The following article was originally published in the HSU Brand, my university newspaper.
As I’ve advanced through my college career, I’ve seen fewer and fewer of my peers attending church. Despite the fact that we live smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, I’ve not only observed dwindling numbers in many church-based college groups, but I’ve also seen a general dislike for the traditional American way of organizing Christian gatherings. I’m convinced that this isn’t a result of the decline of morality within our age group, or any kind of specifically anti-tradition or anti-Christian movement. Rather, I think it’s a result of several cultural problems within traditional church groups and college students.
College students are tired of fakeness. A sad fact about current Christian culture is that it tends to foster hypocrisy within the family of God. In the southern American context especially, it seems like the appearance of living the perfect Christian life is more important that the honest sharing of spiritual struggles. Transparency is almost non-existent in many fellowships, and largely because there’s not even the chance to really share. Our gatherings consist primarily of being spoken to as a group (how many Sunday School classes do you remember that were really interactive Bible studies, rather than a mini sermon?) with little or no encouragement to share and help with real-world problems. I don’t think college students expect perfection…just some honesty.
College students need relevance. It’s not a question of worship style…I know many students that have been to the rock-band infused services springing up everywhere, and it doesn’t matter. It’s not that the traditional speaking and singing styles make it difficult to worship, and the problem doesn’t lie in the energy of young pastors or the beat of the new songs. It’s that no one takes the time to explain why we worship together and what worship really is, and why it matters in context of our daily Christian lives. This can happen in any local body, regardless of worship style or liturgical preference. We forget how to teach about the relevance of corporate worship, and we make things worse by acting as if worship is defined by what and how we conduct our services rather than the attitude with which enter into them.
College students want community. The current church culture sees community as a twice-weekly meeting. College students want more than that. Christian fellowship has to extend beyond pot-luck dinners and once-quarterly Communion…we have to really care for each other. It’s rare to find a church where members regularly check on the ones that weren’t there that week, and even rarer to find any interaction between members outside of regularly scheduled meetings. I think that for our generation to feel drawn to the global Christian community, those of us in the traditional church structure must begin to rethink how we approach relationships with our fellow Christians. Do we really care when they’re not at our worship meeting? Are we available to help each other in practical ways? Do we encourage each other when we fail, or do we simply use other’s shortcomings as gossip fodder?
College students are tired of politics. I believe that the 18-24 age group is yearning for a global church, that’s not concerned with petty denominational differences and that gives out grace in much larger portions than it deals judgment. I honestly believe that many college students simply want a worship family that really places the gospel of Jesus Christ above the building fund or the latest drama with the Flower Committee. How can we effectively worship together, when our business meetings are full of childish arguing instead of mature discussions on how to best use our blessings to build the Kingdom?
College students are self-absorbed. We go “church-shopping” like we’re buying a new piece of furniture. We ask, “How comfortable does this worship style make me feel?” “Do they have a group that will fit my needs?” How about, “How can I use my talents and gifts to minister here?” “What can I and existing church members do together to help build the college ministry?” I think it’s easy to forget that church exists to give God the glory while building up the Body. It’s not there to provide self-help seminars or give us our weekly warm-and-fuzzy fix.
College students aren’t committed. Many of us (myself included, sometimes) just want to remove ourselves from church, because of the way it is currently done. I think that’s fine…but instead of doing something better, instead of praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we watch TV on Sunday morning, or sleep late. We say we don’t like how church is done, but we’re not willing to do anything about it except give up. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but we could start by gathering together with others that have similar concerns to pray and seek God’s guidance. We could find constructive ways to begin to change what we think is wrong in the existing organized church. We could be bold and vocal in our desire for a Jesus-shaped Christian community.
The danger I see in the current state of Christian culture among young people isn’t the death of the traditional American church structure—that’s bound to change no matter what—it’s the decline of all Christian community in America. If, as a global body of believers, we don’t make serious changes in both how we currently do church and how we approach our dissatisfaction with it, we risk losing the blessings of Christian fellowship, corporate worship, and unified efforts to bring the Gospel to all those that need it.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/au_tiger01/ / CC BY 2.0
