You heard it here first. With all the crazy church models out there from Cowboy Church to Baby Church to Emergent Church to Sticky Church to Young Urban Professional with a highly disposable income who like to listen to smooth Jazz and chant in tongues churches, I figure Diaper Church has a shot, right? There are a thousands models out there. The church has taken many forms over the years and within the last couple decades have decided on slicing up the market to focus on their target. For instance, you have the Saddleback Sam who is “seeking” God (btw, those who hold this view of seeker, please explain Rom. 3:10-12) and Willow Wally. This isn’t so much as an assault on these models. Their own churches have realized that it isn’t the best model/plan to follow. This has more to do with asking a simple question…which I will get to in a sec.
America’s culture is obsessed with a young culture. There are thousands of beauty products pitched to women to help them appear younger. Cosmetic medical operations are continuing to increase and Hollywood crams “beauty” down our throats from every angle. There are chiseled young heart-throbs and beautiful young women all over the cinema. I don’t think I need to go much farther as I am convinced that anyone who would try to make a case otherwise would be laughed out of the room. Not only has this affected Hollywood, but also the marketing geniuses in our consumer driven culture. Marketers and advertisers are falling all over themselves to vie for the money and attention of the age 14-25 demographic. They say to themselves, “If only we can attract a younger crowd with our product, we will be perceived as fun, new, and desirable.” Once again, I think this is common knowledge and doesn’t require much more explanation. Which brings me to my question…
Has the church also bought into the lie that our culture is propagating; those who are young and youthful are the desired target market? Have we decided that this is the demographic where God moves most frequently?
Carl Trueman reflects on this subject in his book, The Wages of Spin,
More often than not, these changes [abandoning hymnody for contemporary songs and styles deemed more sensible] are implemented with more than a passing reference to the need to attract young people to church – a most legitimate aim but also perhaps a significant modification of the emphases contained in the Great Commission where the category of age receive specific mention.
This is an honorable aim, right? I mean, we have statistics that show that the majority of “salvation decisions” occur before the age of 18. This is evidence that God almost exclusively moves among the young. No? Or have we just bought into that line of thinking and thus propagated a lie?
Does God only move among the young or are we overlooking the vast majority of the world? Franklin Graham is now focusing on Youth Crusades. Louie Giglio has started Passion Church to focus on this young single demographic. The church is mourning the sustaining or decline of youth baptisms. Entire churches are focusing on this young demographic, often to the exclusion of other demographics. But have we really thought about the implications of this claim? If God is moving among the young, what is a church supposed to do in a community with an aging demographic or one who is ministering in community with an increase in new home construction with houses in excess of $500,000 (certainly young families aren’t buying these properties)? Should they just pack up shop?
What are your thoughts. In the next post, I will explore a few implications of this and provide reasons why I think this may be a terrible strategy. In the mean time, what do you think?
Oh yeah, this is coming from a youth pastor whose job it is to reach this young demographic exclusively. But more on that next post.
UPDATE: I skipped the follow-up post. It should come shortly.
