The future of the church depends on reaching the growing number of spiritual but post-religious people especially today’s students. This recent article fromthe heart of the Bible belt shows the post-religious phenomenon is not restricted to hot spots of “secularism” like Seattle or NYC.
Rachel Robinson knows she is called to the ministry in some way. A 21-year-old Texas Tech student, she’s been on mission trips and she interns at Westminster Presbyterian Church.Yet she says many of her peers aren’t as involved in their churches as she is. Robinson attributes this to the strict traditions that accompany religion, rather than most church teachings, that she believes turn college students away.
The article suggests that more colleges students in the area are leaving behind institutional religious traditions and institutions for other ways of expressing faith and finding relationships of faith. They are seeking “church without religion”. If the “church” can’t wrap its brain around this trend I believe more and more traditional churches will drift away into oblivion and irrlevance. Doesn’t mean the faith of Jesus Christ will go away the mission of God and purpose of Christ will prevail! But the institutional church will not be a significant part of it.
The issues are not new they are the ones that challenge every missionary. Learning to speak the language and credibility (earn the right to speak). It the church up to this? Are up for this?
