Last Sunday the sermon at the congregation I attend was a topic that always interested me. The topic? Retention of young adults within the church. The statistics were predictable, but still stunning and a bit scary.
For example when both parents attend worship regularly and have church work assignments, the retention rate for their adult children is 75-80%. Just half of adult offspring are faithful when just one parent attends. When neither parent attend, at best only a fourth attend.
Meanwhile college students who attend Christian colleges stay faithful at a rate of 85%, while half of those who attend public college stay faithful. Just 43% of those who do not go to college stay faithful.
I began to think about my own experience in my youth. I was raised in the church. My family was there for every service. By the time I was in high school, there was a core group of faithful Christians who attended most all the youth events. It was a good time. We felt we’d always stay faithful. I look back at the quaintness of one of my fellow youth group member’s message in my 9th grade yearbook:

Enter the college years. We all went our separate ways. I chose Lipscomb University, mostly because a few of my good friends were going there. Looking back on my decision it was probably a mistake. I felt I could have had a better experience at a Christian university down the road. But at that point I was not a leader; I was a follower.
It was at college I had to make the decision whether to attend church. I remember one particular Wednesday night I had a decision to make, whether to attend Wednesday night Bible study or not. On most occasions I attended. I surrounded myself with Christian friends. I could have found sin at Lipscomb, but I avoided it.
A large part the growth of my spiritual life involved being a camp counselor at a Christian camp, something I continue to do today.
Meanwhile our church youth group was scattered elsewhere. Some went to state colleges. Some went into the military. Others got jobs right out of high school. As the statistics would have it, we did not all stay faithful. I know of one other person who was in my class who still attends church at my congregation. I would like to believe that others stayed faithful, but are just in different towns. But I know this isn’t the case. Some attend denominational churches or just don’t attend at all. To my knowledge the signatory of the yearbook message above is not faithful.
So what happened exactly? Was there no one to tell us to go to church? Did the cares of the world put a backseat to religion? I think at some point we had to figure out if we were going to make what our parents brought us up to be our own. We had to chose Jesus as our own savior and not just giving into our parents.

I stumbled across this video while searching for various Insane Clown Posse fan videos. These ICP fans, self proclaimed “Juggalos” and “Juggalettes,” consider themselves part of a family with a common interest in the previously mentioned band. They consider themselves outcasts who have found peace through their common interests.
I have great admiration of the evangelists in this video. It is difficult to conduct a Bible discussion with so much distractions. The distraction is most evident when someone tries to make a breakthrough, a “Woo Woo!” is shouted throughout the crowd bringing the discussion off track.
The discussion highlights what is wrong with much of the public. The average ICP fan (and American) might think that because they are a good person and have a belief in God, would allow them entrance into heaven or the proclaimed “Shangri-La.” What the evangelist (and the Bible) shows, belief and good acts is not enough to get into heaven. It is following God’s Word which is absolute in
The subject of the video, Ed, seems to have a background in Christian religion as he is able to quote some Bible verses and is familiar with the Ten Commandments. Yet he is not living according to the Bible and is off track. I hope and pray that he investigates God’s Word and grows to a better understanding of God’s will for him.

Out in the suburbs one cannot get away from the large amount of nondenominational churches poping up ever so often. The evolution begins thusly.

1. A group of Christians somehow feel disenchanted with current churches in their hometown. Whether it is doctrine, personalities or timing, is anyone’s guess. I have a tendency believe the reason is conflicting personalities among church members. Let’s face it, doctrine of these type of churches is similar if not identical.
2. Next is picking a name for the infant church. The name must not be tied to any established denomination. Rather is needs to be neutral sounding. “The Bridge,” “Crosspoint,” “The Fellowship,” come to mind. Denominational names harken back to bad childhood memories. Tying “Baptist,” “Methodist,” “Catholic,” or any other well established has prejudices attached to it for potential converts.
3. Picking a venue to hold worship services is a no-brainer, as they seem to pop up in local schools (if available), and sometimes even in established church buildings.

Where this church goes from here is anyone’s guess. Some stay for years meeting at a temporary venue. Some wither and fade. Some eventually purchase land to build, but it is rare, as it seems that a permanent structure is something which represents what the nondenominational church was setup to combat against.
It leaves me questioning these young pastors’ motives in starting a new church to begin with. What is wrong with established churches? Is a personality trait for someone to have a need to feel in charge of a flock and to call the shots? Aren’t there enough churches in this buckle of the Bible belt?
And it also makes me question the flock’s reason for attending these type of churches. Is it all about “me” ? For the most part I believe non-churchgoing people seek out churches for selfish motives initially. “What in it for me?” “I just didn’t get anything out of that sermon.” Instead I hope they eventually mature and find out church isn’t all about being a self help program. Instead worship is a humble offering to God.

Can I make an observation? I believe that most of the “new” churches today aren’t interested in worshiping God. Rather they are interested in putting on a good show.
When we worship God, He alone is the audience. We need to do it the way He intended it to be. I could go on about the examples in the Bible. Such as the humble attitude Abraham had when he journeyed to the mountain knowing that he could be sacrificing his son, Isaac. No party anthems or top 40 hits were played right before the journey.
When we worship God, we are offering Him praise and adoration, not putting on some kind of concert. I’m disappointed in this tweet above, showing the author and church are terribly misled. But more importantly from examples in the Bible, we could make inference that this is not what God intended.

When I was in high school I can remember being in what I later described as the most poorly prepared Sunday School class ever. I felt as though the teacher came up with the lesson while walking up the stairs to class five minutes before class began. This was a class of mostly redneck boys in high school who didn’t really know any better. I desired the meat of the Word. What I got was whatever was happening during the current events was discussed with little or no Bible verses to back it up. Probably due to this poor planning and fickle approach to God’s Word it is not surprising that many of the students in that class are no longer faithful.
I see worship service and Bible study as a haven to the wall to wall news coverage we find on CNN and others. I’m here to dwell on spiritual things, not as a forum for debate. That’s why I cringe when political issues like Chick-Fil-A is brought up in the adult Sunday School class I attend.
I realize that Jesus mentioned current events like the Tower of Siloam in Luke 13. Some people are looking for Biblical answers to today’s problems. However current events and church just don’t mix for me.