Are we Listening?

Today’s blog is a departure from my usual theme; looking at the astounding ways our Creator reveals Himself through His creation.

Fair warning: I’m unabashedly editorializing here, voicing a passionate opinion you are welcome to disagree with. All I ask is that you give it sincere consideration.

I might get preachy. I know that’s unkosher in the Christian publishing world these days, but God’s okay with it. To quote Paul (inspired by God), “How will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

This is a message for the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, especially those of us who are part of fairly large, contemporary churches. I want to be heard, so I’m not couching my words.

When we were kids, church was decidedly church. The sanctuary was a sacred place, a place that warranted reverence. People arrived early and sat quietly, prayerfully preparing for worship. It was a special place to meet with God.

We sang hymns, without amplifiers. Everyone sang, because “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1) trumped professionalism. It was corporate worship.

The whole counsel of God’s word was preached. We heard the parts that were pleasant: about God’s love and grace and mercy. We heard the parts that were unpleasant: about God’s judgment and wrath and fearsomeness. We knew following God required repentance, holy living, and sometimes suffering, not just enjoying the perks of Christ’s shed blood.

Far more importantly, our parents lived out a sincere faith at home. They practiced what they preached. They sacrificed material goods to teach us God is worthy of His portion. They sacrificed time to teach us to serve others. Sometimes they sacrificed their own happiness to teach us the importance of keeping a vow – and that God always keeps His. If they didn’t live their faith out, we didn’t take it seriously. We walked away from church when we left home, at least for a time.

Anyway, at some point we decided the way our parents “did church” wasn’t very appealing to us, or to outsiders. So, we started to “do church” differently, to make it more appealing.

Some good came from it, no doubt. But somewhere along the line we forgot Jesus is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” (1 Peter 2:8) The pendulum swung to the other extreme. Many of our evangelical churches are now more like entertainment venues than places of worship.

We chat in the in-house coffee shop until service has started, showing up late with coffee and donut in hand. We congregate in an auditorium, not a sanctuary, and the amplified music, performed by semi-professional musicians, drowns out the congregation’s corporate voice. There’s no sense that we’ve come to a sacred place expecting to meet with God.

We hear the nice parts of God’s Word. The hard parts are, more often than not, glossed over. The gospel is presented without a call to repentance, without a warning to count the cost. And there’s no mention of hell. While I don’t advocate scaring people into the sheepfold, I do think we should warn them about the forever torment waiting for those who reject God.  Jesus did. Isn’t it rather cruel not to?

At this point we have to ask ourselves the most important question. Do we live out a sincere faith at home? Do we lead by example? Do we sacrifice material goods so God receives what He’s due? Do we sacrifice our time to serve others? Are we willing to give up our personal happiness to keep the vows we make, and so demonstrate God’s faithfulness? If not, our children won’t take this faith we claim seriously. They’ll walk away as soon as they have an opportunity, at least for a time.

Anyway, most people in our generation are content with the way we “do church.” The generations coming up behind us are not.

They aren’t looking for another entertainment venue. They want church to be church. They want worship to be worship. They want tradition and traditional music. They’re looking for truth, the whole truth. They want to be where God is reverenced. The pendulum is swinging once again.

The problem is, we aren’t paying attention. We’re forging ahead under the misguided notion we’re giving them what they want and need. We think we’re being relevant. Sadly, we are not. So, they’re leaving us to get their spiritual needs met elsewhere.

Some leave church altogether. Some land in traditional churches that have sound teaching. Some find themselves in traditional churches that are not “correctly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV) We can only pray they have the discernment to know the difference.

How do I know? We have four adult children. One walked away from church altogether, at least for the time being. Two are attending traditional churches that are very unlike the church they grew up in. The youngest is 19. We’re still waiting to see what choices she’ll make when she leaves home.

And, research bears it out. If you do a little digging online, you’ll find our family represents a nationwide trend.

So, what can we do?

There’s a simple way to address the problem. Swing with the pendulum back toward the middle. We don’t have to force our young adults to look elsewhere for a traditional church experience. We can offer it to them right where they are.

But are we willing to change? Are we, the older generation, willing to sacrifice our Sunday morning worship preferences for the spiritual well-being of those coming behind us? Will we adapt, or will they be forced to foist changes on us the way we did on our parents?

The changes younger believers seek to meet their spiritual needs are good changes. They’re healthy for the church.

We would all benefit from more reverence, from preparing for worship, from singing more hymns that are rich in theological content. We would all benefit from deeper teaching, a better understanding of who God is in all His glory, and a solid grip on the basic tenants of the faith.

If we’ll follow their lead, the ones coming behind us have the potential to help us find a healthy spiritual balance between the undo legalism of the past and the undo liberty of the present. They could very well bring us back to the “chief end of man” and core purpose of the church, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism)