Reaching Mosaics (18-29 Year Olds)

According to Dave Kinnaman, mosaics are the black hole of church attendance. They are MIA…

If 59% of former churched mosaics have dropped out of church, why are they leaving?

Top 5 reasons mosaics say they are leaving the church:

1.     Christianity is too political and quota driven

2.     Church is a boring obligation

3.     Christianity was forced on Mosaics by their parents

4.     Older people seem more important than younger people in churches

5.     Minister sex and money scandals cause cynicism and skepticism

Accurate or not, these are real sentiments that act as barriers not only to church, but to the Christian faith.

How do we respond to these reasons?

1.     Teach the Centrality of the Cross-Shaped Gospel

The Bible belt is seen by mosaics as an ecclesiological society where consumeristic pragmatic Christianese is sold like a cheap marketing strategy that is as transactional as the McDonalds drive through leaving people hungry for the Gospel only moments later.  Their cynicism and skepticism may carry some weight. Simply put, what has to be communicated is the simple Gospel that Paul reiterated time and time again. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) The Cross Shaped Gospel has both vertical and horizontal beams that represent our relationship with God (vertical) and man (horizontal) (Luke 10:27) The Cross is about dual reconciliation: conservatives are stereotyped to neglect the horizontal beam while liberals are stereotyped to neglect the vertical beam. You cannot reach out without first reaching up. Put differently, the highest proof of reaching up is reaching out. Mosaics understand the importance of reaching out as proof of reaching up.

2.     Embrace Messy Discipleship

The Great Commission cannot fit into a neat package and bar coded like a product to be sold. Institutional systems and ritualistic  programming are parts of the establishment Mosaics are against. Mosaics desire relationship over programming.

3.     Understand Mosaic Worldview (1 Cor. 9:20)

Mosaics are sensing, perceiving, and interpreting their world through screens (TV, Computer, smart phone, tablet, etc); 90% of all mosaic information is perceived through screens. Mosaics have a tall protective guard due to the lack of trust in their lives. 41% of children are born without a father and some don’t remember a time when our country hasn’t been at war. Consequently, adolescence is stretching well into the 30’s. 9-11 fundamentally changed how Mosaics view religion; relativism and the lack of authority has left us with a pluralistic society with essentially no propositional truth. How does ministry leverage culture for the sake of the Gospel? Great prayer, patience, and perseverance...

Re-Marketing the Gospel: How we Communicate Matters

Contextualization is always a difficult task because you have to discern what is culturally amoral and how world views can be harnessed for the advancement of the Gospel. Studies show that lingo such as "saved" "sin" "repeat this prayer to go to heaven" "eschatological""political" Christianity carries negative connotations for today's culture. In order to be "all things to all people, should we re-market these culturally harassed words to erase unbeliever stereotypes or go to bat for traditional evangelical approaches to Christianity in the name of orthodox persecution? Our goal is to land on the continuum of relevance allthewhile being proponerantly biblical. Many Christian circles merely use replacement words to erase negative stereotypes. For instance, missional for evangelism, movement for revival, Story of God for spiritual laws, and the list goes on and on...However, are these merely a fadish way to make Christianity sexy that will fade faster than a blockbuster movie? I think so, but that is not necessarily bad. I like blockbuster movies, and when they get old, I watch a new one. Christian lingo will continue to morph in order to harness culture and advance the Gospel, but the centrality of the Gospel message is of  most importance. We must have the non negotiables of Christianity front and center... Relevance + propositional biblical truth= orthodoxy...Relevance + emphasis on man over God = heterodoxy  

Ministry & Politics: A Biblical Paradigm

How should politics influence ministry? Or should it? Inversely, how should ministry influence politics?  Early in my ministry career, I attempted to cultivate a middle-ground culture, where Fox and MSNBC news supporters could dialogue in a Biblical fashion. However, my conviction now is much larger because cultivating a gospel-centered worldview is most important.  In other words, we should view politics from a biblical worldview, not vice versa.

There is no objectivity among the paradigms of political parties. Both sides have their own opinions and their agendas revolve over the issue of power in order to pass law. Put differently, politics and power go hand in hand just like the Pharisee and Herodian regimes found in Matthew 22.

A fundamental question to ask….

What is your agenda? Some believe the government should help the poor, offer healthcare for the disadvantaged, and open national borders through increased taxation on the wealthy. Others believe that government should not “bite the hand that feeds you” and advocates small government.

We all have our own agenda, even if it’s indifference, but an agenda nonetheless.

Why did Jesus call the Pharisees and Herodians hypocrites?...because they had the wrong agenda; they wanted power.

Modern Day Translation

Dear Democrats,

If I looked at your tax statement, would I see a genuine commitment to the poor, or like the Pharisees, talk a big game and not living out your political convictions?

Dear Republicans,

It’s one thing to speak out against abortion, but it’s completely different to come alongside young pregnant women and offer to adopt.  Do you just vote and speak out or offer biblical solutions?

It’s Easy to Vote, but it’s Messy to Make a Difference.  The politics of Jesus seen through the Gospel is counterintuitive to human government because government only changes laws, it cannot change hearts.

If we only change laws and not hearts, we may be doing more harm to the advancement of the Gospel than help. For instance, whenever our opposition to an issue becomes louder than our concern and love for people, the advancement of the gospel is not only damaged, we dishonor Christ.;we are hypocrites.

The Government is not the hope of the world… The Church is!

3 Types of Collegians: What Thumbprint are You Leaving?

     Defaulter

The collegian who hits the default button is the student who casts their life responsibilities on other people. The defaulters only purpose in college is to graduate. Consequently, they have a difficult experience finding a job because the lack of experience and purpose. 

    Egomaniac

These students lust for leadership and social status. These students are often too heavily involved on campus in order to know people and be known. While these students are widely known on campus, they often deal with depression and self confidence issues. Friendships are surface level because the egomaniac collegian doesn’t want others to know what’s really going on beneath the surface.

    Influencer

Influencers have a balanced social and academic life because they live for both tomorrow and today. Influencers understand what hangs in the balance if they make the right choice versus the wrong choice. Influencers have the ability to lead through humility not manipulation. Influencers harness kindness, empathy, and love in order to share Biblical Truth. 

What thumbprint are you leaving in College? 

Everything You Need to Know on God's Take on Calvinism...

This thoughtful illustration was provided by Charles Ryrie from God's perspective.Do I know the day you will die? Yes...Have I appointed that day? Yes...Can you do anything to change that day? No...Then why do you eat if I'm in control? To live you say...What happens when you don't eat? You die... Then, if you don't eat and die, is that the day I appointed you to die?....   Quit asking stupid questions and just eat... Because eating is the preordained way I appointed for living... It shouldn't be a mystery that the more you share, the more people are elected...  There's a reason I don't fit into your neat syllogisms and paradigms... I wouldn't be God if I did...