|
Friends United Meeting |
 |
October 1998
Beyond Entertainment
Bruce Bishop
In our increasingly technological society, the Church is falling behind in several areas, and that means we need to understand and capitalize on our strengths.
A decade or so ago, the Church attempted to win the right to be heard by providing entertainment that lured people in. We were pretty good at coming up with grand events that attracted youth and adults to our meetings. We could put together a flashy package, leaving just enough room to throw some deep thoughts out into the crowd. And the crowd's personality was such that those thoughts had impact.
Today, there is absolutely no chance that we can compete with the entertainment market. There are activities and events and games out there that far exceed anything we could ever put together. And on those occasions when we do happen to draw a crowd for a fun event, they are much more caustic and wary which makes them defensive and closed to our words of hope.
So what do we do? Do we continue the hectic rat-race of competition and try to "one-up" society on the entertainment scale? I think that's a losing strategy, and a battle that misplaces our energy.
We need to realize that we have something unique to offer which society can't. We have something that this generation is desperately seeking. We have the potential to offer meaningful relationship.
Today's youth and young adults have more than enough options for entertainment and diversion, but they crave significant, supportive relationships. I strongly believe it is relationship which will bring a new generation into the Church.
Many from this generation were raised as "latch-key kids," left to fend for themselves upon returning from school. They experienced a mass breakdown of the institution of marriage. They experienced the high mobility rate that has cost us our sense of "neighborhood."
Youth and young adults deeply desire to be a part of a significant and accountable community. And this is the very thing Christ built his own ministry upon!
If we desire to have meaningful outreach to youth and young adults, we must commit ourselves to the long and intimidating work of building relationships. The rising generation craves intimacy, but also fears it. It takes awhile before we earn the right to be trusted and welcomed into their lives. We can't look for "quick successes" and we can't gauge our success by numerical growth. That will come as our relationships become significant, but success itself will happen long before growth. "Success" will happen each time a barrier is dropped just a little and we are allowed to get a little closer.
From the foundation of relationship, we will best be able to share Christ's love and offer appropriate support for today's society. The "shotgun" approach of scattering a few wise words in the direction of a milling crowd doesn't work anymore. Now we are heard to the degree that we are in relationship with the listener...an interesting thought, huh?!
We are doing everything we can to make our Yearly Meeting-level programming and ministries relationship based. I encourage you to consider how you are meeting this need of the rising generation. Perhaps this is the strength, the ministry that the Church can offer, which will set us apart and help us communicate Christ in a significant and timely manner. Let's leave simple entertainment to those who have the time and money to waste.
Bruce Bishop is youth superintendent for Northwest Yearly Meeting.
Copyright (c) 1998 Friends United Meeting
Return to October 1998 Contents page