Ever hear, “Young people are just not interested in God”? They leave home, go to college, start a career, or marry. Years ago, you would hear, “They’ll get married, have a child, and come back to church.” That possibility decreases with each passing year.
Are these sons and daughters still believers? Do they know Jesus as their Savior? These questions keep some Christian parents awake at night. Will these young people raise the next generation with any exposure to the faith and values that make a nation strong? That’s a question for anyone concerned about the future of our world.
Focus on these issues:
- The culture is more secular than 30 years ago. For every hour children are exposed to Christian values, they get 10-15 hours of secularism. They get it from secular friends, television, magazines, billboards, the Internet, films, video games, books, Ipads, teachers – and, what they see on the evening news. This is not much different than the pagan world of the first century…when Christianity exploded across the Mediterranean World.
- Whether your son or daughter – who doesn’t attend church – is a Christian…only God knows. Ultimately, faith is a matter of the heart. Honestly, if it’s there, it would show some fruit. No fruit, no faith. That’s biblical – and hard to say. However, many young adults reject the practice of religion. That’s entirely different than faith. This is where the really good news about 20-somethings emerges.
- Young adults today will not “play church.” They won’t go through the motions of religion without substance of faith. Many are becoming spiritually alive in the faith, even exceeding the Christian fervor of their youth (and, of their parents).
- This generation of young adults is attracted to the authentically biblical practice of Christianity. Consequently, they are a seedbed for revival, renewal – a resurgence of Christianity! I’ve seen this, first-hand, in spiritual hot spots around North America, and in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia.
- Young adults are influenced by the Internet. They are “natural networkers.” There has been no generation like this since the New Testament, when the Good News of Jesus Christ spread like wildfire. Those in the Early Church of the first century were natural networkers also – a reflection of the social structure of the Mediterranean World. Twenty one centuries later, due to entirely different (electronic) influences, we see the same phenomenon. Today, explosive potential of the Christian Movement is possible on a global scale. You don’t have to organize 20-somethings to share. They’re on Facebook, they tweet, they text. It’s not what they do, it’s who they are.
- The stage is set for Christianity to flourish. Just as the “Arab Spring” revolutions took place in the Middle East through social media, the Christian faith will spread relationally by those with networking DNA. Properly trained and equipped, these 20-somethings may be the greatest hope for our world!
How are you engaging young adults? We welcome your comments below.
Kent Hunter, founder of Church Doctor Ministries, is known as the Church Doctor. His most recent e-books are The Future Is Now and The J-Dog Journey, available at no cost. Contact him at (800) 626-8515, by email, Twitter, Facebook, or visit www.churchdoctor.org.
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