I’m seeing a growing up-and-coming generation of Christians who are done with Cirque Du Soleil church.
As one youth pastor put it to me at the show two nights ago… “I hear my kids telling each other and me…Can our service not look like our parents’ service? You know. The smoke and pretty people on stage?” Now there are a few things at work here.
1. It is simply generational. Every generation will want to look vastly different than the generation before. That’s why many church plants say silly things like… “This is not your mama’s church.” So that is to be expected. But the second reason might not be so clear.
2. Kids are growing up faster. The college freshmen this year might not have as much book knowledge as they did 10 years ago, but they have more world knowledge. I had to go to bed before World News Tonight when I was a sophomore. @KimKardashian is now tweeting that Osama is dead. So they know. The worldview is close to their chest, now so as opposed to wanting to BE CHANGED, this new generation wants to be PART OF CHANGE.
I honestly believe that.
They don’t want to follow Jesus because He looks like the cool thing to do. They want to follow Jesus because He changed the world.
There are amazing organizations popping up that are hell-bent on fixing this world. And they are doing it without Jesus at the core.
Which, in all honesty, is fine. Because Jesus can use whomever He pleases.
And if the church isn’t going to do it…Then by all means, TOMS shoes can.
I’ve got a pair of those stanky shoes on my feet right now.
But trust me.
We are sitting on a generation that can change the world through the bride of Christ if we just let them…
Instead of trying to impress them.
