also place a good deal of emphasis on the youth groups as well but it's those in this group from youth to mid-aged adults that somehow get lost. So many times there's this assumption that once you graduate high school, you magically become an adult and you automatically want to sit in on adult classes and change your entire train of thought over night. One week you're a youth playing games and singing songs you love and hanging out with friends and the next week you're out because you're too old...Really? I remember this feeling. I came from a dynamic youth group and from a church that had a college and career ministry and I still felt like I didn't belong in either place. I wanted to still be with the youth group but I was too old and I didn't feel like I connected and fit with the college group. This is the time of the most changes and biggest adjustments in a persons life and most are having to do it without the support and guidance they need and are craving. This is the group where we see the majority leave the church. Their needs are not being met and they leave. In a time where they are trying to find their identity and trying to figure out what and who they want to be, we've abandoned them. Some will still go to church when they have to or when they go home and their parents drag them back but their excitement and the level of ownership is no longer there. For many it takes them having a family to bring them back to church because they feel the need to raise their children in church and so they set out to find a church with a good children's department and they will deal or settle for whatever young adult program that church has just as long as their kids are happy. From the time this group has left and now come back a huge amount discipleship and growth has been lost and many have a bad taste left in their mouths from past experiences. This lost generation is where so much passion and potential lies dormant waiting to be ignited and excited again. This lost group does things differently. They want real worship that is alive and engaging. They want small groups where they can fellowship, connect, and feel apart of something bigger. They want to be able to come as they are, jean, flip flops, shorts, or whatever they're comfortable in. They want Truth and authenticity and for someone to be real, open and honest. They want to serve and have an impact on their communities by living out love. This group is very passionate about social issues and are actively involved in ways to bring about change and awareness. This group sees the importance and values community, from the communities they live in to the body of believers they are surrounded by. This group is not bound to the 4 walls of a church building but realizes that the real church is a body of believers that can meet anywhere for worship and discipleship. This generation has been lost from so many traditional churches but is now rising up with their own churches to meet their needs.These new churches are breaking the typical molds and are meeting in places like school gyms, movie theaters, shopping complexes and even bars or restaurants. The traditional church could become obsolete in the next couple of decades if they can't find a way to reach and meet the needs of this group.