Here is why I am excited. I began my journey following Jesus when I was a teenager and during my teenage years I attended a small church outside of Milwaukee. On the outside this church didn't have much to offer: no large youth group, no charismatic youth pastor, no youth band, and not even many cute girls to draw me there on a Wednesday night. What it did have though was two pastors, a couple guys in their fifties (I think) who for whatever reason took an active interest in me and my spiritual development. One Sunday one of these guys (the associate pastor) had just returned from a John Maxwell conference and he approached me and shared how he and the sr. pastor believed that I could be the next John Maxwell and he wanted to invest in me. Now if you know me at all you know I don't care much for John Maxwell but the point is these guys saw something in me, took the time to invest in me, met with me for breakfast every Saturday morning, and propelled me on my way to being a leader in the church.
Unfortunately what I've learned is that these experiences aren't the norm in our churches. They are the exception. But what if they weren't the exception? What if we could facilitate mentoring experiences like this in our churches across the nation? What if our seasoned pastors woke up and realized that this thing called church won't just continue to exist on its own? What if our churches became the soil in which young leaders we planted and cultivated? What if we infused a passion for Jesus and reaching the world with his good news into the hearts of our young people?
I think more young people would hang around in church after they graduate. I think more young people would respond to the call to ministry. I think more churches wouldn't be scrambling to find effective leadership. I think it might just save a denomination, and I think it might just save the church!
And this is why I am excited.
