4. Sacrifice kills entitlement
Given the current decline in church attendance and engagement in North America and the West, passing the faith onto the next generation has never been more urgent.
In fact, I believe the greatest thing this generation can do is sacrifice to bring faith to the next generation.
This is not the time for older adults to sit back, relax and enjoy the flight given the fact that the flight is potentially headed for a crash landing.
What if this one generation actually just sacrificed for the sake of another? What if they gave up their preferences in music, style and taste so that others could come to know Christ?
What if they changed their methods and preferences to preserve the mission?
Leveraging time, wisdom, insight, relationship, money and influence—essentially, your life—for the sake of the young is the greatest legacy you can leave.
What Do You Think?
I realize this is a countercultural argument, but I think it’s an important one.
No generation in history has had more resources than the current generation over 50. Leveraging them for the sake of the next generation is perhaps the best thing we can do with them.
If you want to learn more about the kind of changes churches need to make to be relevant to the next generation, I wrote about it in Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Can Help Your Church Grow.
The bottom line is this: A spirit of sacrifice is far more compelling than a spirit of entitlement. What am I entitled to as a person over 50? Nothing. But I’ve been blessed with much. It’s time to deploy what I’ve been given.
What are you learning about this?
