4C – HOW DO WE REACH THE 30-SOMETHINGS?
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Catholic (Kevin) writes:
Erin,
Since I never want to just assume language, what do you mean by “dedicated roles in the church” and what is your meaning of your feeling that they have “arrived”? I can take a good guess but I want to make sure that I understand you completely.
Anyway, back to your question. I believe that is a problem across the board for all churches, but I feel the key is to find the core sources of this dilemma and also to see the positive aspects too. What do you attribute to the reasons for this attitude and actions from the 30-somethings? What do you think the church (any church) has done wrong or needs to improve on in this respect? What do you see as a positive in regards to the actions and attitudes of the 30-somethings?
Kevin
4BE – HOW DO WE REACH THE 30-SOMETHINGS?
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Baptist (Erin) writes:
Kevin,
Immanuel Baptist Church is facing a problem of engaging our 30-something adults in dedicated roles in the church. These are our adults who seem to feel that they have “arrived.” Their children are involved in everything under the sun and what is not about their children is about them. They do not want to participate in any sort of outreach program, and we are even struggling to get them to attend Sunday School and worship on a regular basis. Because of this, we are seeing a breakdown of community among our young adults. When the community collapses, those who are new to the community struggle to “fit in.”
How do we, as ministers to this age group, foster a sense of loyalty and commitment? What do we know about this subset of the population that can help us figure out how to engage them? If the church is to survive the next 50 years, our young adults must begin now to develop a sense of ownership. How do we help them to prioritize?
Erin
NEWS OF ECUMENICALISM AND UNITY
Zenit (2/27/07): Concert Aims for a Note of Christian Unity
In Rome on March 29th, a concert is being organized intending to promote Christian unity, especially between Orthodox and Catholics. The musical composition, "The Passion According to Matthew,", which will be presented in an auditorium next to the Vatican, was composed by Bishop Hilarion Alfeev of Vienna and Austria, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow to the European Community. The concert will be presented for the first time in Moscow two days earlier in the presence of Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II.
0BE – LET ME INTRODUCE TO YOU…
Erin Miller grew up in Collinsville, IL at Meadow Heights Baptist Church. Meadow Heights was a place that allowed her to ask the hard questions about her faith; even as a child her mom often told her she’d be working for a church someday because she was always asking those sorts of questions. Erin denied that argument and went to college at Greenville College in Illinois to study English Education. She quickly discovered in a required Religion class that her interests were in theology. Erin finished her degree in English and Religion/Philosophy in 1999. At that time, she went to work for Meadow Heights as Associate Minister of Youth. As youth minister, Erin discovered that the church is not always the easiest place to work and that there are inherent problems in the Baptist system.
When she decided to go to seminary at Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Erin went through a period of very deep searching. She was frustrated with her Baptist heritage and explored changing denominations. After considering Methodism, Episcopalianism, and the United Church of Christ, Erin finally settled at Peachtree Baptist Church, discovering there a mentor in Alicia Walker that taught her the redemptive qualities of many Baptist churches. Because of the Baptist polity of local church autonomy, no two Baptist churches are just alike, and Erin found the freedom to reconcile with her Baptist roots. She joined Peachtree and did a year long internship with Alicia there. It was at Peachtree that she began to realize that her true passions were within the walls of a Baptist church.
Upon graduation in May 2006, she began working at Immanuel Baptist Church as Minister of Education and Spiritual Formation in Paducah, KY where she is currently serving. As Minister of Education, Erin is responsible for all class-type settings (Sunday School for adults, children, youth, and preschool; Sunday night discipleship; Wednesday night children’s programs; book studies; and other programs), missions, family events, and outreach to visitors and new members. She has a deep love for the church and a desire to help the church discover her roots in the models of Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles. An advocate for the church’s responsibility to care for “the least of these” in the world, Erin encourages conversation and action around social issues such as the crisis in Darfur, the civil war in Uganda, the plight of the hungry, the homeless, and the neglected of society.
In addition to vocational ministry, Erin enjoys being outdoors, good tea, good books, and playing with her black lab, Shiloh. She is an avid Cardinal baseball fan, and rarely misses a game! She is delighted to be a part of this conversation and looks forward to engaging in dialogue across denominational lines.
1O – CAN WE TALK?
Question 1: What is your church’s view on dialogues with other churches or communities of different doctrinal beliefs?
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Greek Orthodox (AJS) writes:
The Orthodox Church has been involved in the international ecumenical movement almost since the time of its inception. This has meant a broad involvement with Protestant Churches through the World Council of Churches although the Orthodox have often argued that the organization places more emphasis on social issues than theological ones. Still, there has been some Orthodox influence on the organization, especially notable in the so-called Lima Document on baptism, eucharist, and ministry.
Official dialogue with Catholics on the local level started in the 1960’s in the United States due to the encounter of both Churches through the increase in “mixed marriages”. This ultimately led to international dialogue between the two Churches in the early 1980’s. This dialogue has had its ups and downs but a number of meetings have produced documents that demonstrate what the two Churches hold in common. At present, the international dialogue is on hold but expects to be re-activated in the near future.
Despite participation in ecumenical dialogue, the Orthodox Church does not practice “open communion.” Since it feels that the concelebration and reception of the eucharist is an expression of doctrinal unity, “full communion” in the eucharist can occur only after doctrinal unity has been achieved.
Dialogue with Jews and Muslims has also occurred but on a far more limited basis.
3P – WHATCHA READING?
Question 3: What Bible translation would you recommend to your church and why?
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Presbyterian (Steve) writes: This is an interesting question. There are those fundamental churches that cling to the King James Version of the Bible. When we were missionaries in France some supporting churches wrote asking what translation of the Bible we used in preaching and even in our devotions. They were hoping we would say the KJV. Now of course the KJV doesn't even exist in France so it was a very silly but sad question. I encourage people to use the translation or paraphrase of the Bible which is most helpful to them. I recommend the NIV but only because it is one of the most recent good translations. In our church pews we use the RSV which is the translation of most mainline churches. Realistically there is very little difference between any accepted translations of the Bible.
2P – GETTING WASHED UP
Question 2: What is your church’s view on Baptism; what is it, when do you do it, how do you do it, is it essential?
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Presbyterian (Steve) writes:
This is a much more difficult question for me to answer because of my own experience. I was baptized as a Southern Baptist when I was 12 and then became a born-again Christian when I was sixteen and re-baptized as an adult. But here I am a Presbyterian and like other mainline churches, we practice infant baptism. Presbyterian doctrine is very unclear about what really happens at a baby's baptism. We say the child becomes a part of the "Covenant Community" but few ministers would say that means the child becomes a regenerated child of God. We say that the child must come to a place in his or her life where they embrace the faith on their own. I personally baptize infants but explain that how the parents raise the child will be much more important than the ceremony. And I explain that when the child is ready, we pray he or she will embrace the faith as his or her own. We also baptize adults who have not been baptized as infants who profess the faith.
1P – CAN WE TALK?
Question 1: What is your church’s view on dialogues with other churches or communities of different doctrinal beliefs?
To view previous questions and responses simply scroll down to archives and click on the topic or church of your choice.
Presbyterian (Steve) writes:
My experience with other churches really began in France where the percent of practicing Christians is so very low, that denominational labels and beliefs mean very little. Pastors of various denominations met each month to pray and plan together and were always very cooperative. That experience carried over into my experience with ministerial associations in America. I have been a part of ministerial associations including Catholic and Protestant that prayed together in Prayer Summits and literally turned their cities back to God. Where I live in Collinsville, there is a very active ministerial association which sponsors a food pantry and benevolence ministry supported by several churches including our Catholic church. We are planning a Prayer Summit in the spring where we will all go away to pray for 2-3 days. We are all very excited about what God will do through the Church as we work together with Him.
0P – LET ME INTRODUCE TO YOU…
Steve Artz is the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Collinsville, IL. His pilgrimage in the faith has been broad. His parents raised him in a Southern Baptist Church where he was immersed as a teenager. He became a born-again Christian his senior year of high school at a Billy Graham Crusade. The desire to learn more about the Bible led him to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where he met his future wife. After Moody he attended a university where he was very active with the Navigators, a campus Christian organization. After teaching high school for a year, he and his wife became campus ministers at Indiana State University with the Navigators. The near collapse of their marriage led them to drop out of the ministry all together and get counseling for the next three years.
During this time they became members of an exciting Presbyterian Church which was a real first for them, as growing up they were taught that Presbyterians were liberal and did not really believe in the Bible. Instead they found people who loved Jesus Christ and were humble and open to learn and grow. Since their days at Moody, their desire had been to become missionaries in France and that dream was realized in 1976. They went to France with an interdenominational mission, Greater Europe Mission. Their mission was to begin an evangelical church in a suburb that had never had a protestant witness. In the next 14 years God began a church and formed a team to reach out to the thousands of Muslim immigrants in France.
Since 1990, he has been the pastor of Presbyterian churches in California, Michigan and now Collinsville, Illinois. He has always been involved in ministerial associations wherever they have lived and is currently the president of the Collinsville ministerial (CAMA). The passion of his life since becoming a Christian in high school has been to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to those who have yet to hear. He and his wife have always had a Bible study group in our neighborhood and have seen God bring neighbors to Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been more important to him than any church affiliation.
2N – GETTING WASHED UP
Question 2: What is your church’s view on Baptism; what is it, when do you do it, how do you do it, is it essential?
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Non-Denomination (Chad) writes:
Baptism is an outward expression and an announcement of your faith. It is a chance for a person to step forward in front of the church community and through a physical action display their faith in Christ. This is not a requirement though; if a person does not get baptized, then it does not condemn them. With that said, if you are a Christian and want to take the next step in your faith, then it is highly recommended for that person to be baptized. The reasoning behind this is that we are to become like Christ and one of the first things that He did in His ministry (Matthew 3:13-17) was being baptized. To further explain why we should be baptized, Jesus was God in human flesh and he obeyed the commands of John, who was the prophet of God. John's work had been prophesied in the Old Testament (see Matthew 3:3). Jesus had come to do the will of the Father. He said, "I have come to do thy will" (Hebrews. 10:7-8). John was God's prophet, and Jesus would be obedient unto the Father by being baptized by the Father's prophet.
Baptism is conducted through complete submersion in water. Jesus had a purpose in mind in seeking out John. He wanted to be baptized by him (Matthew 3:13). The Greek word "baptizo" means "immersion." John was immersing people in the waters of the Jordan River. He was not sprinkling a little water on them; neither was he pouring water on them. In fact, even today the Greek Orthodox Church practices immersion because they, being Greek, know what the word meant. It would not be appropriate to refer to John as "John the sprinkler."
This is exactly why John chose the location he did to do his work. If he had been "John the Sprinkler" he could have carried some water with him. But because he immersed, he had to work in an area that had enough water. The Bible says, "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and they were coming and were being baptized." (John 3:23).
This is done at a time when a person is old enough to make a decision on their own without coercion. Each person who is named in the Bible as receiving baptism was able to make an informed decision about their choice. To the best of my knowledge, there are no references to infants being baptized. Accepting Christ is a personal choice that each of us has to make on our own, no one can make this decision for us. This is the same for baptism which is part of our faith and walk with Christ.
Just as there is much controversy in the religious world today about baptism, there was in Jesus' world as well (see Luke 7:29-30). The people who understood their need as sinners for God's grace accepted John's baptism and God's justification (righteousness). Others, like the Pharisees, rejected John's baptism and sought to prevent others from being baptized (see Matthew 21:23-28; 23:13).
There are reasons not to baptize someone. We should not baptize one who does not believe or repent (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Neither should we baptize a person who is ignorant of its purpose - to receive the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). If one has not reached the maturity to accept the gospel by faith, then he or she should not be baptized (Acts 8:12).
In 
