What Kind of Church are we?

Earlier this year I preached on these words from Psalm 78:

  4 ...we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
5...he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.

Last week I led on a youth camp called 'Leaders in Training'. In case you missed the awesome review Rufus gave it on Sunday, he attended and loved it!

The spirit of this camp IS to do what this psalm commands, but in such a way that encourages and equips the youth themselves to own their faith and pass it on to their peers and the next generation.
On camp, they learned to read and apply the bible to their own lives and others, they discussed the bible talks in small groups and the impact of Jesus' crucifixion on their personal lives and its implications for servant leadership. They had all sorts of workshops to equip them with skills to serve Jesus in their own context.

For Rufus, this involved a focus on sharing faith and character of a Christian leader. 
Rufus mentioned one of the things he loved most was the community that formed so quickly. The 29 youth made fast friends, welcomed each other, and made it easy for those coming alone from other churches to be included. Praise God for that experience! May our churches be places where these young people are welcomed, included and given opportunity to contribute to the body of Christ. 

As you see young people come and go in our church, please make every week a chance to welcome and include them - not just the first week you see a new young family. Make every effort not just to talk to your friends after church, but to say 'hello, tell me about yourself' to at least one other person. Learn the names of the young people and take that first step as the mature adult in the room to ask them about their week and their faith in Jesus. Let us not become a church of separate 'huddles', but one where people visit, feel the love, want to return, and feel the love again!

Each week, as we see what John writes to the churches in Asia-Minor about something they're doing well or not so well in, we'll have a chance to think about what kind of church we are and what kind of church we want to be. What will we be in 10 years? What will we be known for? I certainly hope that it's a welcoming one that includes all ages as together, we are outward looking, passing on the faith to those outside the church. 

Amy
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