Challenge of the Ages

In this chapter of Bishop Schnase's book, he talks about what the community looks like and how often the make up of the church does not reflect the community.  For example, having a congregation with a median age of 59, white, middle class, 52% female in a surrounding community of median age 28, Hispanic/Black/Asian, poverty line, 51% male. And he asks how does a church, who is growing older, struggling to cross ethnic boundaries, and is dieing, how does it reach the next generation of leaders whom we seek to serve?

And yet there are many young people willing to serve; however, their ways are not our ways and yet they still want to hold onto what is important to the church today and they can help us to "remember the future."  We are to be the one's passing the mantle on to the next generation.  Passing the mantle; however, is not expecting young adults to do things the way we did them. Sitting on boards, serving on committees squeezes young people into a mold that does not fit.  Bishop writes that often times "worship styles, internal squabbles, organizational structures, and approaches to ministry--seem impenetrable, archaic, and out of touch to real human need and authentic spiritual ways."  Younger people often want to skip the meetings and put their hands and feet to work, not reviewing minutes and past discussions that have nothing to do with serving others.  Maybe there is something we can learn from our younger sisters and brothers, they offer us a different perspective and challenge us in new ways.  The world is filled with young people, the average age being 28.  Let's go and be with them where they are.


1 Timothy 4:12 in the Message says, "Don't let anyone put you down because you are young.  Teach believers with you life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity."

*When reading this chapter I am almost wanting to say that my community of Canton doesn't look like that though!  But when I do look at what Canton looks like does our congregation look like it?  The average age of Canton is 40, 22.5% is families and early empty nesters followed closely at 20.6% ages 5-19

Bishop Schnase asks:

• What would a church look like that goes where young people go and cares about what young people care about? How well does your congregation do at cultivating the spiritual life and leadership of young people?
• What would you estimate is the median age of our congregation is and how does it compare to the community we serve?
• How do we unintentionally put people down because they are young?