Any financial counselor worth his salt will tell you that in order to be ready for the future you must begin now.  You cannot expect to be frivolous with your income your whole life and suddenly snap your fingers and have a nice nest egg for retirement.  Well, the same is true in our personal spiritual lives and in our ministry. We cannot live selfishly and self-centeredly our whole lives and suddenly become a spiritual “superhero” overnight.  It takes time, work and commitment to grow in our life of faith.  We learn as we go—more from our mistakes than from our successes.  

This is also true in ministry, especially ministry to students.  Just as we can wake up one day to realize that we have not prepared for the future financially, we as a church can wake up to find that we have not developed the church and its leadership for the future. It is great to schedule and program everything at the church around the faithful attendees and tithers but what about intentionally reaching out to the lost?  It is great to enjoy some amount of familiarity in church but what about embracing the mandate to grow, be selfless and reach out?  Nationwide, teenagers and young adults are leaving church and never return. Surveys show that they believe that the church is outdated and irrelevant to their needs.  This should send us to our knees in tearful prayer. Are we willing to invest our time, energy and money into reaching out to the emerging generations in ways that they can understand?  It will mean giving up some of our comforts and sentiments but it will lead to a newness of purpose and a renewed blessing. 

So what do we do about this? First, we pray.  We pray that our own hearts will be changed and filled with a love for young people.  We pray that our leaders will be moved with love and try new things to reach new people. We pray that we have not lost our opportunity to be a blessing.  Second, we act.  We choose to become involved in ministry. We choose to boldly seek out new ways to connect with the lost and unchurched in our community.  We choose to give up some of our preferences for the cause of Christ and the salvation of souls. Third, we keep it up.  Change is constant. Change within cultures is constant. What worked yesterday does not work today. What works today will probably not work tomorrow.  We must not become complacent in our ministry.  We must not become complacent in our own spiritual growth either.  We can make a difference in this community. We can have an impact on the lives of the younger generations. We can leave a lasting legacy of faith and ministry for our churches, communities and families. We must prepare for the future now.  

Be passionate and purposeful,  

Lee