Rethink Church (5): Yes to Children
Mark 10:13-16 (October 4, 2009)

The Cal-Pac Conference, held in Redland, CA, last June, helped me to realize how far behind I was to the modern world. It opened my eyes to see myself who was outdated and relatively conservative. Here’s the reason for me to think myself that way:

During the Conference, I went upstairs as no seat was available at the first floor. For the most part, by the way, the second floor was filled with the young people during the Conference. They loved to sit together up there. I had no problem with it. But what made me uncomfortable at little were those who placed their computers on the knee to play Facebook during the Conference. Of course, I understood why people were using the computer during the Conference. It was because the Cal-Pac AC didn’t provide printed materials to the participants. Actually I downloaded the necessary documents from the Cal-Pac AC website but didn’t print them out. I viewed the documents with the computer during the Conference. But it seemed to me that the young people didn’t use the computer to open the Conference materials but to play Facebook. So I thought, “Although these kids are in the Conference, they don’t pay attention to the discussions but are communicating with their friends outside through Facebook.”

However, later I found I was wrong. It was true that they played Facebook during the Conference but it was not for communicating with the friends outside but for communicating with the friends in the Conference. They shared their thoughts simultaneously through Facebook during the discussion. In a sense, they were more serious than most adults  to the Conference.

The young people loved the Conference more than any others. So they brought social media such as Facebook into the Conference and got fully involved in the discussion. Most adults spoke individually based on their own views but the young ones made one voice after having communicated with each other through Facebook. Do you know what? At the same time, many of the adults kept complaining about the decision that the Cal-Pac Conference stopped providing printed materials to the participants. How pathetic they were!

The world is connected. Especially the young people are connected to each other so closely. What does it mean to you? What does it mean to us, to the body of Christ? It means that the way for us to approach to them is wide open.

My little boy, who is 10 years old, tries to have more friends at church and at school. So there are always friends around him. His effort to have more friends doesn’t end at church and school. He makes friends through social media such as “Facebook for Kids.” He collects games from here and there and posts them on his website to attract more kids to him.

Yes. Nowadays the young people want to invite more people into their fellowship. Their doors are widely open to all but there is one condition: If anyone wants to join in their fellowship, he/she must respect “their ways.” Anyone respecting their ways is always welcomed to their fellowship.

Then what is our response as the body of Christ to their request? Do you want to say, “The Bible teaches ‘Children should respect their parents and obey them’”? Do you want to shout to them, “With an obedient heart you should learn our language, thought and culture and follow our ways”? Or do you want to cry over their rudeness and disobedience and say, “You go your way, and I go my way.”

However, we cannot react like that. We have a job to do as our ancestors in faith did. As our ancestors in faith did their best to deliver us the Word of God, we have to do the same to our children. We should bring them Jesus. We should bring them the Good News of Jesus Christ at any cost. For this great call, we should learn the ways of our children to make better communication with them.

Is it too hard? Are their ways too difficult and strange to us? But give up learning. Let’s try to think this way! Their language, thought and culture are not their own products. Actually we created them and our children inherited them. They are using what we created and transforming it to what they want. Therefore, if we are willing to learn, we can understand their language, thought and culture and can find a way to communicate with them.

Today’s text tells us the following story:

Jesus was traveling Jerusalem and surrounding areas to preach. One day, some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him. When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them.

From this story, I found Jesus who had strong heart for children. When people brought their children to be blessed by Jesus, his disciples stopped them. When Jesus saw it, he became angry. I looked up a Greek dictionary to learn the original meaning of “became angry” and found out this: “became angry” is ἀγανακτέω (aganakteō ) in Greek and its meaning is “to be greatly afflicted, be much (sore) displeased, have (be moved with, with) indignation.” Jesus became very upset when the disciples stopped the children coming to him. Yes. Jesus wants children to come to him. He wants young people to come to him.

Of course, the place where children come is usually noisy and chaotic. If there are only adults, no one will disturb the worship. Therefore, we can enjoy a silent and holy worship service. We don’t have to be bothered by their lousy and contemporary music during our worship. Everything will be quiet, solemn and smooth as usual.

Without a doubt, the disciples stopped children coming to Jesus for this purpose. They didn’t want the preaching of Jesus to get disturbed by anyone. They did their best to provide the best setting for Jesus to speak.

Perhaps we have the same effort. We want the worship to proceed quiet and holy by separating our children to another place. We do it because we try to provide them a better worship setting. But is it the real intention for us to separate them from us? If it is the true intention, then are we willing to yield this beautiful space to them and have our worship in the space where they worship? Like Jesus, we have to open our hearts to the children and young people. We have to be willing to change our worship style for them to feel comfortable.

According to the US Census Bureau, the Earth’s population is estimated to be 6.789 billion as of 25 September 2009. And surprisingly enough, the population of the US has been growing faster than expected. Yes. The world population is growing and the number of young people is getting bigger and bigger.

But regretfully the number of young people is getting smaller and smaller in the church in contrast to a rapid growth of the young generation outside. (Church Attendance by age, 2003) Church attendance is dramatically falling. In 1997 just about one quarter of over-18s attended some kind of religious service at least once a month, but in 2003 the share of regular churchgoers had dropped to 20%. Of course, the older generation faithfully attends church. They come to church regardless of the circumstance. However, the younger generation doesn’t. A survey was quoted recently claiming 86% of the young people in the Protestant church leave between the ages of 18 and 22 and never come back. The young people are leaving the church. What do we have to think about this trend?

In the US there are an estimated 2,000,000 Christians who don’t attend church. Most of them are young people, especially Baby Boomers. They still want to carry out or pursue their faith in an environment or structure that differs from that of a typical church. Many of them say they are tired of the usual type of church experience and want to experience and express their faith in a new context. (“Social Media + Church.” slideshare.com) That’s why nowadays the central and program(ritual)-based church is diminishing and more cell churches in which the worshipers can freely express or share their feelings are thriving.

Here we have to remember that the young generation doesn’t come to church not because of their lacking in faith. Indeed, they have love and heart for God. They want to grow in faith. Therefore, they are earnestly seeking for a faith community that offers a comfortable and relevant environment to their spiritual formation. But in reality, it is not easy for them to find a church where they feel they are comfortable. The following is what McConnell said in USA Today: “It seems the teen years are like a free trial on a product. By 18, when it’s their choice whether to buy in to church life, many don’t feel engaged and welcome.”

Brothers and sisters, what kind of church are we? Are we a church that the young people are willing to join? Are we a church that offers a comfortable and relevant environment to the young ones for their spiritual journeys? By any chance, aren’t we a church like the group of the disciples stopping the children coming to Jesus? Of course, I don’t want our church to act like the disciples who were standing in the way of the young people to come to Jesus. We shouldn’t act like those people. By the way, what church are we in sight of the young people? We have to seriously think about it.

In conclusion, I will threw to you one question delivered by a 28-year-old-girl on “Yahoo Answers,” an internet site.

I am 28 now. When I was younger I used to go to church with a friend of mine but I don’t know what kind of church it was. I have always been spiritual but not religious. I am really wanting to turn my life over to God and become a Christian. How do I go about this? What kind of church should I go to??? (meliseb, Yahoo Answers’ user)

Dear brothers and sisters, what kind of church should a 28-year-old church seeker have to go to? Should she come to Olive, or some place else? Of course, I want you to immediately reply, “Definitely Olive United Methodist Church. I love it and she will certainly love it the same.” Then what do we have to do to rebuild our church for the young people to gladly come in?