Featured Losing our youth

To me, churches are playing w fire. JMO

too much can go wrong and does go wrong

just look at SBC Life as it relates to Youth Ministry

 

I think my first question is, is she saved and should she be a part of the church in the first place.

Perhaps, as the verse says, she went out from us because she is not one f us.

 

That's a pretty strong possibility, given what goes on in churches today.

But think of it this way: If an 18 year old came to your church and said, "I want to join your church", would you say, "Well, great! Come back Sunday and we'll make you a member"? Or would you say, "Well, that's great! Let's talk. Can you tell me how you came to trust in Christ?" and probe him a little to see if he actually met the Biblical criteria for church membership?

Many churches would just take them in, with no questions, and be thrilled they got another warm body in the youth or singles group. But that's not Biblical. There really are Biblical requirements for church membership, and when we bypass those, we not only put the integrity of the church in jeopardy, we also potentially give false assurance of salvation to the young person.

It sounds like this is the case with the girl in the article. Everybody is so concerned why she's leaving and how to get her back, but nobody is talking about whether or not she actually meets the criteria for church membership in the first place.

If she does, then church discipline is called for. If not, then our concern shouldn't be how to get her back into church, but sharing the Gospel with her and let the result of that be her eligibility for church membership.

I love being a Baptist, but I hate the way Baptists too often are more interested in numbers than in the people the numbers represent.

 

It should be clarified that God is not losing one person. He has each of His children in His hands, even before they believe.
This thread is mostly about our churches who have traded in theology for entertainment and then they wonder why their youth are more entertained by the world than by the church youth games.

 

A Lutheran pastor I knew once estimated that they lost about 85% of their youth. The factors i see contributing to this are;

1. Christian parents proving access to their children by the world.
2. Churches run as industrial systems (product (children) in and product out)
3. Christianity presented as abstract doctrinal issues.
4. Truth undervalued
5. A consumer perspective seeks after self.