Blogging on a blog? Millennials and Ministry

Recently, probably in the last 3-4 months or so, I've kind of turned into a blogging geek. Not that I myself have been blogging a lot, but I have really been enjoying reading blogs and seeing what other people have to say about things that I find interesting. Anyway, a friend posted a link on facebook to a blog entry titled: "Ministry from a Millennial’s Perspective: We’re Paying Attention". This immediately caught my attention, as in college, I wrote numerous papers and did a lot of research on the millennial generation, of which I myself fall somewhere in the middle, but is certainly the generation that I work with on a daily basis. 

First of all, what's a Millennial?  You can find the definition of a millennial, or "Generation Y" from the oh-so-reliable resource (I can use it now that I'm out of formal education :P) from Wikipedia here. It also gives some general characteristics of millennials that may be helpful. 

This blog I was reading said that this Millennial generation may not be the most articulate (Just look at our obsession with texting-LOL, K, THX, <3) but that Millennials are genuinely more interested in what's going on than is often attributed to them.  The connection problem between the different generations lies then because Millenials believe that the other generations do not need them, and are not convinced that these generations want youth participation, ideas, and input. 

So what do we, as the Church, do with this? 

A few thoughts I have...

• We must have faith in our young people today. Trust that they "get it." Trust that they care. Trust that they do want to take an active part but know that they probably need some encouragement and a listening ear along the way. 
• Include them in "adult"-type activities in the church. Allow them to volunteer in services, have a voice on committees, participate in men's and women's ministries within the church, and so on. The Church should not be made up of several small groups that never have contact with each other - it's a family, God's family, one of all ages and generations. Cradle to grave, right? 
• Turn to Scripture! Young people are all over the place in the Word - living lives of action, being advised by mentors, doing the work of their Lord!  Check out this Scripture to encourage you if you're in this Millennial category or if you aren't, to encourage you to participate, support, and encourage this generation: 
• Joshua 1:5-7
• Prov. 20:11
• Isaiah 40:29-31
• 1 Tim. 4:12 *
• Titus 2:2-8

Folks, the truth is, the Millennials are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers. They are definitely "Cultural Influencers". Their time as part of the "Real World" is approaching fast, or maybe...it's already happening.  What will you...in whatever generation you fall into, do with it? 

Happy Reformation Weekend!

in Him, Stephanie 

Blog References: http://resonateordie.com/2010/10/25/ministry-from-a-millennials-perspective-were-paying-attention 

Coming up Sunday October 31, 2010

Sunday we celebrate Reformation Day, click HERE to read a great article about the history and implications of this day.

We will hear the 5th part of the "Other Six Days: Christian Life Beyond Worship" sermon series in a sermon titled "Humble Husbands".

There will be books and study materials (small group, personal devotions, bibles, etc) available for you to pick up (donations for future curriculum is greatly appreciated) on a table near the information desk.

If you are a member, don't forget to bring your stewardship commitment card (should have received one in the mail, if not, please email Christina) as we serve our Lord with our financial stewardship and planning for 2011.

Dont forget to remember...

Ps 103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
    I will admit it, and I don’t need to be reminded of it – I am a forgetful dude. I have to write everything down. And I have found that this situation gets worse the older I get (Have you ever gone into a room to get something only to find that when you got to the room, you forgot what it was that you wanted to get?) Forgetfulness is a common lot of many of us.

    It apparently was a common lot of God’s people in the Old Testament. Their track record indicated this. When God had delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh in Egypt, and then they got to the wilderness, how quickly they would complain when things didn’t go right, forgetting God’s gracious and benevolent hand in rescuing them in the first place! As a matter of fact, grumbling and complaining became their common lot. They had forgotten how good God was. They had forgotten how mighty He had been. They had forgotten what it was really like to live in bondage and oppression in Egypt. They had forgotten. They had forgotten.

    Psalm 103:2 tells us not to forget what God had done, to not forget all the benefits that He has provided. At times this can be a challenge, not because of what we lack, but rather because we live in such a negative age. We are bombarded by negativity on the news, the reality TV shows, the tabloids, not to mention facebook and twitter. Let’s face it, it is much more tantalizing to hear about the junk of someone’s life rather than hear about how God has blessed them. So when we hear it, we start to look negatively at our own lives and think that we need and deserve more. And we complain.

    Folks, we are a privileged people. God has smiled on the United States unlike any other country in the history of the planet. He especially has demonstrated his love and provision by providing a way of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ!! My oh my we are a blessed people!! But too often we forget this. This is why a holiday like Thanksgiving is a very good thing. Even though it is not a religious holiday, Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to really remember who it is that provides all that we need to support this body and life. Thanksgiving reminds us to not forget all that the Lord has done.

    We have one Thanksgiving Service here at Peace on Wednesday night, November 24th at 7pm. Take advantage of this special opportunity to remember all the benefits from the Lord.

To forget is human......to remember is divine.

Sincerely in Christ,
Senior Pastor Dave Ahlman

1st "Youth" blog - Religion in America

Welcome to the new Peace Lutheran Church Blog! We are excited for this new avenue of communication within our church and beyond. I'll be posting thoughts/articles/discussions etc. every Thursday, so be sure to check back often and feel free to discuss and ask questions!


Although my primary area is youth, and my posts will be youth directed, anyone is welcome to read/comment/whatever on this portion of the blog. I'm all about inter-generational ministry! 


This past summer, a Religious Survey was done in our country to see what people know about Religion. The results of this study, although somewhat shocking, honestly are not that surprising.   Atheists and agnostics knew more about Christianity than "Christians" themselves. 


Check out the study here: 

http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx

"These are among the key findings of the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, a nationwide poll conducted from May 19 through June 6, 2010, among 3,412 Americans age 18 and older, on landlines and cell phones, in English and Spanish. 

Previous surveys by the Pew Research Center have shown that America is among the most religious of the world’s developed nations. Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults say that religion is “very important” in their lives, and roughly four-in-ten say they attend worship services at least once a week. But the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey shows that large numbers of Americans are uninformed about the tenets, practices, history and leading figures of major faith trraditions – including their own. Many people also think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are stricter than they really are."


There is A LOT of info to digest here, but I encourage you to browse through it and share some thoughts. 

What sticks out you?
What surprises you and what doesn't surprise you?
Do these results encourage/disappoint you? 
As Christians, what do we do with this information?




Want to take the survey "How much do you know about religion"? Do it here. http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/index.php


How did you do? 

Feel free to respond to this message with any thoughts/comments/etc. that you have! 

Have a great weekend, friends!



in Him, 
Steph

Sunday October 24, 2010

What's Happening at Peace this Sunday, October 24, 2010

8 am Traditional Worship & Communion
9:30 am Sunday School and Adult Bible Classes
10:45 am Contemporary Worship & Communion

     Associate Pastor Larry McGurer preaches the fourth part of the "Other Six Days: Christian Life Beyond Worship" series about Gentle Restoration.

     S.O.S. (Servants of the Savior: 3-6 graders) meet at 3:00 pm at the Church to head up to Rock Creek in serch of the great pumpkin.

Blessings on the rest of your week, and we look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Sermon Series at Peace

Recently it has come to my attention that some people here at Peace have been asking the question How come we don’t preach from the 3-year lectionary series very often?  I would like to take a moment to respond to that question.
I’ll start by saying that the three-year lectionary is a great tool for working through the Bible in a way that covers the major themes of God’s Word – namely the sin of man and the salvation man has in Christ.  The lectionary also does a beautiful job of connecting the Old and New Testaments and showing how Christ came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.  Finally, the lectionary follows the seasons of the church year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc.) and assigns texts that fit very well with each season.  There is no doubt the lectionary is a beautiful way to read/preach through the Holy Scriptures. 
With that said there are a few drawbacks to the lectionary as well.  First off, because the lectionary follows the seasons of the church year it tends to (but not always) bounce around the various books in the Bible rather than starting at the beginning of a book and working through it to its end.  Pastor Dave and I feel that there is a real value to having a series through a book of the Bible – from beginning to end – for a couple of reasons.  First, it permits us time over the course of multiple weeks to thoroughly develop the original context that the book was written in which in turn allows us to better understand why each text says what it does.  Second, it enables people to walk away from a sermon series saying, “I have a much better handle on that book now.”  For example, we just recently took six weeks to preach through the book of Ruth (a book that receives very minimal time in the 3-year lectionary).  I’ve received much positive feedback from that series because of the detail into which we were able to go.   People have said things to me like, “I didn’t realize how much was packed into that little book!” In addition to preaching through books of the Bible, Pastor Dave and I also preach topical sermon series from time to time in which we preach on a series of related issues over the course of several weeks.  The reason we use topical sermon series is because they afford us the opportunity to preach on very relevant and pressing issues that are rarely, if ever, part of the lectionary series . 
In the end it isn’t the method used to preach through God’s Word that is of primary importance.  The most important thing is that the full councel of God’s Word is preached – both Law and Gospel – and that the preaching of God’s Word lead us to sorrow over sin, repentance, and new life in Christ – our Lord and Savior.  May all our preaching be pleasing to His ears and glorify His Name! Amen.

Associate Pastor Larry McGurer