At LifeBridge Church, we have made a serious, ministry altering decision! Actually, that decision is a further refining of our mission and vision as a church.
Over seven years ago we said that we would welcome company, that we were going to be the church for the unchurched. Our vision was to reach the 300,000 plus unchurched people in our region. That hasn't changed.
What has changed is the way we will approach them. Our heart is to gear up to reach the unchurched next generation! In the process, we will reach other age groups as well.
NO CHURCH can afford to ignore this group! My definition of the next generation includes those from birth to the early 20 somethings.
A decision like this means we have to change some things...
It means that we will invest more resources in the Children's and Students Ministries. (Many times the adult ministries get the lions share of the resources.)
It means that we must learn the "language" and needs of the early 20 somethings and then purposely reach out to them.
It means that we will move out of our comfort zone to get into the next generation's zone to win them to Christ! (I Corinthians 9:19-23)
The stakes are very high! There is a window of opportunity that exists that we cannot miss!
Check out the following explosive information from a website entitled Sunday Software...
"Reaching People When They’re Young
Barna’s research discovered that a person’s lifelong behaviors and views are generally developed when they are young – particularly before they reach the teenage years.
First, a person’s moral foundations are generally in place by the time they reach age nine. ... fundamental perspectives on truth, integrity, meaning, justice, morality, and ethics are formed quite early in life.
After their first decade, most people simply refine their views as they age without a wholesale change in those leanings.
Second, a person’s response to the meaning and personal value of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection is usually determined before a person reaches eighteen. In fact, a majority of Americans make a lasting determination about the personal significance of Christ’s death and resurrection by age 12.
Third, Barna showed data indicating that in most cases people’s spiritual beliefs are irrevocably formed when they are pre-teens.
“In essence,” the researcher noted, “what you believe by the time you are 13 is what you will die believing.
.....research revealed that adult church leaders usually have serious involvement in church life and training when they are young. ......One implication is that the individuals who will become the church’s leaders two decades from now are probably active in church programs today.
Probability of accepting Christ, segmented by age " Children between the ages of 5 and 13 have a 32% probability of accepting Jesus Christ as their savior. " The probability of accepting Christ drops to 4% for those who are between the ages of 14 and 18. " Those older than 18 have a 6% probability of accepting Jesus Christ as their savior."
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May, 2008