Higher education Perspective:
Has the Spirit
lematic—namely, a lack of courage. Millennials
forgotten how to
call young people?
SHUTTERSTOCK By Russell Lackey J
eremiah was only a boy when God called him. Mary was a teen. Timothy was also young.
So, too, was Martin Luther. Looking around the church today, one must wonder if the Spirit has forgotten how to call young people. According to the Pew Research
Center, 29 percent of millennials (ages 18-33) aren’t affiliated with any religion and the rate of athe- ism in this group is twice as high as any other generation in America. Why? David Kinnaman, author of You Lost Me (Baker Books, 2011), suggests millennials are leaving the church because they experience it as overprotective, shallow, anti-science, simplistic toward sex, exclusive and unwilling to provide room for doubt. But the ELCA should be a mecca
for young people. We have a complex understanding of sexuality, an open view of Christianity, we provide room for doubt and promote sci- entific exploration. So why are our young people leaving? The issue runs deeper than
trends. It’s something far more prob- 40
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are afraid to be Christian. It’s safe to join the Peace Corps, run a race that raises money for the poor, occupy Wall Street or make the world awesome by being a “nerdfighter.” It is not safe to be a Jesus follower. Case in point:
I led a student group on a spring break trip last year. After a morning
working with homeless people, the students stood outside a Big Ten basketball championship game hold- ing a cross. They didn’t say a word to the crowd unless someone initiated conversation. Afterward I asked: “Was it easier
to serve the homeless or publicly identify as Christian?” They all said it was easier being in a room with drug addicts and prostitutes.
Who else is afraid? Millennials aren’t the only ones who are afraid. Pastors are afraid of millennials. It’s easy to visit the homebound, prepare sermons and drink coffee with parishioners. Of course, pastors will spend time with the youth group, but rarely do they seek out those no longer attending or who’ve never been inside a church. When was the last time a pastor showed up at the home of an inactive high schooler and told him to come to church on Sunday? It’s understandable that people
are afraid. The life of faith can be terrifying. Mary faced the prospect of death to bear Jesus. Luther was
excommunicated. Timothy was killed. God had to reassure a fright- ened Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:7-8). We must be a church willing to
venture into such fear and speak a word to a generation equally afraid. We must lay down our insecurities and follow our Lord who laid down his life. We must “not be ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). At Grand View University in Des
Moines, Iowa, many are first genera- tion college students juggling a new community, classes, work and family expectations. Many church workers would write off these students as too busy or uninterested in faith. The opposite is the case: these students are eager and open to discuss faith. Take Keyla (last name not given),
who wasn’t a Christian when she entered college. Through music classes (she sang Christian anthems), two required theology courses, and conversations with the campus pas- tor and other theology faculty, she decided to be baptized. Keyla is now working toward a master’s in theology at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Has the Spirit forgotten how to
call young people? No. We have. This must stop. Pastors and church mem- bers, engage young people. Find those who want nothing to do with God and speak the word to them. Call them back to church. Challenge their faith. Will you be rejected? Of course. But you will also be amazed at how the Spirit works.
Author bio: Lackey is a campus pastor of Grand View University and a pastor of Luther
Memorial Church, Des Moines, Iowa.
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