Thursday, August 07, 2008

Reaching the Next Generation

Our guest services guru here at Grace, Miriam Crossman, sent through some interesting statistics today. One that got my attention was that 43% of first time guests who have come through our doors at Grace since we've moved into our new facility last November are between the ages of 18-29.

That's right - almost 1/2 of the nearly 500 people who have visited Grace in the last 8 months are 20-somethings. That's a staggering number. There are churches across our country who would kill for that number. The majority of churches are struggling...aging...dying. Why are we reaching this age group?

1. We've been intentional about reaching them through our hiring practices and our programming.
2. There is a spiritual hunger among this generation that if tapped will turn the world upside down for Jesus.

We cannot be one of those churches who get comfortable. Who continue to do things the way we've always done them. To plateau and age and eventually die. We will not stop this pursuit - of reaching out to those who are far from God - and of reaching out to the next generation and mobilizing them to love Jesus and lead the church.

We had a heart-thumping vision and strategy session at Management Team on Tuesday that has the potential to change the way we do ministry here in the coming years and will put us on a course to chase down the next generation for Christ like we never have before. I can't spill the beans yet ... c'mon. But stay tuned.

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