Bruce Reyes-Chow responded to a series of questions published in
a booklet distributed to commissioners and advisory delegates
prior to the convening of the 218th General Assembly. Here’s
the Moderator’s response to the question:
In what new ways can the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its congregations place a focus on
ministry to and with youth and young adults to ensure a church for future generations?
First we must decide if we truly wish to be a church for future generations. I am not sure that we see our roles as preparers for the future, but rather we are more focused on our role as caregivers of the now. To be compelling to young folks would require us to admit that others discover, connect with and live out their faith in Christ in ways different than our own. To be authentic, we must embrace these realities and find joy in the ways future generations experience the church. Not an easy task, but transformation is not easy.
Here are three realities that we must embody if we are to be a church that is a meaningful place for future generations to grow into all that God intends for them to become.
DISCLAIMER: I offer these few characteristics as general descriptors and not absolute truths. One of the pitfalls we often fall into in our well intentioned zeal to reach young people is that we believe that young people are a homogenous lot and there is only one way to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have fooled ourselves into thinking that all we have to do is discover the “secrets” to the lives of young people and they will flood into the church.
Upholding tradition is not bad, but upholding tradition for tradition’s sake sure isn’t good.
One of the mistakes we make is to assume young folks do not value tradition, ritual and heritage. Tradition and ritual are important aspects of one’s faith development, but only if done with meaning and not simply because it has always been done that way. We lose credibility when we worship tradition more than we worship God.
The internet is not just a method, it is a way of life.
To reach a generation that lives and breathes online, we must abandon the assumption that technology and social networking have no place in discovering, nurturing and/or living out community. Just as the arrival of the printing press, telephone and automobile changed the culture of church, technology must also be embraced and utilized faithfully.
Respect is given, but authority is earned.
Lastly, we must realize that the church no longer holds authority of faith by simply being the church. We must earn our authority by living a life consistent with the life Christ. We must humbly acknowledge the brokenness of our humanity and boldly accept the forgiveness Christ offers to us all.
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