Who Has Been Left Behind?
In my limited circles today, I see 2 main emphases--church planting and
campus ministries. Both of these I see as profitable and good ministry
foci. However, have we perhaps gone overboard? Is there some ministry or
demographic in which we are not reaching? My answer is Yes! In our zeal
to plant new churches and reach the college crowd (which is not wrong),
we are leaving behind those established churches where the congregation
is now comprised of a small and older generation of believers (which is
wrong). In our zeal to reach the young and suburbia, we have left
behind the old and the urban. Why is this a problem you may ask? If
heaven is composed of people from every tribe, tongue, family, and
nation, then shouldn't our local church reflect a little bit of heaven;
not just in our worship, but in our demographic composition? If Paul
assumes the existence of an older generation within the church (1 Tim 5;
Titus 2), what does that say about our ignoring them? What are we
saying when we focus on one demographic to the exclusion of another or
other demographics? Do we believe that older people (or minority people) still are God's image-bearers? Do we believe that older believers (or minority believers) have giftings from God that can be used for the benefit of the church? Do not all people need the Gospel--young, old, black, white, rich, poor?
In terms of one called to ministry, the
reality is that straight out of seminary, one is most likely not going
to be called to a church that is similar to the one in which they
interned and worshiped during their time in seminary. If the reality is
that most churches are small to middle-sized and can only afford 1
pastor, then why not do an internship in such a church to understand the
expectations and problems that arise from such a situation? It
certainly will be different than the issues and problems that arise in a
larger church or church that can afford multiple pastors.
In
terms of a young family, we love for our kids to see their grandparents.
Why would we not want them to have spiritual grandparents? Why do we
want our kids to only interact with people like their mom and dad? Not
only is this good social development for them, but more importantly it is also a
demonstration of a robust ecclesiology. It is doctrine lived out. They
get to get a glimpse of how the church reflects heaven to a degree. They get exposure to people from various walks of life and backgrounds.
A robust doctrine of the church (ecclesiology) must
include a robust demographic. It must include people from every tribe,
tongue, nation, and family. If not, we should make every effort that it
does. This means that alongside church planting and college ministry, we
need to have equal emphasis upon church revitalization and renewal.