This past weekend I was sitting in worship at Katie’s church and I saw a personal fan in the pew in front of me. It had a picture of Jesus on it. My first thought was that i didn’t know they were still around, and then on Monday I found one in the youth room at MUMC. What are the odds???
This image has been sticking with me as I have been reading Kenda Creasey Dean’s newest book “Almost Christian.” It is her recap and analysis of a HUGE and extensive study done of the spirituality of young poeple.
Dean always writes with an academic air about her, but is really accessible. I feel like she articulates very well the direction youth ministry is going in (as a real ministry field rather than just daycare for older kids, as once thought).
In her book she reflects that this study finds that the overwhelming majority of young people are claiming their christian faith, but it is more so that they can feel good rather than claiming it as the Good News. They are like-warm. She points out that young poeple are indicators of the climate of the church across the board and that they have learned this kind of faith from somewhere.
We have made the expectations so low in the church that no one is interested in committing to it. Rather the community of faith, in the mind of many, is a “therapeutic deism” that makes you feel good about what you are doing. The study is finding that there is little to no difference in behavior between the non-religious youth and the majority of mainline young people. However the denominations where there is much expected of the young poeple and those involved in the community of faith life (Mormons in particular) show a drastic difference in the way they live out their faith.
What I am taking away from the first couple of chapters of the text is that we need to set the bar high, and keep a high standard. We need to expect excellence and supply youth/families and the whole community of faith with the tools to reach the goals as we move on to being made perfect in love.
We should not settle for being “cool” or lukewarm with Jesus but we should be on fire for God and have the expectation that it is contagious and that no piece of cardboard on a Popsicle stick could cool it off.
