The church must do better to demonstrate that the young can trust the church and hear a gospel that is good news for all. A witness in word is based upon more than sound theology, evangelistic strategy, and identifying correct target demographics. It is the fullness of loving God and loving neighbor with the Church’s embodied witness in life, deed, and sign.
Listen to the Children!
- Where are children meaningfully present in the Lausanne movement?
Despite the plethora of mentions across Lausanne Issue Groups and Listening Call responses, the next generation has been placed in a silo, separated from the remaining 24 Gaps much like they are segregated in churches in Sunday worship. Effectively, the presence of the young has been eliminated from other Gap conversations. If the church genuinely wants to listen to and involve the young, sidelining them must stop. The young are not merely the church’s future; they are the church now.
- Children and youth are the digital natives; we need their participation for innovation.
- Children and youth are disproportionately affected by political instability, displacement, racism, ethnicism, and climate change (as well as violence, war, economic instability, pollutants, etc.). Adult decisions deeply impact their well-being—for good or ill.
- Children’s developing bodies are disproportionately affected by inadequate nutrition, education, livelihoods, and employment opportunities. Investing in their flourishing now allows them to become who God created them to be and offer their gifts to the Church and the world.
- Too many remain in deep poverty and face life-threatening risks.
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- By placing numerical emphasis on the middle class and aging populations, the church is ignoring the commands of Jesus to care for the “least of these,” the same children who are Jesus’s model of his Kingdom. The UN population report released in June 2024 indicates that though there may be fewer children in richer countries, population growth worldwide by 2050 is predicted to be in the poorest regions (sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia) with the most challenges. Why are we pitting the young against elders and the middle class? A world that is fit for children is one that is good for all people and sustainability.
- The young are motivated by a WHOLE gospel.
- According to the Barna Group, 3/4 of US teens and 1/2 of global teens want to learn more about Jesus. AND they believe the Bible motivates them to make a difference, care for those in need, stand up against wrongdoing, and promote fairness and justice in our world. Adults are their living models, and the young are looking to the church to fully integrate and embody a whole gospel, not rank prioritization of proclamation.
- Recent research by World Vision International and VIVA Network (July, 2024) indicates that children-at-risk globally articulate deep understanding of the Kingdom of God and desire it to be a functional Kingdom, mentioning 11 out of 17 sustainable development goals in their responses.
Lament, Repent, and Embrace the ‘Child in the Midst’
Repeating the Quito Call to Action on Children-at-Risk, we once again call upon the global church, and especially participants in Lausanne 4, to lament our shortcomings and repent of the ways the church has failed children; for the suffering and exploitation of children-at-risk; for how our mission efforts have undervalued children as co-laborers with us.
In John 6, when Jesus encountered the challenge of feeding the great crowd of 5,000 men (and of course, many additional women and children!), he asked his disciples for ideas and was met with practical facts on cost per head to feed. When Andrew brought a boy with five loaves and two fish, he shared his skepticism about how such paltry resources could be of any help.
Jesus had asked his disciples as a test, but he already had in mind what he was going to do (vs. 6). To the amazement of his disciples, he took the offering of a child and cared for a crowd of thousands with resources to spare.
Though the church can plan with efficiency, only God knows the future. Any influence the Church has in the next decades is through investment in the young—across all identified gaps. May all who participate in Lausanne 4 humbly follow the lead of Jesus—embracing the “child in the midst” in full participation on God’s mission.2
2 Myriad participants mentioned the young in Listening Calls and have elected Gap 3 “The Next Generation” as a top selection for Lausanne 4. Evidence suggests that participants understand the importance of emerging generations; the L4 agenda does not reflect that level of importance and need for integration across gaps.
