Is Your Church Killing Your Ability To Innovate And Reach The Next Generation?

I read two articles in the last 24 hours that have blown me away!  Interestingly, though written separately their messages are basically tied together.

George Barna just released Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church.  I want to focus on the first reason he listed.  To read the full list, click here.

Barna’s top reason for young Christians leaving church is that Churches Seem Overprotective.  He says, “A few of the defining characteristics of today’s teens and young adults are their unprecedented access to ideas and worldviews as well as their prodigious consumption of popular culture. As Christians, they express the desire for their faith in Christ to connect to the world they live in. However, much of their experience of Christianity feels stifling, fear-based and risk-averse.”

Quite frankly, I’m 45 and I often feel that way.

The same day I read Barna’s report I also read Joshua Blankenship’s masterpiece Beware the Purists, Lest They Kill Your Innovation.

Joshua has incredible insight.  He says, “This Purist was relentless, because, by definition, that’s what Purists must be…Purists are passionate, but their passion will build boundaries that stifle, strangle and eventually kill off innovation. When you set such strict standards, you must logically and consistently adhere to them. You force yourself to follow them to their logical conclusion(s) or risk excommunication from other standards bearers. You dig in your heels. You demonize anything that stands in opposition to the standard. You will not be moved. In that kind of culture, “other” becomes lesser and “that’s not how we do things” becomes mantra.

Amazing things can happen if you let smart, talented people have some room to run.”  

Because of social media and their exposure to the world, talented young people no longer “wait their turn”.  They want room to run.  And even though I’m 45, so do I!!!

Church leaders, we must innovate.  We must change.  We must value the contributions the next generation of Christians bring (notice I didn’t say CAN bring). 

We need to value their opinion.  Ask them why they feel a certain way.  Give them time to sort out their thoughts and fully form their opinions without judgemental spirit or talking down to them.

Here’s the cold reality – very few, if any, great ideas come from leaders over 45 years old.  NextGen leaders are more creative than I am.  They are smarter than I am.  They have more energy than I do.  They have a greater desire to change the world than I do. 

When I look at my daughter, I don’t want the next generation to be afraid.  I want them to take risks.  I want them to have room to run.

Being boxed in is how I lived.  That didn’t work then.  It doesn’t work now.  It will not reach the next generation. 

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