Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Evangelism as Exploration

This raises the general question: How do churches effectively reach New Copernicans? My assessment is that churches need to provide authentic experiences of following Jesus into the arenas of their deepest longings (justice, beauty, love and spirit), giving them an opportunity to connect their personal story with a larger narrative of meaning, particularly couched in a relationally humble 3-D posture. Millennials want to see that you practice what you preach, that you love the world you live in through your work and not just your words.
Most importantly, this will require revamping how we think about, frame and teach evangelism. Even the word evangelism is a stumbling block for many millennials. The immediate reaction is "What are you trying to sell me or do to me that I don't want?" This is a fair reaction in light of the church's typical approach. We need a new picture for evangelism. It is less about closing a mortgage as joining an exploration.
- The New Corpernicans, Millennials and the Survival of the Church - David John Seel, Jr.

2 comments:

  1. My son, 20, said this week- I am increasingly feeling comfortable with the label evangelical - maybe he is too old, or maybe it is making a comeback cause of the pendulum swing of post apocalyptic post-modernity

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    1. Ah interesting - he has never fit into any cut and dried label either, which I love.
      And... we were talking about him earlier this week about his minimalism.

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