Scriptural and spiritual self feeding is a must...

Here are a great couple of pictures (not taken by me) that show the connection between the younger generation and the older generation.  I post these pictures because of a virtual staff meeting I had yesterday with the group called "Church Answers" with the Lifeway organization and headed by Thom Rainer.  The title of this blog entry is "Scriptural and spiritual self feeding is a must..." and that is what I was doing yesterday morning at 10 a.m.  Books, podcasts, video conferences and the like have helped me over the years to deepen my understand of the Scriptures and also of shepherding the flock of God.  Let me share 3 nuggets from yesterday's time and also relate them to the pictures above.

The topic of the virtual staff meeting was "What Church Leaders Say They Desperately Need For More Effective Ministry."  The top five responses were given.

1.  Outreach and evangelism:  the increasing struggle
2.  Church revitalization:  the growing majority
3.  Leadership:  what I never learned at seminary
4.  Preaching:  How do I better connect?
5.  Understanding the younger generations:  Who are these strange people?

3 things jumped out a me and I "jotted" them down on the paper in front of me.

1.  The first related to the first three points and that was to "work a plan."  Of course you need to have a plan or find a plan.  Maybe better yet you need to pray for a plan.  What is the next thing to do on your plan?  As we are given the mandate from the Scriptures to continue to grow in our spiritual walk with God, we are also given the mandate to grow in our witness to the world as the family of God.  More people demands more planning and making sure you have a plan.  I think the struggle I have at times is selecting one plan among the many that are broadcasted to us.  Many of those plans are good and so it is a decision between "goods" and those are sometimes the hardest decisions of all. 

The second and third "jot downs" related to the 5th point.

2.  The younger generation are going back to being audio learners.  They are watching videos but they are also listening to podcasts as they are exercising, driving, and doing other tasks.  We have gone back to the audio cassette ministry but it is just in the form of a web address and an audio file to download.  Maybe it is a sign that we are trying to do too much at one time, and to this I reply "guilty;" or maybe we are maximizing our time doing mundane tasks, and this is the answer I use when asked; or maybe we are missing out on real conversations because our ears are always full of "buds."  All I know is that even though I am older, I fall into this category and type while I am listening to something else.  What I took away from this "jot down" was how important it is to give the audio when I can of a devotional or a sermon.  

3.  This last one really relates to the pictures above.  You see some younger military personnel spending time with the older generation.  I find great joy is seeing these types of physical interactions.  You will notice too that the younger military personnel have come into the older generations space to do this.  

Now I walk gently into this "jot down."  I am getting to be one of those older generation and the older generation occupy much of the space we call "church."  What happens when someone of the younger generation comes into "our space?"  The point made was that the younger generation has a desire to connect with the older generation.  So the obvious flip for me was to ask, "Does the older generation openly connect with the younger generation?"  Do I walk into their space to make contact with them?  Do I seek them out to encourage them and create space so they know this is their space too or better yet, our opportunity to be together in God's space?  As the younger generation walks into our churches looking for purpose and meaning and as they are walking over to us who are wondering who they are and why they are here, will we meet them half-way?  Will we provide what they are needing?

Some self feeding that usually leads to more questions that I need to factor into a plan.  Maybe I will find some answers as I listen to a podcast as I get on the treadmill to keep limber as I am getting older. 

Adam