Earlier this week, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released the results of their annual survey of the Religious Landscape of the U.S. The executive summary, which can be downloaded here, provides some very fascinating data that any of us who are concerned about these things should take a deeper look into. One particular thing that stood out to me as I read this was the following:
The Landscape Survey documents, for example, that the number of Americans who are not affiliated with a religion has grown significantly in recent decades, with the number of people who today say they are unaffiliated with a religious tradition (16% of U.S. adults) more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with a religion as children (7%).
(Notice that 'religion' as used above is talking about the different faiths, NOT different denominations)
.I don't know about y'all, but this (while not surprising) really bothers me. It also inspires me. By the time this week is out, those of you on our snail-mail list will have received two different mailings about our Vacation Bible School, and it will have been mentioned in two straight church newsletters as well. Our Vacation Bible School program is vital to our congregation and to the community as we continue to introduce our children to the love of God through Jesus Christ. However, we cannot afford to put all of our eggs in one basket - we must accept the fact that ministry to and with children involves far more than sending them to VBS, Halloween parties, Easter egg hunts, and other special programming for the congregation.
There are no easy answers relating to how to respond to the above statistics. But I can tell you that none of us can expect them to get any better if we do not take ownership of the spiritual formation of our children. We must be intentional about not just talking a good game to our children but modeling to them a life that is lived pursuing Christ the Lord. We must be intentional about making sure that we are in worship each week with our children. We must be intentional about making sure that we are in Sunday School and/or Bible study each week, and that our children are aware of how these practices shape who we are. We must be intentional about making sure that we understand fully that we are teaching our children the importance of the Christan faith - by our actions and our inactions. The simple fact of the matter is that we cannot take a half-hearted approach to the Christian life and then be surprised by these kinds of numbers. (and I'm not just talking about parents here.)
Did I say that I was inspired by these numbers? Oh yes. Even in the midst of the challenges facing us as we raise our children (and yes, I'm talking about not just parents, but the community of faith), we know that we are not on our own in the journey. The grace of God, the love of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is the only way that any of us will ever see any of these efforts come to fruition.
See You Sunday!
Lamar
The Landscape Survey documents, for example, that the number of Americans who are not affiliated with a religion has grown significantly in recent decades, with the number of people who today say they are unaffiliated with a religious tradition (16% of U.S. adults) more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with a religion as children (7%).
(Notice that 'religion' as used above is talking about the different faiths, NOT different denominations)
.I don't know about y'all, but this (while not surprising) really bothers me. It also inspires me. By the time this week is out, those of you on our snail-mail list will have received two different mailings about our Vacation Bible School, and it will have been mentioned in two straight church newsletters as well. Our Vacation Bible School program is vital to our congregation and to the community as we continue to introduce our children to the love of God through Jesus Christ. However, we cannot afford to put all of our eggs in one basket - we must accept the fact that ministry to and with children involves far more than sending them to VBS, Halloween parties, Easter egg hunts, and other special programming for the congregation.
There are no easy answers relating to how to respond to the above statistics. But I can tell you that none of us can expect them to get any better if we do not take ownership of the spiritual formation of our children. We must be intentional about not just talking a good game to our children but modeling to them a life that is lived pursuing Christ the Lord. We must be intentional about making sure that we are in worship each week with our children. We must be intentional about making sure that we are in Sunday School and/or Bible study each week, and that our children are aware of how these practices shape who we are. We must be intentional about making sure that we understand fully that we are teaching our children the importance of the Christan faith - by our actions and our inactions. The simple fact of the matter is that we cannot take a half-hearted approach to the Christian life and then be surprised by these kinds of numbers. (and I'm not just talking about parents here.)
Did I say that I was inspired by these numbers? Oh yes. Even in the midst of the challenges facing us as we raise our children (and yes, I'm talking about not just parents, but the community of faith), we know that we are not on our own in the journey. The grace of God, the love of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is the only way that any of us will ever see any of these efforts come to fruition.
See You Sunday!
Lamar
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