I am a millennial. I grew up in the
church. I still have strong ties to the church I was raised in. Over the past
two years I have also gotten involved in a church in the city where I go to
college.
Many in my generation are leaving
the church, or at least the kind of church they grew up in, abandoning the
traditional local church for new ideas of what they think church should be. If
they have stayed, the church likely does not feel like home to them anymore.
You are the elders, the pastors, the
worship leaders, the parents, the Sunday school teachers, the members who have
invested time and energy into your local church and made it what it is today. Maybe
you specifically invested in the young people in your church. But still they
are leaving.
My story and my experiences are not
identical to others in my generation. My voice and thoughts do not reflect
exactly what others my age are saying and feeling. But I am a piece of the
story. While each of us has our own complicated experiences and emotions tied
to our view of the local church and no individual story can clear away all the
hurt and confusion caused by generational differences in the church, I hope
that this starts a conversation; that what I have to say will cause you to ask
other young people what they have to say; that reading my thoughts will
motivate you to share yours with me, and that together we can pursue God’s
heart for the Church.
I am a young person in your church
and this is what I wish you knew.
As you know
young people are often classified as ambitious, energetic, full of huge dreams,
and idealistic. While these are generalizations, they’re often true. We love to
imagine the endless possibilities of what could be, and we want to change the
world. But I know I’m not ready to
change the world yet.
I recognize
that you have decades more life experience than I do. I see that you have
experimented, been trained, and worked hard to be where you are now. I
understand that you possess far more wisdom and insight than I could possibly
have gained in my short twenty years. While I do have big ideas and I can often
be arrogant, assuming I know a better way to do things than you, I do respect
your wisdom and your experience. And I
want to learn from you.
I want to
learn not just about the way you do things or what your model for ministry is,
but who you really are. I want to know what you think and how you interact with
the world. I want to know why you do things the way you do and I want you to
share the wisdom behind it with me. I want to learn what your lifetime of
experience has taught you and see how your years of following Christ have
transformed you.
I praise God
that you are the leaders of today’s church. While I may not understand
everything you do, I recognize your wisdom and am thankful for your leadership.
Please remember that tomorrow, my
generation will be leading. What you teach us is what we will know, and
what you model for us is what we will, to an extent, imitate. We need you to
engage with us, to show us, to love us, and to pour into us. As the future
leaders of the church, to a large extent we determine what direction we’ll
take. But, in a sense, so do you. So invest in us – it’s not just our future, it’s the future of the Church.
I will ask a million questions. If my endless questions become tiresome please tell me, but I am on a quest to
learn more and each conversation I have with you is an opportunity to do just that.
I want to know what you think because I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to
think. I want to know your opinion because I’m shaping mine. I want to know how
you pursue Christ because I am just learning how.
Under your
guidance and supervision, I want to try
everything. I’m still trying to figure out where my gifts are best utilized
and how I can serve the church. Sometimes I need to try things before I know.
If I’m setting myself up for failure, please tell me. Most of the time I’ll
listen, but if I don’t you have my full permission to say, ‘I told you so.’ If
you see something I’d be good at, ask me to help. If I don’t think I’ll succeed
I may hesitate, but I trust your
judgment and am willing to try.
I am
interested in what you are doing and I
want to help. I still have so much to learn, but being involved in the
ministries you have a passion for can help me do that. As I discover my limits,
develop my various gifts, and learn how to accomplish things with skill and
grace, I want to be involved with what you are doing. Invite me to your Bible study;
let me serve with you at a weekend event; ask me to help you with prep work. I
want to experience every part of what you do in ministry so that I am
well-equipped in the future.
Sometimes, I have no idea what I’m doing right.
Just as I know you welcome my encouragement, I need yours too. Often I’m the
last person to recognize that I have a good idea or that a certain area of
ministry is a great fit for me. I may not know that I did something helpful or
said something constructive. Just as often, I may not realize that one of my
ideas is really dumb or that the way I carried out a task was extremely
inefficient. So I also welcome your
instruction. If there’s an easier, more graceful, or better way to handle
something, show me. If my idea for something is stupid, don’t be afraid to tell
me. It’s okay, because I know you’ve had dumb ideas too.
Although
many my age have left, remember that
doesn’t mean I’m going to. I know that it’s painful to watch as youth that
you have invested in walk away from the church that you love. I know it is hard
to pour into students when you don’t know how long they’ll be around or if
you’ll have to say good-bye to them too. But it’s also difficult for us to stay
when many are hesitant and cautious to extend us a welcome.
Most
importantly, I want you to know that I
desire your friendship. I want you to walk with me through life, share the
things that you’ve learned, and teach me to live life with the same skill and
grace that I see in you. Stop by campus sometime, let me make hot chocolate for
you, and spend time just chatting with me. Have a cookie-baking afternoon with
me. Text me. Tell me when your birthday is so I can send you a silly card. Give
me hugs. Tell me about your kids, your in-laws, your washing machine, and your
favorite music.
Know that I pray for you just as I ask that you
would pray for me. I pray that you
would pursue holiness in all things, that God would give you grace and wisdom
as you lead and model Christ to others, that He would make you more like Christ
every day, and that you would finish well the race you’ve started.
“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our
Lord Jesus – the great Shepherd of the sheep – with the blood of the
everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working
in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him
forever and ever. Amen”
– Hebrews 13:20-21
[Soli Deo Gloria]
