GROWING YOUNG BOOK STUDY
BEGINS APRIL 14
Participate in a 6-week Easter Study beginning April 14 at 11:15 AM every Sunday! The conversation will align with the Easter sermon series as we explore the characteristics of congregations that are “Growing Young” and how we are called to new life as a community of faith, every day! Reading the book is not required for the conversation but you are invited to purchase the book and follow along.
EASTER SERMON SERIES
The promise of resurrection means that this life is not our last. So, we are called as Christians to live this life, not for ourselves but for our neighbors. In a time when church attendance is on the decline and younger generations seem to be detached from the church, many are trying to figure out how to reach that demographic. But many are unwilling to give up the power and comfort of how it has always been. What does it look like for our church to be a place that lives out the call to live for our neighbors, in this case, our neighbors of younger generations? What comes next for a church that makes decisions for others and not themselves? Life!
Showing Doubt
April 7, 2024
Why is the church in decline? Is it because there are so many Doubting Thomas’s out there, people must see it to believe it? Yes and no. But this is not at the heart of the decline in the church. It is the idea that one is not allowed to doubt. Jesus doesn’t kick Thomas out for not believing. He invites him in to come and see, feel, taste, touch, and smell the truth. How are we inviting young people to explore in a safe space that embraces their doubts and questions? How are you sharing your own doubts and being authentically you?
Empower Others
April 14, 2024
Jesus’ whole ministry was about empowering others and sharing with them his leadership so that the gospel might be spread. After the resurrection, Jesus shows himself to the disciples and invites them into the story he has been trying to share with them from day one. If we want the next generations to continue to share the gospel then we must do the same. We must invite them into this story, open their minds to understand the scripture, and turn over the leadership of the church.
Walking in My Shoes
April 21, 2024
Jesus is the good shepherd, and a good shepherd understands what each of their sheep is going through. Just because you learn the ways of one sheep doesn’t mean you know how every sheep will respond or act. Empathy is a challenging thing but also a powerful thing. Every generation has different challenges and life does not follow a perfect pattern that we can all simply follow. What better model than Jesus, the one who knows us deeply, has experienced all that it is to be human, and herds us all into the fold.
Pruning the Vine
April 28, 2024
The branches that have been grown out of the vineyard of the church are heavy with programs and committees that have been weighing it down for decades. The real fruit is relationships but often those fruits get overgrown by those programs and old ways of doing things. It is time the church prunes its vines, simplifies, and encourages relationships. Keep cutting back those branches and discover that you don’t need a program or a team for true warm relationships to form. If we follow Jesus’ way and become curious about our neighbor, it is amazing what fruits we will bear.
The Message
May 5, 2024
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus makes it very clear what we are to do. And too many Christians get caught up in what Luther calls “adiaphora,” or the things that are not the main thing. There is plenty of theology to get caught up and plenty of debts we can have over how we do things in and outside of the church, but the next generation isn’t concerned about those things. They know who Jesus is. They know what Jesus has said. They are wondering if those who claim to follow him actually do! The message is simple, love one another. Period.
Priorities
May 12, 2024
Jesus prays for his disciples in this beautiful and deep prayer. These words of Jesus come right before his arrest. He must know what is coming and in the midst of preparing to be arrested and ultimately murdered, his priorities are not on himself but on his disciples. Many people say they want more young people in church, or they want their church to be more like this or that, but when the reality comes to actually putting their money where their mouth is, the actions come up short. Jesus gives us an example of truly prioritizing those who matter to you, you pray for them even above your own life.