If you want to hear some honest but painful thoughts, ask some young people in your church (teens and young adults) if they really believe the gospel has transforming power. Often, they express at least skepticism if not blatant denial of this possibility. Here’s why:
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They’ve seen hypocrisy in the church. They’re not deaf or blind to reality. They’ve seen and heard us speak of a Christianity that our lives often don’t model—and they don’t give people much grace when they see hypocrisy among us.
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They’ve never really seen transformed lives. Frankly, we’ve raised them in churches that reach few non-believers and are often led by people whose own lives have settled into Christian mediocrity. Stagnant, plateaued believers have little cause to talk about transformation.
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They’ve not heard much preaching about the transforming power of the gospel. Sure, they’ve heard calls to Christianity and righteousness, but those calls have not always been accompanied by the promise of power. They’ve heard condemnation, with little attention on the Holy Spirit.
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They’ve not heard many stories of transformed lives. Even if we know there are transformed lives among us, we so seldom tell our own stories that no one else knows about them. When we gather with our churches, we often sit among miracles that remain untold.
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They’re not convinced of the truthfulness of the Bible. We who have stood on the authority of the Word have taken for granted that our own children hold the same beliefs. That’s often erroneous thinking—and young people who question the Word are also going to question its transforming power.
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They still struggle with their own sin issues. This issue often reflects poor discipleship in our churches, but it’s real nonetheless: young people who’ve never found victory over their own sin issues find it hard to believe that the gospel genuinely changes people.
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They’re trying to figure out this stuff on their own. That’s partially because they’re growing in independence and don’t always want input from others. At the same time, though, we’ve provided them no mentors to walk with them and help them wrestle through tough questions.
What reasons might you add to this list?
No. 2 pretty much nails it – “We’ve raised them in churches that reach few non-believers and are often led by people whose own lives have settled into Christian mediocrity. Stagnant, plateaued believers have little cause to talk about transformation.”
Honestly, some leaders need to repent or step down for the good of the church.
Some never heard the gospel. I don’t mean “obey the gospel” but the real teachings of Jesus.