When a church sings hymns and worship songs that no one in the next generation is singing, the church will become terminal.
An unhealthy church only has one generation attending. A healthy, balanced church has all generations attending. Great grandparents, grandparents, parents, college students, high school students, middle school students, pre-teens, elementary kids, preschoolers and babies are all part of the congregation.
A church that never has a parent and child dedication service is terminal.
A church that cares more about preserving the past than they do preparing for the future is terminal.
Is your church terminal? Are you not reaching young families?
Do you not hear laughter, giggles and kids being told to slow down in the hallway?
Is the baptistry dry and has cobwebs because kids, students and parents are not being reached and baptized?
If any of these scenarios are true in your church, I am not here to bash you or discourage you.
There is good news. You can reach the next generation. You can see young families being drawn to your ministry. You can hear crying in the nursery again. You can hear kids laughing and giggling in the hallways and classrooms.
It simply takes you being committed to reaching the next generation.
It takes reaching out for the future instead of boasting about the past.
It takes being intentional about creating environments that will attract and keep young families.
It takes looking back at the generation that is following you and realizing it’s about them a whole lot more than it is about you.
I pray that as you finish up this year and then launch into a new year, that God will see your heart for the next generation and pour out His blessings upon your ministry.
I pray that the unchurched young families in your community will be drawn to your church.
I pray that your baptistry will be filled because of people who have accepted Christ and are ready for their next step.
I pray that instead of being terminal, your church will be life-giving, passionate, multi-generational and reaching for what God has for your future.
May each church that is terminal or on the edge of becoming terminal, look not to themselves, but to the children and families in their community who are lost without Jesus.
This article originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
