The Future of the Church....I’m just saying

We (the Church) spend a lot of money on children's ministries, for many reasons. Jesus said, "don't hinder the children from coming to me." The Old Testament commands parents to instruct their children in "the way" they should go. Research shows that the most productive age for conversion is childhood. Or, as has been stated recently, "children are the future of our Church."

Given all of these reasons, Is it true that children are our Church's future, locally and globally? The simple answer is no. The future of any church is the new blood of conversion, not just of children but also adults. I would go as far as to say that adult conversion is more fundamental to a local church's longevity that it's children. Most children will grow up and move away. 

The future of any church is the new people the Church reaches out to. The future makeup of the Church, then, is determined by the present demographic. People reach out to people like themselves. Young families reach out to young families, and as they grow older, so does the target of their outreach. If a church's demographic is older, then it will attract and reach out to older people. If a congregation doesn't do anything to reach people dissimilar to them (younger adults), it will grow old and eventually seek to exist as a local body. That is alright as long as they reach out to their community all the way to the end.

The proceeding is a generalization. If a senior congregation desires to see a younger generation come to Christ and be a part of their Church, they will change something about themselves to make this happen. They may shift worship style, start ministries aimed at a younger demographic, or hire someone younger to mobilize people toward a younger age group.

Our focus is not to perpetuate St. John but perpetuate the Kingdom of God. Our passion determines the methodology of our evangelization and the' target.' If we have a heart to reach our neighbors who are all 60+ or have a desire to reach young families, it doesn't matter as long as we reach others for the glory of God.

"As you are going," Jesus said," make disciples of all [demographics], teaching them to observe all that I have commanded, and I will be with you always, even until the end." Young or old, who are you reaching out to for Christ? Here's to the journey. I'm just saying.