How do you reach the younger generation(s)? This is a question that church leaders have been asking for a number of years. One of the challenges to this question is that many of the answers we find are not driven by what we see in the Word of God. It is safe to say that we need to go beyond lights, fog machines, and an endless pursuit of the latest cultural trends. We are looking for something that has the power to transform young men and women into deeply committed followers of Jesus Christ. With that said, I want to point you in the direction of Kevin DeYoung’s little book, “The (Not-So-Secret) Secret To Reaching The Next Generation.” It’s a quick read (a total of 28 pages) and yet at the same it is a helpful resource because it points us back to the timeless principles that we find in the Bible.

ONE: GRAB THEM WITH PASSION

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” -Romans 12:9-11

“If our evangelical faith is boring to us, it will be boring to others. If the gospel is old news to you, it will be dull news to everyone else. We cannot pass on what we do not feel. Whitefield blasted the church in his day because the ‘generality of preachers [in New England] talk of an unknown and unfelt Christ. The reason why congregations have been so dead is because they have had dead men to preach to them.’ The next generation-every generation, really-needs to hear the gospel with personal, passionate pleading.” P. 6-7

To put it simply, there is no way we should disagree with this point. Our lives, and churches, should reflect the staggering beauty and power of the gospel.

TWO: WIN THEM WITH LOVE

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:35

“We spend all this time trying to imitate Gen-Z culture, and to what end? For starters, there is no universal youth culture. Young people do not all think alike, dress alike, or feel comfortable in the same environments. Moreover, even if we could figure out what the next generation likes by the time we figured it out, they probably wouldn’t like it anymore…the evangelical church needs to stop preaching the false gospel of cultural identification to figure out how to be just like the next generation. Tell them about Jesus. And love them unashamedly.” P. 9-10

THREE: HOLD THEM WITH HOLINESS

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For is these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1:5-8

From what I read and understand it looks like many of the mainline denominations are in sharp decline. What are the reasons for this? Perhaps there are many explanations. What we know for sure is that their liberal direction and indifference to the fact that we are called to be holy certainly contributed to the mess they are now in.

FOUR: CHALLENGE THEM WITH TRUTH

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” -Hebrews 4:12

“We attended a lot of different churches for different reasons before we became Christians. I tell you, so many of the preachers spoke with little authority; they hardly ever dealt with tough issues of Scripture, and they soft-sold the other issues. Frank and I know now that we were hungry for the truth. Why can’t preachers learn that shallow and superficial preaching doesn’t help anybody, including people like us who weren’t Christians.” P. 18-19

Our culture is attempting to “disciple” our people 24 hours a day. Instead of running from the hard conversations/topics we need to lean into them.

FIVE: AMAZE THEM WITH GOD

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” -Ephesians 3:14-19

“Give them a God who is holy, independent, and unlike us-a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. Give them a God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. Give them a God with edges. Give them an undiluted God who makes them feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable too. Give them a God who works all things after the counsel of his will for the glory of his name. Give them a God whose love is lavish and free. Give them a God worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope, and love.” P. 23

What would you add to these five suggestions when it comes to reaching the next generation?