The Hope of Tomorrow’s Church
In the previous blog article, Spiritual Exiles, I wrote about the discovery of David Kinnaman, President of Barna, the four categories describing the twenty-somethings. Resilient Exiles is the one group that is staying with the church while others have left organized church. Researchers have done a deep dive into the question; Why have these 10% stayed with the church while others are or have left. The data reveals real promise in leading the current church into the future by taking the time to listen and learn from the twenty-somethings.
Meaningful relationships are what builds resilient disciples. This is key to evaluating current church methodology and allowing the current church leaders to make data informed decisions. Simply stated, what is the church doing to facilitate these types of relationships. Consider the info graph below.
It is time to rediscover meaningful relationships within the church. Mistrust and isolation cut at the heart of human and Christian community. The Church can and should provide answers to the deepest questions of humanity and through Jesus. In this case, our search for relational intimacy and supportive, others-oriented community is found in the Church.
In exile, the Church can provide answers to a relationally hurting society. The Christian community today has an amazing opportunity to address the epidemic of isolation by going on the offensive against “Digital Babylon.” In comparing resilient disciples to the other young adults who grew up as Christians, it’s striking to see that being a resilient disciple correlates to overall relational well-being. These findings affirm that the Church can help fill a massive gap in our society: the desire to be loved, to be acknowledged for more than what we produce and to be known. But how can the Church do this?
While the current moment adds to the complexity of cultivating long-lasting relationships within the Church, it also underlines the need for these connections. To assess how your church is actively promoting strong relationships, sit down with your staff and ask: How can we equip our leadership team and congregants alike to support the relational well-being of others, especially young people? How do we encourage congregants to make meaningful connections with others? What measures are in place for us to identify and assist those who are struggling to forge new friendships?
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