Beautiful People,

In a recent Vision Team meeting, we discussed this Washington Post article from Rachel Held Evans about why Millennials are choosing not to participate in church. Rachel says that Millennials aren’t looking for churches that are cool, but churches that are authentic.

She writes, “If young people are looking for congregations that authentically practice the teachings of Jesus in an open and inclusive way, then the good news is the church already knows how to do that. The trick isn’t to make church cool; it’s to keep worship weird.

“You can get a cup of coffee with your friends anywhere, but church is the only place you can get ashes smudged on your forehead as a reminder of your mortality. You can be dazzled by a light show at a concert on any given weekend, but church is the only place that fills a sanctuary with candlelight and hymns on Christmas Eve. You can snag all sorts of free swag for brand loyalty online, but church is the only place where you are named a beloved child of God with a cold plunge into the water. You can share food with the hungry at any homeless shelter, but only the church teaches that a shared meal brings us into the very presence of God.”

My prayer this morning is that our church will never be cool, but that we will always be authentic. May our minds and hearts always be open. May we always find in our pews people who are different than we are, people who challenge us and maybe at times annoy us, but who always love us. And may we rely on no gimmick, but only and always trust in the power of God’s love.

–Pastor Travis