I was advised by my parents to take some time to think about this topic. Apparently I took too much time to think about it and I forgot about it, then 2 months later here I am trying to remember what the heck I was going to talk about in the first place…ahh now I remember. My parents wanted me to be careful how I was going to address this issue before actually writing it and putting it up on the internet, but here it goes.
When I was at the 2009 Pastors Conference in Louisville, KY, I mentioned some of the things that were pressed on my heart by one of my favorite speakers, David Platt. You can read that first observation here. After that message, I took some time to talk with my Dad about a growing concern that I have for the Southern Baptist Convention. Before, I get into all of that, I will briefly mention one of the best things that I believe that the SBC could do. Dr. Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary, has suggested that there be a denomination wide resurgence of the Great Commission. It is a sad day in the lives of supposed “Christians” when we think that we can do church without the Great Commission woven into everything we do, say, proclaim, and believe as a denomination. The fact that there are so many who are getting behind this commission gives me great hope for the future of this denomination.
Now on to my concerns. There are only a few that I will be mentioning in this blog post, but I firmly believe that those concerns can cripple any denomination. These concerns, to me, are so devastating that if you are reading this blog post and see these concerns taking place in your local church, it is my prayer that you may seek to address these issues before any more of these crippling actions continue to hurt the bride of Christ.
The first concern that I would like to mention is one being stuck in the rut of tradition. Now , before you simply write me off as “another youth who wants solely guitars, drums, and contemporary music in all the worship times and who thinks he knows how to fix every problem within the Christian faith.” This utterly not true. While I may be young and energetic to continue serving my God in whatever form or fashion He so choses, I am also a new kid on the block when it comes to all the aspects of the Southern Baptist Denomination. Being a pastors kid for 22 years of my life, I have been in several different types of churches with several different outlooks on what church is supposed to look like. I have seen a church fail at its attempts to try new things and become newer and more appeasing to the younger generation. I have also seen a church fail and die in their stubborn refusal to try new things and give God a chance to work through something new, as opposed to continuing to do things the way its always been because it has always worked.
The churches that thrive. The churches that survive. The churches that make the greatest impact for the Kingdom of God, and in the communities surrounding where the church is located, are churches who are able to meet the needs of the people around them. Just because it worked with you does not mean that is the way it will work for the rest of eternity. The sad thing is, it seems like people go from either one extreme to the other. It is very rare that you find a happy-medium in a church. There a several churches that I believe that are making a strong successful attempt at the happy-medium when it comes to meeting the needs of a multi-generational congregation. If you would like to take a glimpse at what these churches look like you can go here, here, and here.
Why do I say these things? Why do I feel so strongly about this and willing to speak out about it?
Look at 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Paul is making a case for reaching all people, no matter where there are in their lives. In verse 22 he says, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”
Now take a glance at Matthew 13:52, Jesus says, “And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” This means that whoever is trained and believes what the truths found in the Word of God, will not only portray the church practices that appeal to themselves or a certain group of people, but that everyone must work together to meet the needs of everyone in the church. The people who say “hymns are best” or “we want drums” are not at church to give God glory, but for their own entertainment.
I implore you to take a closer look at the practices of your own church. Does it meet the needs of everyone or just a select group of people or even a select age group? If not, I encourage you to respectfully present a biblical case that the church staff takes a look at their practices, in order that the maximum amount of people will be impacted by the church, but more importantly, by the Gospel.
Keep Living John 3:30
