Jason Daye
what the younger generations finding that is missing maybe in the typical church that we see in America? Like in the parent’s church or the grandparent’s church, what’s missing there?
Efrem Smith
Well, I think one, in many cases, they don’t see the diversity within those churches that they see in the broader world that they navigate. So they’re navigating a world that is an ever-increasing multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic world. 9:00 In spite of some of the polarization, divisions, or brokenness, they’re still navigating a very multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial landscape. They also are experiencing just such rapid change and advancement when it comes to technology when it comes to not just what happens in a, for lack of a better term, personal physical space, but also what occurs in virtual spaces.9:34 And so when they come into many churches that exist today, they don’t see that diversity. They also don’t see the utilizing of some of the latest tools to communicate, to reach, to educate, to inform. 9:54 And then the other thing that I would say is, they live in a very cause-orientated society. And so regardless of how we might see or not see issues of justice, they live in a very justice-oriented, cause-oriented, social impact-oriented world.10:15 So if they’re a part of a church that doesn’t have some kind of social impact or civic engagement in its surrounding community, that’s a missing piece as well. 10:30—11:28 So churches that, as best they’re able to, missionally, pursue looking like heaven, looking like that picture of Revelation 7:9 of the multitude that no one can count of every nation, tribe, and tongue. Churches that are able to see the good news of Jesus Christ as both spiritual to salvation and social in terms of caring for the most vulnerable among us, and churches that utilize other tools besides the physical gathering in a sanctuary, reach, connect, and to inform. I think when churches, as best they can, with the resources they have, pursue those things, they will find themselves still a very attractive, Christ-centered, empowering community for emerging generations.
Jason Daye
Yeah, that’s excellent, Efrem. And it’s probably not lost on any of us that emerging generations tend to be skeptical. They live in a world that has almost forced them to be skeptical, honestly, because they have seen a lot of brokenness. And because of 24/7 news cycles and because of social media, they see broken systems happening rapidly, right? So they’ve grown up in a world where they’re surrounded by seeing things fall apart around them very, very quickly, and therefore they’re skeptical. And so it should be no surprise that they’re not skeptical of the church itself, that espouses to be the bride of Christ, when they sit back and go, Well, what I know of Jesus doesn’t seem to show up necessarily, in this particular local church. Right? So a lot of that is the kind of internal conversation that emerging generations are having. The question I have for you, Efrem, is that there are a couple of different postures that we can take. We can we can get defensive, right? And say, No, we do love Jesus, we do love Jesus, right? And say, hey, they just need to not think that the church has to conform to their standards, right? Because I’ve heard these conversations where it’s like, what are we going to do? Are we going to create a church just for young people? And it’s kind of a negative view. But the other posture is a very hopeful view, and says, Well, it’s important for us to be self-reflective as Christ’s bride, as the church, right? To look and see how are we really embracing the way of Jesus and the way that we engage not only people inside our walls but engage, as you’ve said, with society around us, with our own communities. So, Efrem, talk to us a little bit about kind of the incarnational value that you guys write a lot about. The incarnational value of what does it mean for the church to show up in the neighborhood?
Efrem Smith
Yes. You know, 13:29-- Jesus both declared and demonstrated the good news, he both proclaimed and practiced it. So Jesus teaches the Sermon on the Mount. But then we also see the demonstration through his interactions with the tax collector, the blind, the paralyzed, and the woman at the well. 13:51 And I think John 4 and the woman at the well is such a great picture of what our posture should look like in culture and society. Jesus meets the unnamed Samaritan woman and when she arrives at the well, he’s sitting at the well which means you see this picture of Jesus looking up at her, and he starts a conversation with her, he asks her for a drink. And so how can the church take that posture, that humility of Jesus as he interacts? It seems to me when you read the New Testament, and specifically the Gospels, Jesus is very tough on people like you and I, Jason. He’s very tough on pastors and ministry leaders, right? They’re already righteous and holy, and then he is so kind and compassionate. Still very truthful, but so loving, like with tax collectors and sinners He’s like, Let’s have lunch. He doesn’t have a lot of coffee and lunches with the Pharisees. So what would it look like for us to take that posture and that position? You know, I was born in 1969. 15:12 So I grew up in a time of proving apologetics. Declaring in books, declaring in sermons, and declaring in classrooms that Jesus really existed, that God is real, and that the Bible is authoritative and central. And that’s important. But I think today, we need more of an embodied apologetics where people see us demonstrate the love, the grace, the holiness, the righteousness, the intimacy of God in Christ Jesus. 15:47 And because, as you said, there are so many declarations made in the world of a millennial today, declarations on Instagram, on Facebook, on CNN, on Fox, or on MSNBC. I mean, there are declarations all around them in the classroom, at work, and on billboards, that sounded old school, billboards. 16:14--And so, to just go to church to have more declarations thrown at you is not enough to capture the emerging generations, they have to witness what we practice. So our engagement with the lost, with the broken, and with the vulnerable. Our engagement with those who don’t know Christ, our humility, yet our passion and our commitment to truth has to be seen, and experienced, and there needs to be an invitation into these practices and into these experiences to really reach the emerging generations.
Dig deeper into this conversation: Find the free Weekly Toolkit, including the Ministry Leaders Growth Guide, all resource links, and more at http://PastorServe.org/network
----------------
Looking to dig more deeply into this topic and conversation? FrontStage BackStage is much more than another church leadership show, it is a complete resource to help you and your ministry leaders grow. Every week we go the extra mile and create a free toolkit so you and your ministry team can dive deeper into the topic that is discussed.
Visit http://PastorServe.org/network to find the entire Weekly Toolkit, including the Ministry Leaders Growth Guide (Our team pulls key insights and quotes from every conversation with our amazing guests. We also create engaging questions for you and your team to consider and process, providing space for you to reflect on how that episode's topic relates to your unique church context. Use these questions in your regular staff meetings, or other settings, to guide your conversation as you invest in the growth of your ministry leaders.)
Love well, live well, and lead well
----------------
Complimentary Coaching Session for Pastors http://PastorServe.org/freesession
----------------
Follow PastorServe
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/company/pastorserve
Twitter http://twitter.com/pastorserve
Instagram http://instagram.com/pastorserve
Facebook http://facebook.com/pastorserve
----------------
Connect with Jason Daye
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/jasondaye
Instagram http://instagram.com/jasondaye