Multiple Choice Church

Interesting article in the NY Times, Teenagers Mix Churches For Faith That Fits.  This article describes how students will tolerate one church which they attend with their parents and then attend another that is their preference.  Is this good news or bad news?

Comments

[Rob]

I think it's a clear reflection of how many churches are irrelavent and not meeting needs. I do think there is a danger of the "it's about me" mentality that comes from picking programs that "suit me", but in reality many churches refusal to abandon traditions and remove religious barriers keep teens from seeing God as He really is and finding true faith in Christ. This problem jumps out as I read this article and I thank God for churches that are willing to think outside the box without compromising the message (which unfortunately many do when thinking outside the box by watering down the message) because teenagers are starving for God in truth, and can't see Him through so many barriers that stubborn saints refuse to remove.

[Dave Ferguson]

Rob,I think you nailed it - it's both good news and bad news. Good news that there are great churches that are helping students find their way back to God. Bad news is that it could perpetuate the consumer mindset that the church is about serving me instead of a missional agent of which I'm apart.

[Doug Anderson]

Parents also want their children to have an "authentic" relationship to faith, and "if you don't choose it, it's not authentic for you," said Christian Smith, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina and director of the survey on youth and religion.

I think Chris Smith hit the nail on the head. I left the church when I went to college because the only ones I had ever know were irrelevant. I even went to seminary telling God that I had no desire to serve in vocational ministry at a church because I still had not been part of a relevant church. It was only when I came to CCC that I found out that churches really could fulfill the Great Commission.