Each year Gallup releases a “Confidence in Institutions” survey. This year it reveals that only 44% of Americans have a “great deal or quite a lot of confidence in ‘the church or organized religion.'”
Organized religion has ranked at the top of the list from 1973-1985, but now it is tied with the medical system. Bean counters will quickly point out that religion still ranks fourth out of sixteen institutions tested, but that can hardly be viewed as a prize. Bronze medal? Sorry church, you missed it by that much.
After I let the survey results simmer, my thoughts went to people who have been hurt, wounded, and injured by the church. When I hear stories of people searching for a different church home it is always for a reason. Too often families leave a congregation because of strife, bitterness, and conflict. They leave due to splits and infighting. They leave because of hurtful comments and negative attitudes. Unfortunately, the pain can be so intense that many won’t even bother to look for a new church home. Many stop looking or worse yet, stop going. When that is the legacy, why would people express confidence?
I like it when people describe the church as a hospital for sinners. It is the emergency room where we find comfort and peace through Jesus Christ. But this spiritual hospital will have people who are coughing, fever-ridden, and sick. There are varying levels of sickness due to sin. Cross-bearing is a requirement for ministry to occur in this setting. There will be unpleasant people in every congregation, but then again what emergency room doesn’t have someone in need of a physician?
If you are looking for a church home or stopped looking for a solid body of believers, remember that Jesus died for you and all who suffer from the pain of sin. He died for everybody. Congregations are made up of imperfect people who are in need of the Great Physician. Place your confidence in the Son of God and you will never be disappointed.
God Squad 
Only 3 Percent of Teens Read the Bible Daily
Posted in News & Commentary, tagged barna, Bible, christian, survey, teen, teenager on August 29, 2016|
The Barna Group conducted a nationwide survey of over 1,000 participants between the ages of 13 and 17. The findings and factors may surprise you. While a majority of teenagers still have reverence for the Bible, their views have been heavily influenced by today’s secular society. Much of what teenagers believe today comes from public schools, the media, and the entertainment industry instead of their own family or the church.
Seven out of ten teens personally own a Bible, but only 3 percent report reading the Bible on a daily basis. One in ten teens read the Bible once a month and an additional 10 percent report reading the Bible three or four times a year. The survey also showed that 37 percent of teens say that they never read the Bible.
If those figures scare you, know that you are not alone. While we are able to put Bibles in the hands of teenagers, much more needs to be done on demonstrating the power and promise of God’s Holy Word.
Christian education in America has remained tepid for the last fifty years. Churches and faith-based organizations must come back to the task of making disciples in a Biblical manner. Ignoring the Great Commission will ultimately send the church into collapse.
When you look at Matthew 28:18-20, there are two parts to the Great Commission. The first is found in verse 19 to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The second part is often overlooked, but it’s vital to form new Christians. Verse 20 shares the necessity of “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The second part of discipleship is teaching people how to live like Jesus.
If someone gave you a gift, but never showed you how to use it, you would likely lay it on the shelf. So it is with the Bible and faith. It is inherent for mature Christians to teach the next generation.
Perhaps we should also evaluate how we teach. If Sunday school teachers are producing teens with perfect attendance pins and little knowledge of God’s Word, then we have completely missed the point of Bible classes. Somewhere and somehow there is a failure that must be fixed.
I believe the Bible is the cornerstone of Christian discipleship. Through Scripture we find faith in Jesus Christ and receive instruction on how to live like Jesus. It is God’s truth. It shows us what to believe. It delivers genuine guidance from God. It is the standard that guides our life.
As the cornerstone for discipleship, let us commit ourselves to teaching the next generation of Christians what the Bible is and how to use it in life. The teens of today deserve teachers and mentors who will help them worship, witness, and work for the glory of God.
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