Reverse Mentoring

Every Tuesday morning, a group of men have been meeting at a local restaurant for breakfast and fellowship. They're members of various local churches from within the denomination I grew up in. Also, they've all (except for two) long since retired. I join them when in town, partly because I desire to glean from their insights from walking with Jesus for decades, partly because I enjoy their fellowship, and partly because they need someone who's only 26 to help them make sense of the young generations in a rapidly changing world. This last role perhaps give me the greatest joy.

Last week, I led the devotions before we were served our meal. In my desire to help them understand postmodernism and its effects on the church, I wanted to give it to them in full force. So I decided to read this article for them: http://www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue127/index.cfm?id=50&ref=ARTICLES_CULTURE_672. The essence of the article is that right/wrong and sinner/saint are not longer cultural dichotomies that matter to young folks. The author highlighted the lyrics of a British pop song to illustrate his point. Our new world cares more about real/unreal. As postmoderns reject the possibility of truth all together, the church needs to readdress how it presents the unchanging truth of the Gospel. Instead of telling someone that their behavior is wrong and that they need a savior, which is at the same time clearly true and also quite irrelevant to many young folks, the church needs to get to the Gospel by showing how Jesus is the solution to their felts needs, the fear of being unreal. The Gospel never changes, but your presentation to it better change as you address societies with drastically varying values.

This message, was quite a shock to them, as many had never heard this before. The more than edgy lyrics perhaps was a wake up call that people don't believe the same things today as they did 50 years ago. The discussion afterward was great, as many of the men started to engage an issue they had previously given up on assuming it was too complicated. As I reminded them that this culture likely isn't more sinful, just more open in what sins the world sees, I asked that they seek to understand more than judge. I also challenged them to spend time getting to know someone very different from themselves, and listen to what matters to them, find out what they value. It is my heart that these men, many leaders in their churches, would see the need to break from those religious traditions that push young folks away. My confidence that this can happen isn't rooted in the men's wisdom or my ability to show what's going on, but rather the Holy Spirit's power to illuminate and convict us. He desires an impact on a dying world for Christ far more than any of us, and He is able.

If you're reading this and are under 30 years old, would you go do the same? Would you engage with those who because of their upbringing are very disconnected from today's culture? Would you share with them the drastic need to be missional, to Go and Be Jesus instead of just inviting disinterested people to Come and See?

If you're reading this and are over 30 years old(especially if you're over 45 or so), would you take the time to ask young people what really matters to them, and why? Seek to understand what our culture is telling us is important, then take the Gospel to us in a way that address what is important to us, not you. You can do it. We need Jesus, but telling us it's because we misbehave isn't going to make us want to listen. Again, I'm certain that the Holy Spirit can help you can figure this out if you're willing to get out of your comfort zone and follow Him.