I read a Barna report about how young people today take a different approach to the Bible than previous generations and I have to admit that as I look at the overall landscape, I do see it.  Of course, not all young people hold these perspectives but enough do that it should raise some questions.

The report is not saying that young people do not value the Bible or that they never read it.  Rather, it refers to the perceptions of young people toward the Bible, which would, in turn, affect the way they approach Bible study.  The report notes the following changes in young people from older generations.  For descriptions of the following perceptions, go to the Barna Report.

1. less sacred
2. less accurate
3. more universalism
4. skepticism of origins
5. less engagement
6. Bible appetite

The first question I asked myself is, “How did it get this way?”  Once I figure that out, I believe answers to how to change the tide will become more evident.

Surely it did not get this way overnight.  And, change will not come by throwing on a few bandaids.  The seeds were undoubtedly planted over the course of time and the roots go deep.  If that is true, it means change must begin with the older generations as obviously we have been the ones who planted the seeds.  What have we done, or not done, that led young people to view the Bible in these ways?

Surely we must also factor in the influence of the world with all of its relativistic and universal thinking.  In light of Romans 12:1-2, any change of perspective is going to be a transformation “by the renewing of the mind.”  What must that look like in discipleship efforts with young people? 

I must say that I am encouraged by the last point on Barna’s list.  Young people do have an appetite for the Bible, an “interest in gaining additional Bible knowledge” that scores higher than other generations.  That’s encouraging.  That gives hope that the tide can change.  But it also brings me back to those of us in older generations.  If we don’t have as much of an appetite for the Word, perhaps then we haven’t been modeling an approach to the Bible that communicates its worth and sufficiency.  Have we forsaken our first love?  If so, let’s be reminded of Jesus’ words to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:5 –

Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Before trying to implement change, especially change that affects the church’s culture or DNA, you need to first lay the groundwork, to cast the vision for it.  What I have found is that people tend to get more involved, or participate, when there is a reason to.  They need to see that the church is going somewhere and how they are needed as a part of that process. 

People need to brought onboard, to have a sense of understanding and ownership.  The worst thing you could do is to simply tell people what they must do or what changes you will be making.  — First Things First:  Make Sure You Lay the Groundwork

Ask yourself these questions:

What do people need to understand in order to come onboard?

What means can we use to help them gain that understanding?

How can we consistently communicate that understanding?

Some of that will come through teaching but much needs to come through the example of leadership as well.  There should be a consistency between what is communicated formally and what is observed informally.  So, first make sure all leadership in the church is on the same page and then move out to getting the people onboard.  — First Things First:  Make Sure Leadership is Onboard

And, of course, all of this needs to be enveloped in prayer.  You undoubtedly are looking at the need for heart change and not just behavioral conformity.  That requires divine power.  If you fail to get beyond behavioral conformity, you probably will not have lasting change.  Pray in the planning stage.  Pray as you lay the groundwork.  Pray in the implementation stage.  — First Things First:  Make Sure You are on Page with God

Too often we skip these first steps.  Then we wonder why change is so difficult or why it doesn’t last. 

The order of what I have written above should actually be reversed in the actual process:
   1)  Make sure you are on page with God.
   2)  Make sure leadership is onboard.
   3)  Make sure you lay the groundwork with the people.

Once you have done what needs to happen first, then you are ready to start implementing change.  Below are pages that might help.  They are from the church purpose section of the site but can be applied to other areas.

Tips about the process

Dealing with obstacles

Just recently I’ve made changes to the phone system.  The company I changed to made a couple mistakes in how it was set up and missed the promised date.  I could have let them have it verbally but I didn’t.  They were very apologetic and proactive in rectifying the errors.

By nature I am a person of principle but I have learned through the years that it isn’t so much that people make mistakes but how they deal with those mistakes that makes the difference.

In the church, your pastor will make mistakes.  Ministry leaders will make mistakes. You will make mistakes if you are involved in the ministry in strategic ways.

• How will you react to mistakes you see others make?
• How will you handle mistakes you make?

Many church conflicts and splits could have been avoided if a little grace had been applied.  And, it would have been easier for people to exercise that grace had those at fault handled their mistakes with humility, grace, wisdom, and understanding.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  (Ps. 103:11-14)

If I were to take a poll asking people what they think about their pastors, I’d probably get a mixed review . . .

from quite happy to very disgruntled with the pastor.

The reasons behind those responses would vary, even if people marked the same level of satisfaction.  Some would be reporting objectively while others subjectively.  Hence, some could be based on reality and some on false perceptions.  Personal preferences and biases can enter in.

So, perhaps the question we need to ask is what God thinks.  A verse I have often heard used for Pastor Appreciation Day is 1 Thessalonians 5:12 –

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

But, where does that leave those of you on the more disgruntled side … especially those who are basing your perception on reality because the pastor truly isn’t doing a good job or has made a series of poor choices?  Let’s keep going in 1 Thessalonians 5 to verses 13 – 18.

1. Live in peace with each other.
2. … warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
3. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
4. Be joyful always.
5. Pray continually.
6. Give thanks in all circumstances.

… for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Order Communion Supplies Here

Not all churches celebrate communion the same way.  Some use a single cup and some provide a small plastic cup for everyone.  Some use a loaf of bread and others small wafers.  Some pass the elements while some have people come forward.  And that is just methodology.   Theological differences exist among churches in the ordinance of communion as well as how often communion should be served.

At minimum, communion provides a remembrance of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  Let’s get to the bottom line of communion, the work of Jesus on the cross, and find our commonality in Him.  When we do, communion equals communion, not just with God but also with one another.

With all the liberal and immoral influences in the world around us, we Christians need to lay aside our differences and come together with one voice in Christ to be that salt and light so desperately needed.  We can do that when we remember that it is who we are “in Him,” because of what He did on the cross, that really matters.

The legacy of grandparents can be for eternal good as seen in the example of Timothy whose mother and grandmother passed on their faith by rooting him in God’s Word (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-17).  

“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children …” (Ps. 103:17)

This legacy can also have a negative impact as the effects of an unbelieving or hardened heart and a life of sin spills over in familial dysfunction for years to come.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, … maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”  (Ex. 34:6-7)

When you consider the potential influence of grandparents on children now and in their futures, we must ask what role the church should have.

1. Is your church building up, equipping, and encouraging them to leave a positive legacy?  (classes, special speakers, reading material, etc.)
2. Is your church providing opportunity for the younger generation to learn from them?  (giving them opportunity to share in the service, pulling on their wisdom through teaching and mentoring the younger generation, interviewing them, including their stories in newsletters or bulletin inserts, etc.)
3. Is your church honoring them in a special way?  (verbal recognition, small gifts, praying for them, making a display to recognize them, a special luncheon, having grandchildren make a card or craft to give to them, asking grandchildren to testify to how God has used their grandparents in their lives, etc.)

And, for those who are grandparents:

1. Are you taking in nurture for your soul, growing in your walk with the Lord, so you have something of eternal worth to pass on?
2. Are you willing to invest into the lives of the younger generation in strategic ways?
3. Are you someone your children and grandchildren are pleased to honor, not just because a special day is set aside to celebrate grandparents, but because they are truly blessed through you?

Helpful Parking Lot Attendants?

What about members who give you the right of way or let you back out of your parking spot without an attendant having to tell them to?

Greeters at the Door?

What about an awareness of people’s presence throughout their visit, not just when they arrive … like people making eye contact and saying “hello” as they walk the halls rather than look right through you?

Welcome Center?

What about members who are not on the hospitality committee coming up to a visitor and helping them find their way?

Designated Time to Greet One Another in the Service?

What about members greeting people outside of their normal circle of friends before and after the service without having to be told to greet one another?

A Coffee Hour or Coffee Shop?

What about a body who is able to stay and mingle without the coffee incentive?

Hospitality Rooms & Fellowship Halls to Meet and Greet?

What about churches who make it hard for people not making their way to these rooms to slip out the door unnoticed …. without at least a few people greeting them before they leave?

Kiosk Stations?

What about going to people and personally inviting them to get involved rather than expecting them to always take the first step?

Now, nothing is wrong in and of themselves with parking lot attendants, greeters, welcome centers, designated greeting times, coffee hours/shops, hospitality rooms or kiosks.  These acts of hospitality can be quite helpful.  But, they should not be a substitute for real body life and for spontaneous acts of friendship that come from the heart and are not merely a program.