engaging the soul of youth culture
“Yes, we know the Word and a have a genuine desire to share the gospel with them (students). But we haven’t taken the time to know them and their changing culture. When it becomes obvious they aren’t responding to our efforts, we lament the fact they have turned a deaf ear to church. But is that really the case? I don’t think so. More often than not, their ambivalence to the church is rooted in the fact they can’t hear anything we’re saying. Because we haven’t taken the time to know them and their world, they don’t hear or understand any of it. They’re not deaf–we’re dumb. In the end, we’ve done an ‘injustice to people whom Christ loves and for whom he died.’”
Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture by Walt Mueller
Wow! If this isn’t a challenging quote–I don’t know what is. This quote has inspired me to take my “calling” more serious and become a better cross-cultural missionary to students. I admit it…I’ve been so focused on things like getting my series planned out for the rest of the year or organizing “this and that,” that I’ve forgotten them. I see students, I talk to students, I listen to them…but it’s all in the context of our church walls or student ministry events. I haven’t been in THEIR world lately. Have you been in the world of the people you are “called” to lately?
