a Biblical thought...
"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (John 4:23-24)
a Book thought...
The answer is given to those who allow the future to dominate structure. It will sometimes mean the abandonment of a structure that cannot nurture the future, and replacement with a new one. (p111 Needham)
a Dave thought...
Yesterday I was given the opportunity to chat with Rowan Lewis from Tabor about youth spirituality. It was a fascinating conversation with emphasis on the numbers of young people leaving the church. George Barna goes so far as to say 60% of 18-24 not only leave church but abandon their faith altogether.
Rowan suggests that until we move from an area of gifted faith to an owned faith we are always likely to abandon God. An owned faith does not just believe what our parents or church have dictated to us but rather explores, questions and grapples with real issues about God and the world we live in. So although it is hard to find more space for discussion and debate unless we do, and give our young people an opportunity to own their faith rather than inherit someone else’s our young adults will continue to exit the church.
Just a thought.
"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (John 4:23-24)
a Book thought...
The answer is given to those who allow the future to dominate structure. It will sometimes mean the abandonment of a structure that cannot nurture the future, and replacement with a new one. (p111 Needham)
a Dave thought...Yesterday I was given the opportunity to chat with Rowan Lewis from Tabor about youth spirituality. It was a fascinating conversation with emphasis on the numbers of young people leaving the church. George Barna goes so far as to say 60% of 18-24 not only leave church but abandon their faith altogether.
Rowan suggests that until we move from an area of gifted faith to an owned faith we are always likely to abandon God. An owned faith does not just believe what our parents or church have dictated to us but rather explores, questions and grapples with real issues about God and the world we live in. So although it is hard to find more space for discussion and debate unless we do, and give our young people an opportunity to own their faith rather than inherit someone else’s our young adults will continue to exit the church.
Just a thought.
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1 comment:
Good blog today. I couldn't agree more. Our Youth do need to find their own faith and walk their own spiritual journey - this is Scriptural but also the only way that they will ever have any desire to stay in our Churches. Let's do all we can to nurture them and do whatever necessary to help them in their faith journey. Let us help them to rely on God more fully to meet their needs. The world certainly can't meet their deepest need and that is their need of Him.
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