Life, Faith, and Church Conversations with My Generation: Part 1
When I first got to know Corey, he was beginning his degree in Pastoral Ministries and had a certainty to his direction in a general sense, but he also was open to learning from anyone. Like myself and many others in the theology department of a small Christian university in central Kentucky, Corey had a naivety about him that would be vulnerable to many challenges faced both academically and relationally within the next four years. However, Corey’s true struggle with life, faith and their relationship with the church has really developed over the past 6-8 months following his graduation.
Corey’s church background comes from a traditional Free Will Baptist upbringing. While he has never had ill will toward his home church’s motives and methods, once he settled away from home at college he became involved in a newly established church that is quite opposite in method from the way he was brought up. Part of the attraction to the church was its difference in “worship style” and “preaching style”, but staying is accredited to the relationships developed.
I give all of this background to lead up to the conversation I had with Corey while I was out to visit this past month. At the end of a Sunday spent attending Corey’s church (the newer more “contemporary” one), the two of us sat and had a conversation in his apartment. In the middle of the conversation, Corey looks at me warning me that he wants to talk about something he hasn’t been able to talk with anyone about. He then follows with voicing the concern that the church isn’t being what the church is intended to be. “We do all of these new things, with new music, and new preaching. We change ‘bulletin’ to ‘announcement sheet’ and ‘sanctuary’ to ‘worship center’, and all of the emphasis is placed on an hour and a half on Sunday.” I would use a common phrase to describe Corey’s view of the church. It is like putting lipstick on a pig. The same things are being done, but they just have a new look. There seems to be no real connection to the community the church is a part of and the needs of the people with in the community.
Corey has noticed a disconnect between who his church is and who they should be. This is a common position among many church lifers who are now twenty somethings wondering “there has to be more to church than this.” Such searching often can lead to actions that are unhealthy both for the person as well as the community they have issue. Most react by leaving the church to look for another, start another, or just leave altogether. Leaving, I believe, is a poor course of action in most situations. Why not be a part of the solution rather than the problem. Leaving acknowledges a problem. Staying and helping create change acknowledges possibility. Church is a collection of people. People should not be viewed as problems. Jesus saw and sees possibility. Why shouldn’t we? My encouragement to Corey is that he view the possibilities rather than the problems. The change that can happen points toward the Kingdom.
What are your thoughts on Corey’s situation and many others in the same situation? I’ll be posting a follow up on this conversation concerning problems vs. possibilities later along with other conversations.
