My fundamentalist friend, Ben Wright (standing next to CJ Mahaney, 3rd from the right -sorry ladies, he's on our no-dating-whilst-an-intern-at-CHBC policy until the end of May) points us to a great article asking the question "If we centre the church around the kids in order to pursuade them to come and hear the gospel, will they be able to hear a gospel that teaches us to centre our lives not around ourselves, but around the glory of God as displayed in Christ" (I paraphrase).
To quote:
How many ministries even to College Students are built to feed the appetite nurtured for 18 years by a man-centred ecclesiology that has been unwittingly practiced by churches desperate to see their teenagers hear the gospel at all costs?
To quote:
Once teenagers graduate from high school, however, they are suddenly confronted with a church that no longer revolves around them. We explain to these young adults that God expects them to serve others and not themselves. But for years, our example has taught them that the church exists for them. So when the church stops meeting their perceived needs—when the church stops existing for them—they have no reason to stick around.
How many ministries even to College Students are built to feed the appetite nurtured for 18 years by a man-centred ecclesiology that has been unwittingly practiced by churches desperate to see their teenagers hear the gospel at all costs?
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