BEREAN YOUNG ADULTS

becoming financially savvy.

Very few things are more reported upon these days than the United States' financial situation. People are being laid off, houses are being foreclosed, and debts are rising.  

For 20somethings the situation is probably a little different. Many 20somethings are still in low-paying entry level positions that are not really the types of jobs that are mass-layoff targets, either that or you're serving up latte's and our nation's coffee addiction will never allow those jobs to be scarce. As for houses, most 20somethings don't own one.  Debt, on the other hand, is a problem for our generation and every type of debt - medical, educational, and credit card - is a problem for us, generally speaking.

These things being so, there is no better time to explore the theological framework and a Biblical foundation for overseeing money that is in your life.  Towards that end LBC's Generous Living Ministry is offering, a class called Hope For Your Financial Future.

Here's the details:

• Begins Monday March 8 from 7-9 p.m.
• 8 week course
• There will be personal contact with financial coaches
• Topics covered: giving, saving, lifestyle spending, paying off debt, etc.
• Brad Brestel will be teaching
• Cost is $30/family
• Register at www.lincolnberean.org/webview

I'd highly recommend it.

success is a matter of interpretation.

I remember hearing about a study that was conducted among American parents and Japanese parents where the parents were asked what their top wish was for their children.  The overwhelming majority of Japanese parents answered "success," while the majority of American parents named, as their top desire for their children, "happiness."

In the end I suppose the question was flawed because American parents may very well feel that if one attains a happy life then they should be considered a success.  Not only that but who is to say what each one of the Japanese parents meant when they said "success."  Success is a matter of interpretation.  One person's success is another's failure.  We need not look any further than the recent advent of "Sportsmanship Awards" for proof of that.

So, I'm often asked the question, "How are things going with the Young Adults?"  The question that is really being asked here is "Is the Young Adult ministry a success?"  It's a question that pastors tremble at because, unfortunately, we've come to the point in the American church where a ministry is a direct extension of a pastor - if your ministry is successful (read: big numbers) then you are successful.  Because of this situation there is an inherent call to insecurity within the question itself, what a pastor hears is this: "We'd like you to now justify your existence to us on the basis of your ministry's numbers."

The same question occurs each Sunday after a sermon, "How did you like the sermon?" is really asking the question "How did the pastor perform?"

So, it's important that every ministry, every church, every individual, come to a point where they have adequately defined success for themselves.  The question, then, is what does a successful Young Adult Ministry look like? 

You might remember that I recently wrote about why we don't have a Young Adult Service - you can read it here.  If we're not measuring success according to the number of people attending our service, what would success look like?  Asked another way, what response would we be pleased with if someone asked what Lincoln Berean's Young Adult's (20somethings+) were all about?  Imagine a coworker asking you that question and you providing an answer you could be excited about...what would it be?

Here's mine: At Lincoln Berean there are 20somethings scattered throughout the church in areas of service, responsibility, and leadership where they are actively engaged in the advancement of the Church's mission (The Great Commission).  If you go to a service on Sunday you'll see them on stage, ushering, engaged in worship. They're engaged in teaching classes, mentoring kids all the way up to college students, they're taking advantage of the opportunities for spiritual growth the church offers.  Weekends and weeknights you'll find them gathering in small groups and in pockets of friends throughout the city, having a subtle but clear impact for good in the circles they frequent.  In short, they are the Church, on Sundays and beyond.

I suppose it's a bit dreamy, but we are nearing New Year's and around this time hope always springs eternal.

on why we don't have a young adult service.

Part of being in a role that has a certain amount of decision making inherent in it is that at most times a segment of the people you work with will disagree with you.  That comes with the job.  I think that I could say confidently that even on staff there is a range of opinions on how to "do church" - phrase I dislike and could probably become an entire blog post itself.  When you get people together there will be disagreement.

One of the areas in the young adult ministry at LBC where the most passionate debate takes place revolves around creating a young adult worship experience.  Take a moment to browse around the web and look at what other churches are doing with young adults and you'll find a lot that have young adult services that occur at different times, and often, in different places than the church's regular services that are intended for the entire group of attenders.  It's a popular model and it often has impressive results - niched worship experiences attract a large crowd.

We have been pretty strong in our opposition to this approach but, I can assure you, it hasn't necessarily been easy.  A big part of me is pretty enticed by the idea of having a large group of young adults gathering separately from the larger body and becoming, for all intents and purposes, a church unto itself.  From an ego point of view, as a pastor this is attractive because I could become a head pastor of sorts without even applying for the job!  On top of that we could make a name for ourselves as a church that has a pretty sweet young adult service.  Do I think that young adults would come to this type of thing - yeah, I think a lot would (many would rather not but on the whole I think this approach has proven itself).

So, why don't we do it?  A few reasons:

1. It might be easy but we don't think it's best.  What is easy (even what we want) is not always what we need.  Church splits are often predicated on this type of thinking - "I don't really like this aspect of our church, we disagree with this philosophy, so let's start our own gig."  That type of thinking is easy, but not necessarily profitable in the long run.  In many ways the challenge and genius of the Church is fighting against that very temptation: to strive, and keep striving, for unity.  This runs contrary to our human nature and for that reason Paul knew he had to remind the Ephesians of its importance: "...until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God." (Eph. 4:13).
2. It can foster a consumer mentality.  In a church the size of ours it is already difficult to fight against the drift towards consumerism. We have dozens upon dozens of options in order to provide people with the tools they need to grow spiritually.  The difficulty with this is that we must fight to see this as a benefit and not an expectation.  When it becomes an expectation then we start to think of ourselves as clients and expect the church to provide me what I want - otherwise I'll take my business elsewhere.  The moment we cross the line into this type of thinking, the game is essentially over.
3. It shrinks our view of God.  It is good for me to worship around people who are different than me. A couple of weeks ago I was near a "swayer" during worship and a couple weeks before that I was near someone who liked to raise their arms in worship.  These two expressions of worship are far from my experience, I'd prefer we all be stoics and just think really deeply during worship.  It is good for me to be around people who display that God wires each of us differently and, in his creativity, he allows for an unlimited number of expressions of worship.  That's good thing for me to see.
4. It leads us towards what C.S. Lewis called, "chronological snobbery."  Lewis used the term to describe the fact that the current generation always thinks that their moment in history is superior to those that have preceded theirs. I think that this is our tendency as the younger church generation.  If I neglect gathering together with 8 year olds and 80 year olds then I miss out on the richness that is to be gained when I see those people who have walked with God twice as long as I've been alive and those who are just starting to learn who Jesus is.  God certainly wants to create a movement in our generation, but not at the expense or in spite of the faithful who have come before us.  Worshipping with them reminds us of this.
5. It creates one more church thing to do.  Some would argue against the above points by saying they'd do both - "big church" and a young adult service but this runs contrary to exactly what we're trying to do: impact our world for Christ and His Kingdom. Why gather for another worship service that will be a mirror of those that took place on Sunday morning when we could be getting together with co-workers, resting at home, connecting with neighbors, mingling with non-Christians at restaurants and coffee shops and bars, serving at a soup kitchen, etc.?  If there is any group of people that has the freedom to be "out there," it's us.

So, these are just a few reasons. 

The challenge for young adults is that of the departure from college and that comes with a lot of growing pangs! The movement out of a campus atmosphere where community is basically built into your life, the movement into the work place and the 9-5 realities that come with it, the movement towards paying bills, balancing a check book, etc.  The same struggle occurs at church - the difficult move from a junior high, high school, and college ministry into the life of the body at large (where it's easy to feel lost!).  I went through it and understand the difficulty, but, post-college, we believe it is a pain worth fighting through.

Ultimately, the church was intended to be multigenerational, multiethnic, cross socio-economic boundaries, and, because of these abnormalities (where else do you see this), the world would look upon the Church with wonder and awe.

a few thoughts on our generation.

I say "our generation" loosely - I'm 30 and so I know that I can't speak for 36 year olds or 24 year olds in any definitive way...so, take this post for what it is, the opinions of one person who is right on the edge of both Gen X & Y.

I think that we all get a little tired of hearing about how young adults are irresponsible, afraid of commitment, too idealistic, etc.  I know there have been times when I've actually said some things on this blog in support of this point of view - generalizations are never altogether off base.  But, one must be careful when making them.

We get tired of the bad rap and some of us might even get a little irritable when we hear it.  If that's you, you would hate Jean Twenge's book, Generation Me.  Here's a few tasty tidbits from her:

• We are too confident that everything will work out just fine - "In a recent survey, a stunning 98% of college freshmen agreed with the statement, 'I am sure that one day I will get to where I want to be in life." pg. 78
• We have unrealistic goals - 19% of college freshmen say they will earn a Ph.D. and 12% say they will earn an M.D.  Twenge then says, "Grand ambitions indeed, since the number of Ph.D.'s granted each year is only 4% of the bachelor's degrees given, and M.D.'s only 1%. Thus about 4 in 5 aspiring Ph.D.'s will be disappointed, and a whopping 11 in 12 would-be doctors will not reach their goals." pg. 79
• We expect to be wealthy - "In 1999, teens predicted that they would be earning, on average, $75,000 a year by the time they were 30. The average income of a 30-year-old that year? -$27,000." pg. 79
• This one is particularly biting: she argues our career choices are motivated, ultimately, by selfishness - "Many young people today don't want to commit to a career and stay with it because they'd like to find exactly the right job for them. Jeffrey Arnett, author of Emerging Adulthood, says, 'They're not just looking for a job. They want something that's more like a calling, that's going to be an expression of their identity.' Overall, it's the pursuit of individual wants at its most undiluted." pg. 98

Okay, c'mon Twenge, lay off a little.  That was my first thought...until I opened the September/October 2009 edition of Relevant, a magazine that makes sure Christians are just that (and yeah, I do subscribe to it).  On page 72 of this edition is an article on what to do if you're not going back to school, "starting with the most orthodox and progressing to the more imaginative."  Here's a few ideas (from the article):

• Get a job - this one is cast in a pretty negative light, described as unglamorous and regular.  Who wants that?
• Do Fun School - the idea here is that maybe you have an inkling to become a sushi chef...so, do it and maybe one day you can make money.
• Travel - "It's the world, and it's all out there waiting for you to see it and be it."
• Become a Citizen Journalist - "You have a laptop. You have a camera. You have a cell phone. You are a citizen journalist!"
• Start a Business - "Start writing and doodling about things you'd like to do...Write faster and bigger.  Draw some arrows. Think about marketing and pricing...You have a business plan."

So, I don't want to be the downer here, but as I read this article I wondered what ever happened to good old productivity - starting in the mail room and through hardwork and diligence, working one's way into the job they would want? Not trying to be a dream crusher here - I know a lot of talented people, people who have started businesses, who have free-lanced, who have written a book and been published before the age of 30...

I guess I'm just wondering if sometimes we're our own worst enemy, whether our approach to life makes us easy targets for Twenge and others.  I always think of my grandpa, he reminds me often that he worked because that's what people do, he never stopped to think about whether it was fun or not.  Maybe that's a luxury we now enjoy because of others like him.  And, maybe I'm overthinking again.

third tuesday.

The image to the left is of the stools of Third Tuesday.  We feel that the stools represent what we want THIRD TUESDAY to be - a conversation.

A baseline belief of ours is that God speaks in the midst of our daily experiences; that right where you are is where God wants to use you.  If this is true then we each have stories to tell of the work that God is doing in and around our lives - stories that the entire community could benefit from hearing.

This coming Tuesday, April 21, a group of 20somethings will gather again at 8 p.m. for our sixth THIRD TUESDAY.  This month our theme flows out of the events following Jesus' resurrection - namely the movement that began with his followers and continues today of proclaiming the supremacy of Jesus in all things and the goodness of trusting him, of becoming his apprentice.

We'd invite you to join us this Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Chez Hay (14th & P) to talk about what movement and mission looks like in our lives. (http://www.thirdtuesdaylincoln.com for more info)

why is this?

Was reading an article this morning and came across this quote, "We have long known that, for a variety of reasons, religious participation for many young people declines significantly when they leave home...Historically, marriage and parenthood have then marked the return for many to church and more active faith." I've heard this dozens of times and was about to write a post about why I think this is or what I think this says about us but instead I thought I should ask you.  Why is this the trend?  What does this trend say about (1) us, and (2) our faith?

THIRD TUESDAY eve.

As we are about to launch THIRD TUESDAY for our 20something community at Lincoln Berean, I have been thinking a lot about what happened 14 years ago in Rwanda.  The Christian community often struggles with one of two responses to evil in the world: first, Christians have erred in focusing on "saving souls" at the expense of the whole life of the person they are in contact with.  At times we've had a bit of a mentality that suggests when someone is starving what we're called to do is just give them a Gospel presentation.  The second extreme some Christians have responded with is to adopt a purely social Gospel, divorced from the Biblical realities of sin and the atonement. Both of these approaches are irresponsible. Scholar N.T. Wright, in his book Surprised By Hope, describes the revolutionary nature of the doctrine of the resurrection and the effect it should have on those who believe in it.  "It is, rather, that people who believe in the resurrection, in God making a whole new world in which everything will be set right at last, are unstoppably motivated to work for that new world in the present." Here's a video clip (the first of twelve clips) from the Frontline documentary, Ghosts of Rwanda. The account of what occured is chilling and makes you wonder whether we'll be ready to stop this type of atrocity the next time it happens. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ3-_K6s-pg]

mass exodus of twentysomethings.

A striking movement is happening in the American Evangelical Church today--or maybe I should say away from the Church today--twentysomethings seem to be leaving and not returning. Here's a quote from a book called UnChristian by David Kinnaman:

• "Spirituality is important to young adults, but many consider it just one element of a successful, eclectic life. Fewer than one out of ten young adults mention faith as their top priority, despite the fact that the vast majority of [them] attended a Christian church during their high school years. Most young people who were involved in a church as a teenager disengage from church life and often from Christianity at some point during early adulthood, creating a deficit of young talent, energy, and leadership in many congregations...our tracking research suggest that today many young people are less likely to return to church later, even when they become parents."

Not sure why this is happening but I know that we're not immune to it.