"What Do You Have for Us?"

For the sake of anonymity I will call him Sam.   He had a child at Lutheran High during the time I worked there but I had not seen him since I left six years ago.  Sam and his family were not Lutheran, but attended a large Protestant church.  They were involved and he was on the church vestry.  After getting caught up on the family news, I asked if they still attended the same church.  He paused, "We're kind of shopping around."  I didn't have to ask because Sam offered an explanation and with it came an insight.  The senior pastor has been there for almost twenty years and is nearing retirement.   A few years ago they added a young associate to the staff.  "He a dynamic preacher, but he doesn't seem to relate to the people my age." 

"Who does he relate to?" I asked. 

"Mostly young folks," he responded.  "He kind of ignores those of us who have been around for years.  It's like, 'What do you have for us?"  

While I could identify with Sam's perspective I had to think, "So what's the problem?"  In a time when teens and young adults are turning their backs on the church, we need more pastors who can relate to them.   I could also understand Sam's perspective that the young pastor was not concerned about his needs.  That might be especially difficult if Sam and his friends had supported the church with their time and money.

It does create a dilemma for a church, especially since Christians are usually not open to change. If there is one thing we can say about our culture at this time it is that there is change.  Values have shifted and even faith perspectives have changed.  For those of us over sixty, probably the best thing to do is focus on the eternal hope we have in Jesus.  That never changes.  I also would encourage them to try to relate to millennials.  The church needs them, just like it needs us.