MOVING FORWARD: TAKING 'GENERATION Z' WITH US
The statistics are startling and convicting! The Church is losing the next generation. Our children and grandchildren are coming of age in a carnal world that is competing for every moment of their attention with media that is custom-fit to their fast-paced lives and what is relevant to them. Technology, social media, cultural norms, and weakening moral standards create a world of insurmountable spiritual challenges, challenges we never had to face growing up.
“The numbers don’t look good. Of ‘Generation Z’ - people born after 1996 – 34 percent identify as atheist, agnostic, or nonreligious. It’s the highest figure of any generation ever [in North America]. The trend we’re seeing with ‘Gen Z’ started with millennials. Only 30 percent of millennials say attending church is important. Among millennials who grew up in church, almost 60 percent have dropped out.” Tyler Daswick, Relevant Magazine, Jan. 2019.
The result? The next generation is disappearing form the Church in record numbers. Unchurched. Uninterested. Unsaved. But not unreachable!
Adapted from an email received from Turning Point Ministries - Dr. David Jeremiah
TLC Family, we must do what we can to reach the next generation. Now is the time! We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the mission field in our own communities. As we learned last week, if we do not intentionally mentor and guide the next generation we will relive what happened in Judges 2:10–12: “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them.”
In just one generation the truth of who God is was lost. We cannot, knowing this, ignore the statistics. It is up to us to share our stories of miracles and salvations, of the wonders we have seen and things we have experienced, to our children and grandchildren. We must continue to intercede in prayer for them, and we must do whatever we can to deliver the unchanging Word of God to an ever-changing world. ‘Gen Zers’ are looking for community, relevance, love, and authenticity. We have that right here at TLC, so let’s continue to be a church that welcomes everyone with open arms.
Invite the young people you know to join our Youth Ministry starting on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00pm.
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22: 6
In this together with you,
Pastors Brian and Sabrina
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