I want to
say a few more things about Sam Eaton and Darrell Bock’s table talk over at DTS
recently on the subject of Millennials leaving the church. My first post was
deliberately uncooked and quite direct. I am frustrated with “Christians”
leaving the church. And I am equally frustrated with men who obsess about it.
True Christians do not leave the church. Now, by church, I mean the true body
of Christ that gathers each week to commune with one another, to encourage one
another, to study God’s word together, to worship together. The last time I checked,
the Christian community, all of us, are imperfect sinners whose motives always
have to be checked at the door. We tend toward selfishness, toward laziness,
toward wanting our share of attention. We tend to allow the culture to
influence our thinking more often than we should and we never should. We are
sinners in need of a Savior. We are people with faults of all types, in
desperate need of grace and mercy. The thing is, Millennials and Xers and
Boomers and whatever else this narcissistic culture wants to call itself, are
all sinners. And if we are in Christ, we are all sinners in Christ. We each
have our sinful struggles, our sinful proclivities. We are all part of the
problems are in our church and we are all also part of the solution to those
problems.
The writer
to the Hebrews said it this way: And let us consider how to stir up one
another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the
habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day
drawing near. This seems to be the exact opposite of what Millennials
are doing. If you see an opportunity to stir your brother to love, take it. If
you see an opportunity to stir your brother to good deeds, take it.
According to
Luke, the early church devoted themselves to the new way, to the cause! And
they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42) That word devoted is proskartereō,
and it has the sense of holding fast to something, to continue in it, to
persevere, to be persistent in a thing. There were four things the early church
are said to have devoted themselves in this text: 1) the apostles teaching; 2)
the fellowship; 3) breaking of bread; 4) prayer. Is the church required to be
perfect before we will devote ourselves to these things? I hope not. The
ancient church in this text was brand new! It was not only not perfect, it wasn’t
even close to being spiritually mature.
There is no shortage of reasons for leaving the church. Connection with
others is one of the most obvious ones. I have no idea why it is such a massive
project to get close to people in the community, but it is. It did not used to be
this way. I remember when it was easier. Second, the lack of education and real
training in the church is inexusable and irresponsible. I know that most people
don’t want it. But some people do and everyone needs it. Fluffy, high-level
lessons that fly so high and so fast over topics that there is hardly enough
time to really teach people the meat of the issue are for the most part a “check-the-box-waste-of-time-feel-good”
exercise of futility. The lack of true discipleship is another reason for
leaving the church. Why leadership is not organized in a way that places
leaders inside the lives of families in the church, deliberately,
intentionally, is mind-boggling to me. If you want to lead, then be prepared to
get involved in people’s lives. If you want to teach Sunday School, be an
elder, a deacon, then be prepared to block time on your calendar each week to
reach out to those in your care if for no other reason, to chat. Find out what
is going on in their lives. Discover who they are. Serve them when you can.
Identify opportunities for others to serve them.
I could list a number of reasons for leaving the church in addition to
those above. But what I have not said is that I cannot list one good
reason for leaving the church. And that is because there isn’t one. Millennials
are leaving the church because they are focused on themselves. Xers are leaving
the church because they are focused on themselves. No one who is focused on
God, who is interested in selflessly serving Christ and his body leaves the
church. It is only those people who are in it for themselves that leave the
church. Think about it. If you want to serve, then serve. If you have ideas
about helping the poor, then go ask for help, take what you can get, and get it
done. Do it.
Millennials, Xers, and Boomers, and anyone else I may have left off the
list; know this – when you leave the church you reveal your true character. You
tell us what you are really about and who you really are.
So, why do people leave the church?
They went
out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would
have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they
all are not of us. 1 John 2:19
What is cure
for all this “leaving the church” nonsense?
Remember
your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of
their way of life, and imitate their faith. Heb. 13:7
Obey your
leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as
those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with
groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Heb. 13:17
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