When we were getting ready to plant the church 10 years ago, we decided to work through a book called Don’t Call it a Comeback, edited by Kevin DeYoung and written by a number of prominent pastors. The general idea of the book was to root deeply into what had always been the core of Protestant Theology; so that the things being celebrated as the Young, Restless, and Reformed movement were seen, not as new or unique, but as the continuation of what the church had always been. It was a very helpful place for a church core, because it allowed us to put the foundation in place before we started talking about what songs we would sing or how the information would be sent out.
The first chapter of this book, written by DeYoung, was titled: The Secret to Reaching the Next Generation. This essay is a response to the idea that reaching ‘the next generation,’ or any person for that matter, is about having the right system or style. So much of what is written to pastors and churches is selling this idea: doing things a certain way will yield certain results. Every pastor wants this, because the alternative is a bit chaotic. We want to know what ‘doing it right’ is so that we can be confident that we are fulfilling our role.
This desire in pastors is exacerbated by their congregations, who all have a different idea of what success in the church means. Some of the measurements used are:
Are a lot of people coming?
Are we baptizing enough people?
What programs do we offer?
Does the music make me feel closer to God?
Do my kids have friends?
Are we more theologically astute than the church down the street?
And on, and on, and on…
It isn’t that these aren’t good questions to ask, but each one of these ideas of success implies a different method or approach. Each method pushes the church in a different direction. If the church tries to be all things to all people, it will either be pushing and pulling in so many directions that it tears itself apart, or it is constantly changing directions as everyone gets confused about the purpose of the church. Many churches do a lot of things, but have forgotten why they do them. Churches have a lot on the calendar, yet do not have people who are growing in their love for Jesus Christ. We were warned about this in Revelation 2:
“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. | Revelation 2:2–4
The focus of the church must always be to hold the center: to make Jesus the core of everything we do. To do this, the church must intentionally structure itself around the simplicity of the gospel. This means both pointing people to Jesus, but also, saying no to a lot of things that simply drown out the message of Jesus. There are a lot of good things that can get in the way of us maintaining our first love. As a church, we strive to balance our desire to accomplish and do, with the assurance that all we need has been accomplished by Jesus.
One of the guides for us came from the chapter and book I mentioned earlier. In it, DeYoung lists five suggestions for those who want to reach people with the gospel. After 10 years as a church, I believe this same list is helpful in keeping the gospel central:
- Grab them with passion
- Win them with love
- Hold them with holiness
- Challenge them with truth
- Amaze them with God.
Over the next few days, I am going to dig into these a bit as we continue to think work out how to be a healthy and thriving church!