Issues facing the church

Ok, so this last week we had a chance to get a group of people together to discuss the next steps for us as a church as it relates to reaching the next generation. We had Chuckk Gerwig to share with us about his personal experiences and research in the field of the emerging church. It was a great discussion. There were about 25 people in the room including elders from Evfree, pastors from Evfree, members of Evfree and a few people from other churches as well. One of the things that made it a great discussion is that there was a large number of people there who were interested in figuring out what it's going to take for us to build a church that ministers to and captures the passion of the next generation of society.

On a side note, I say the "next generation of society" because we all agreed that this doesn't have anything to do with age breakdowns. While the younger generation is leading the way in terms of numbers of people that think/act/live in a certain way, that way has affected the older generations as well and it seems to make sense for people up into their 60's.

I don't know if there is any way to identify this generational shift. If I say emergent or emerging, it casts a bit of a shadow on the discussion because in a lot of people's minds that communicates compromised theology or music and lighting changes. I don't know that any of that really captures what is happening in this new generation of followers of Jesus Christ. What was scary, what Chuckk helped us to see was the fact that younger people who are a part of this mindset shift are not going to church. Not only are they not going to church, but they are scared of church and scared of Christians.

One of the biggest potential solutions to this issue is for individual followers of Jesus Christ to work hard to be Christ in our community. The Conejo Valley is a tough place to do ministry because, well, there's wealth and comfort here. Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. We live in a valley full of rich people (check your status here). If we as individual believers get out into this community and love, care for, serve and share the Gospel with the passion that Jesus Christ gave to us, we will see more people coming to Christ and more people connecting to his body. I would love to hear thoughts on how you as an individual/family can be Christ in the community.

Seniors

This year's senior trip was interesting. This group was my first full four year class at Evfree. Basically, they came in as freshmen the summer after I got the job at the church. For the senior trip we went up to San Francisco mainly just to get away. Kristen and I have enjoyed taking the groups some place where we can give them a chance to just be together, while giving us a chance to challenge them to the life that God has called them to.

One of the best parts of the trip was the "cruise" around town that started at 1:30 in the morning. I've found this is the best time to go sightseeing because all the cool spots are empty and there's no traffic! We saw everything. We went up to Twin Peaks and saw an amazing view of the whole city. Then we drove down Market Street to the Embarcadero where we got to see all the piers. From there we went up to Lombard over the Golden Gate Bridge. On the far side of the GGB we stopped and got out looking back at the city. It was beautiful at 3 in the morning! We crossed back over the GGB and then went up Divisidero St. If you've never been to San Francisco, this is the coolest street in my opinion. It's super steep... SUPER steep. So we went up that and then back down it... Good times. From there we went back over to Lombard to hit up the windiest street in the world and then back to our hotel.

The BEST part of the trip was Saturday night. We climbed out onto the observation deck of the hotel for a late night chat. It was awesome to hear what God has done in the lives of these students over the last four years. God has prepared them and challenged them to go beyond a normal life. These guys are funny, weird, spastic and all-around insane, but they are kids that God has used to change my life and I am grateful for them.

On Wednesday night we had a junior meeting (11th graders). We had 25 juniors in the room. As I was looking around, I was getting more and more excited for the year to come. We have another amazing group of students entering their senior year. Keep praying for these kids, that God will grab their hearts and use them to transform their peers into disciple-making believers. Thanks for reading.