The Church

I'm overhearing a conversation right now about how the church has let/is letting young people down. The church needs to change with the times and offer things that young people want: less theology, less doctrine, more "meeting their needs" and gatherings; it needs to be more interesting for the young people. It needs to be more "where they're at" (I'm not sure what that means).

I go to a reformed Baptist church. Our "worship band" is a keyboard and sometimes a flute with a couple people leading music. They just stand there and sing; no dancing there. There's scripture reading and expository sermons. We sit in rows and listen to the preacher who preaches with authority. All of our 'programs' consist of Sunday School, Children's Church, Youth Group, and a couple mid-week Bible Studies. All of them focus on the Bible and truth. I think it would be labeled "boring" by those who are having the converstation. I don't think they would approve. There should be more "freedom in worship" and more "relevant" activities and things to attract people.

So perhaps you can explain why people keep coming, including young couples with small children or teenagers; they are exactly the people who should be looking for something else, something with better programs and exciting worship and less doctrine.

Interesting fact: some of the people in that conversation don't quite believe everything I say about my church. They have trouble believing that the pastor talks about sin and that the sermons don't leave people "feeling good" and that the pastor is older because if all this was true, young people simply wouldn't come and I could not like it as much as I do. It doesn't compute in their minds.