People go to church to enrich their spiritual lives, to bond with other brothers and sisters in Christ and to glorify the Lord. But every church on this planet is faced with certain unique problems — and the fact that one problem has been evident in every youth group I have attended makes me wonder if it is more far-reaching than just the youth groups I’ve been to.
It is true that the Word says that light and darkness have no fellowship. Basically, if we have asked Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins and we are living for him, we are not to be influenced by non-believers…instead we are to help lead them to Christ. But why, oh why, have so many people taken that Scripture and extended it further by alienating non-believers in their own churches???
Like I said, I’ve encountered it at every single youth group I’ve been to, and the problem has been worse at some churches than at others…the general feeling that if you’re unsaved or not doing so well spiritually, you are either looked down upon or just simply aren’t included as part of the group. It’s as if there are two different social classes.
If you’re saved, chances are every week you’re an integral part of the group — invited to worship practice, sitting with a on-fire youth and his girlfriend in the front row, youth pastor and you have a great relationship, and you’re all gonna go to dinner afterwards, and you’re a big part of the group…involved in everything. If you’re not a believer or kinda struggling, the landscape changes. Chances are you’re not invited to worship practice, you find a seat in the back corner of the sanctuary, your youth pastor is irrelevant to you because he/she is too busy praying for someone who needs a deeper relationship with Christ, and you don’t hang out with anyone after church…no one really finds much time to talk to you or call when you don’t come to church.
It’s sad. I’ve seen it too much and it really puts a damper on my desire to work with youth when I think about it. People I know personally who aren’t doing well with God and try to press into a deeper relationship with Him find it harder, because they’re not getting the support from those who are saved, for whatever reason. No support, much less a simple phone call or visit to check up on them. The group has failed them and they really have no reason whatsoever to return there.
I’ve seen it happen time and time again, from living back home in Washington to my time in Virginia. And it’s sad because there are many people in each group and many leaders who make an all-out effort to help those in need. Those who don’t for whatever reason usually make excuses. I’ve heard them, ranging from having worked too many hours to school being too tough. Welcome to the ministry, folks. It requires more personal sacrifice than you ever imagined.
The bottom line is that if you can’t get out of your own comfort zone and minister to those around you who are struggling for whatever reason, you don’t deserve to call yourself a minister or a leader, much less a Christian.
I think we may be missing the mark as Christians. Sometimes we fail to work outside of our comfort zone and focus on those who are hurting in our own churches, instead of serving God selfishly (serving him for ourselves and focusing on the small circle of friends we have). When and how that will change is if we all begin to fall on our faces before God and pray for Him to change us before He has to smack us all on the head and tell us we’re doing His work wrong. When we all truly reach out to everyone in our youth groups, the church will grow and you will TRULY begin to build relationships, and there will be a spiritual bond that grows tighter each day.
Got it posted as a message from you & linked back here to read Chris. 10 4?
Thanks John. Aftan and I were talking about past church experiences this morning and it really got me thinking. Hence my post. God bless and hope everything is going well back in Newport News.
Fear of people is how I would sum up whats wrong with the church today. The fear of what others may think, “how will I be judged”? It puts a stranglehold, a stop, on everything the church should stand for. Not just regarding outreach to non-believers or those struggling in their walk but with the everyday congregation as well. Truth be told if you were to walk into most churches the best you could expect is a polite hello, most people don’t even get that. At most churches I’ve been to the majority of the congregation seems to think that having a deep spiritual brotherhood with those around you is talking about sports, household projects, or schoolwork, and thats with long term “members”. Yes small talk is part of conversation, but it generally never gets past that and when it does it typically becomes a clique. Cliques essentially kill whatever work God wants to perform in church relationships, they tear apart, make walls, and isolate. Church is not a country club, it’s not for some exclusive class, it’s for everyone. But forcing yourself to actually get to know someone can create some uncomfort, change even, heaven forbid! Quite frankly comfort is a word that should be reserved for furniture, in church it’s called stagnancy. God is about movement, change, making things new not wallowing in familiarity. We were born into a world at war, and if we want any chance of being an effective army then we’d better start getting to know the man/woman sitting next to us in the trenches. Be willing to sacrifice all for eachother when we’re called to run out onto the field, to fight as a family, as brothers and sisters. How can you care for eachother when the most you know about the person sitting next to you is their name and what their favorite bands are. I don’t know if it’s possible to know everyone in such a deep way, but it’s at least something worth trying for. A heck of a lot better than shunning the newcomer, the stuggling, the “uncool”, or even the long term church goer.
Ryan you bring up a great point and you did a great job of really digging deep into what the root of the problem is. Thanks for the insight, my friend…you really put a deep concept into simple language. One question: you said we as the church tend to be afraid of people. What are we afraid of? Their reaction? Whether they will accept us back?
So many people get caught up in their own lives and it prevents them from becoming an effective minister. Others just aren’t called to minister to the specific crowd they are trying to reach, and it hampers the effort more.
We hear “Let’s win the lost, let’s win souls for Christ” from the pulpit, and the same people that say Amen to that statement go through their daily lives as normal. Wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch some TV, take care of stuff around the house, head to bed and repeat the same routine the next day. Where was the time for selfless ministry to others? Again, it’s selfish Christianity.
It’s time we tore down the literal four walls of the church and made a bold move to take Christ to the people. I’m not saying to do something as bold as hold church services in the city park right off the bat, but I am saying we need to get out of our homes, out of our pews and go visit some folks, hang out with them or something. We don’t even need to preach or even say Jesus’ name sometimes to show them the love of God. Our actions should do the talking.
Chris, I like what you said above and in your entry. God has been speaking to me about this very thing. Sometimes we just need to be shaken up, smacked down, and kicked in the posterior. Man, where would I be if someone who was saved hadn’t taken the time to befriend me and let their life be a witness? I have a busy life, for sure, but it should never be so busy that I can’t be available to reach out and serve others. Pray for me to be more like Jesus. Seriously.
Amen brother. We are to follow Jesus’ example and he was the most unselfish bold man ever to walk this earth. Diane said it perfectly pray for us all to be more like Jesus. It really makes you think about the chances you may have missed with people. I want to reach out to all people in my ministry. God hold me to it! It is our duty. Now this is some real discussion.
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