Dear Sir,
I came to the January issue of en rather late and so have only just picked up on Ben Alltimes’ helpful article ‘The Elephant in the Playground’. May I add a further slant?
I wonder if we may often be subconsciously admitting defeat because the attraction of the lifestyle of our children’s peers seems strong and the counter attraction of church-as-it-is, seems weak. We feel we are on the back foot.
Some years ago I came across a church with small groups for all ages. In one group a teenager had invited a couple of his peers to join his weekly group to meet his 20-, 40-, 60-year-old friends. There he had found love, acceptance and support as well as, of course, Bible application for life. He was encouraged to see himself as a participator with something to give to the others which was enough to make him want to draw in his friends for them to experience relationships which he had found to be deeply satisfying, something which society, for all its glitz, could not offer.
We have inherited a paradigm of church which tends to segregate the generations, and which believes that it is fitting for the young to be provided for separately. With an estimated 95% of the young people in our country now having no contact with a church, this traditional model has run its course.
It might need a brave leadership prepared to pilot settings, at times other than Sundays, where old and young can eat, have fun, learn and just be together? Their goal would be to create a climate where old and young learn to love each other, serve each other, encourage one other and help each other to grow into the likeness of Christ.
Growing up in the rich soil of New Testament ‘one-anothering’ there could be more than a chance that our young will to want to stay around. There would also be unexpected benefits for the other generations too!
Yours sincerely,
