Saturday, November 7, 1998

Churches must stretch to reach Generation X

By Clark Morphew

Knight Ridder Newspapers

All across this wonderful land, old churches just rot away as time and demographics bring about the death of a congregation.

You've seen them in inner-city neighborhoods, in rural areas and practically all over the nation. These churches are captives of the past, slaves to outmoded customs and they're not about to change for anyone, even the Almighty.

It's just a matter of time before those old congregations die. And in my considered opinion, we ought to let them expire.

Please don't send some young Friend-of-God to whip these dinosaurs into shape and bring them, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. Yes, it could be done, but the cost would be heavenly, in the astronomical sense.

Can't we just let them rest in peace?

The answer is yes. Those old congregations can be brought back to life, but in a better way. A pioneer in this new movement is Leadership Network, a Dallas-based church consulting and educational organization. Their idea is called "Church within a Church," and the national organization has been holding conferences all over the country to get out the word.

The concept is simple. Church leaders allow a young pastor to create another congregation that meets for worship at a different time from the old congregation. The new congregation usually needs some office space but little more. The two congregations are separate, have different governing boards and some are even of different denominations.

One such church, House of Mercy in St. Paul, Minn., is smack in the middle of an area of the city known for its population of artists who live and work in renovated warehouses. The congregation meets in the main sanctuary of First Baptist. Both are American Baptist churches.

And it does have some unusual worship events. A couple of weeks ago, the church brought in a western band and played and sang hymns by country and western artist Hank Williams. Congregants had a blast.

This church mixes up the music. And every Sunday members burn incense and celebrate Holy Communion.

That's some pretty weird stuff for a Baptist congregation, but House of Mercy is moving with the generation X crowd. And many gen Xers have shown they love the old stuff -- anything retro is a big plus for many twentysomethings.

House of Mercy is on target and so are other new congregations, such as Praxis and Spirit Garage. And while the music is different in each, the spirit is the same -- they're excited.

Some early characterizations of generation X claimed its members were unable to commit to longterm relationships. Some so-called experts said members of the group were lazy and didn't like to work. However, subsequent research shows that many gen Xers come from broken homes, which may be one reason why they're afraid to commit. And while they may be slow to get into full-time work, it's a hesitancy borne from not knowing what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

It's a complicated world out there. And "postmodern" people, as some researchers have termed gen Xers, have learned not to trust too many people. In religion, they want to interact with people who are authentic rather than phony preachers who constantly have their hands in the pockets of their church members. They want choices about who they honor and respect, who they follow into the jungle of life and who they will grow to love. Only authentic people can do this work.

The work is sort of like being a missionary. You're preaching the gospel to many people who have never heard it before, researchers have found. So you're preaching a subtle gospel. You can't hit gen Xers over the head with scoldings. But they also want to hear the truth. It's a tricky kind of preaching.

But isn't it wonderful the church has caught on to the problems of the young? If they go to church, they might get scolded for their lifestyle. But if they don't go to church, they may never get direction in their lives.

The next generation, the millennialists, soon will be standing at the church's door. And all it will take is for a new attitude -- to be accepting and loving and open to the future.

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(Clark Morphew is an ordained clergyman and is religion writer for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. Write to him at the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul MN 55101.)

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(c) 1998, Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.).

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