Young Christians – don't give up on the Church

 

The story is depressingly familiar. "Millennials walk away from the Church,” "Church attendance drops to record lows,” "poll shows majority of adults under 35 don't believe in a spiritual afterlife.” Same topic, different headlines. The church has a problem, and it knows it.

When Christian blogs talk about this issue, it's often from the perspective of the church. What can the church do to appeal to the modern generation? Where are we letting our young people down? What problems do we need to address to win back this lost generation? These are important questions and ones that should be asked. But today, I want to write about something different. I want to speak directly to young Christians and give them some reasons to stick with the church.

The church isn't perfect. In fact, it's a far cry from perfect. There is judgment, gossip, hypocrisy, and that's just for starters. The alienation so many young Christians feel from the church isn't something that just happened. It's not the fault of reality TV or wi-fi signals or any other boogeyman that apologists will sometimes blame for the lack of young bodies in the pews. Young people are leaving the church because they are disappointed. Because they see the same problems in the church they've seen since they were children, the same problems their parents put up with, and it's not getting any better. 

It's an understandable reaction. But, it's not a productive one. The church needs your disappointment. It needs your dissatisfaction with the way things are. Not from the perspective of an outside spectator looking in, but as someone on the inside. As a person who is willing to stand up and try to fix these issues, to take the church where it needs to go in the 21st century. 

You can leave the church and wash your hands of it, or you can stick around and get to work. You can help build the church you want to see.

Change is never easy. Every push for progress, reform, or change in history has been met with resistance. People are reluctant to change what they're used to at the best of times, and can get downright hostile when push comes to shove. Jesus knew that. When he preached his radical Gospel of love he did it from within Judaism. He butted heads with the rabbis and pharisees of the day. He challenged longstanding traditions, spoke for the voiceless, and flipped over tables when He thought it was necessary. And he did it with love in his heart.

We need to follow in that courageous example. We need the conviction and resolve to speak truth to power and weather the occasional bit of awkwardness or tension in the interest of preserving the church as an institution. Could you imagine how bleak and terrible this world would be if Jesus never had the courage to stand his ground? If he looked around at the pharisees, political corruption, and sad state of the nation and thought "well, no point sticking around here?” 

As a young Christian, you might not think you need the church. Why bother with a creaky old institution when you can pursue your walk with God all on your own? Or even better, why not get some of your friends together who feel the same way? A weekly spiritual group where you can sit down and discuss what's been bothering you and ideas about God and faith as you see fit?

There is nothing wrong with getting together with a group like that. If you feel like that is something that would bring you closer to God and help you in your daily struggles, then by all means go for it. But, it's not a substitute for church. 

Church is important precisely because it isn't a hand-picked group of fellow travelers who all share the same values, beliefs (and as is so often the case in close knit groups, backgrounds). Church is one of the few places left where you have to meet and interact people of different age groups, ethnicities, backgrounds, and opinions. It's essential to recognize that all of these people are your spiritual brothers and sisters, not just the ones that happen to align closest to your personal values. 

God loves all of us, and we need to learn the same. That something we can't do if we all pray on our own.

The church still has much to give. It can be a truly impactful instrument of Godliness, social change, and grace in our society. But only if the young Christians of today do their part to make it that way. This isn't the time to give up on the church – it's time to give it a new life.