Implications


Post-modern unbelievers will not be reached by modern churches.

The church as a whole was slow to respond to the questions of the unbelieving moderns, but it finally "stepped up to the plate" and was doing a pretty good job with such tools as apologetics. However, as one author put it: "It would seem that just as Christians are arriving on the playing field of modernity, carrying their bat, gloves, and baseballs, everyone else has switched to soccer."* The church now has a long list of great answers, the only problem is that no one is asking those questions anymore!
	Let's take another look at our "eyedropper" analogy. The ministries and methods of the modern church have done well in reaching the unbelieving moderns (the "blue" folks). These same methods have also worked okay for reaching the "purple people" ("mutts" & cross-breeds, the transition people with an odd blend of modern and post-modern ideas). However, the "red guys" that are the emerging generation are for the most part, not interested in what the modern church has to offer. The confusing thing right now is that you can find all three ("blue, purple & red") living side by side in your community. But remember, as time goes on the "blues" and "purples" will disappear. What will the church do then?
"What about a blended service?" you may ask. Over the last 20 years many churches have employed this technique, blending music and worship styles to try to appeal to the young and old in the same service. The problem is that the gap is now too great to span in one gathering. It is not just an issue of taste and style anymore, but a fundamental difference in worldview. Between the "blues" and the "reds" you have two different cultures and if they are to be effectively reached for Christ they must be approached differently. Just as you would to minister differently to two unique cultural / ethnic groups. This doesn't sit well with many older moderns. They point back to bygone years when all generations worshiped side by side as one big happy family. Years ago, that was possible. At that time all the generations were of the same culture, the same worldview. The only difference was their age. That is no longer the case. Now we are talking about two cultures and two very different worldviews.

Partnering to reach the emerging post-modern culture in your community

If your church is doing an effective job ministering to the moderns in your community, keep it up! There are lots of unbelieving moderns that still need Christ! But there are also a growing number of post-moderns that need the Lord and you are not likely to reach them. This matter is far too critical for petty territorial issues. It is not overstating the matter to say that this is the greatest challenge the church in the U.S. has ever faced. If we are to pass the test and see a thriving, impactful church for generations to come, we MUST work together NOW. (More on the future of the modern church coming up on the next page.) What is your church's commitment to missions? Many churches are deeply committed to foreign missions, sending their people and money to the farthest corner of the planet to reach other cultures with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is very good! However, what about the growing post-modern culture right here in our own backyard? In many large metro areas in the U.S. there are only a handful of churches reaching out to this emerging generation. Many smaller cities have no outreach at all to the post-moderns. Of the relatively few post-modern churches out there, many struggle financially. Think of the demographic they are reaching: younger, either in school or just graduated with student loans, new on the job, maybe newly married. These churches have the same financial needs as your church, but with perhaps only 25% of your budget (for the same size church)! "So what can we do?" you may ask. 1 - Make ministry to the post-moderns in this country part of your missions budget. Call it "home missions" or whatever you like, but there is just as much of a need in your own backyard as there is in many foreign countries. To put it another way... if these people in your city aren't reached, what will the future look like for your kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids? 2 - Hands on help for a post-modern church. If you have a post-modern ministry in your area, help them with your time, money and effort. We recently spent a year helping a newly started post-modern church in our city. There was a local modern church in town that really did "get it." They allowed us the complete use of their facilities on Sunday afternoon for free. Their Elders were also involved in mentoring our leaders in "how to run a church." Our leadership team was even included in their Elder's retreat. Our church WAS NOT started by their church. They just understood the principles in the paragraphs above and acted on them. They truly have a Kingdom focus! Blessings on them!! We were SO impressed with that church's Biblical and Kingdom focus, that we have now joined that church and continue to work to encourage ministry to the emerging post-modern culture.

*The End of the World As We Know It by Chuck Smith Jr.