If the Hanmaum church is content with the status quo, we will no longer have a ‘young generation’ in our church within 10 years. For example, there were many times where our youth did not develop a heart rooted in our church, leaving us once they graduated. That is why it is rare to find anyone with the age group between 20 and 30 in our church. And even within those who are in the age group, it is even harder to find someone who has a sense of ownership of our church. If this trend continues, — when the adults in their 40s go into their 50s — we will not have a faithful young generation in our church.
Looking back at my past ministry at Hanmaum church, my biggest regret is not being able to hold on to them. This is not a problem just for our church. This has been a trend among churches in the US and Korea. So maybe we could use that as an excuse, and let go of the stress. However, the truth is that we should have won this fierce spiritual battle because the fate of our loving children depends on it, and it was possible to win. There are other churches who are winning this battle.
So we should not just look at it as if it is just a trend in our generation, and do nothing. It is better to still be late and do something than never do anything. The goal of my ministry for the past few years has been fostering the “next generation”, and this will not change. I will put our next generation in the center of our church and change our church around it. We will set out to evangelize the next generation. Our church’s financial resources and the ambience of the worship service will evolve around the next generation. I am not saying that we should blindly follow the wishes of the next generation. They don’t know God as well and we can’t quite trust their ‘value judgment’ yet. What I am saying is that we should first understand the next generation and make decisions for their benefit.
Like I said before, the decline of the next generation is a generational trend. Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary where I attended is a reputed seminary school world wide. However the seminary is now on the verge of selling its main campus and moving to another place. This is yet another trend happening now in other seminaries as well. So we cannot just wait indefinitely hoping that some Jun-Do-San-Nim will pop up and lead our youth. God may send someone to help us out, but until then Hanmaum church itself needs to be proactive in lessening the gravity of the issue.
What should we do to share the faith with the next generation? What must we do to pass on our faith to the next generation? Before drilling down into details, we, the incumbern generation, first need to get onboard on a common goal and adapt to the new mindset of the younger generation. I hope that we will shift our attention and thoughts toward the next generation, and that we will be willing to help them even if it means less of a benefit to us. I hope that our hearts will be set as such.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi