| Copyright 2005-2008 Dr. Jad Khalaf, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved |
| Copyright 2005-2008 Dr. Jad Khalaf, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved |
| "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15 |
| GENERATION X CHURCH MODELS BY DR. JAD J. KHALAF Introduction Generation Xers, also known as the buster generation, were born between the years 1965 and 1980. This generation has been affected by corrupt politicians, church leaders, and educational leaders. As a result, Generation Xers have a negative attitude toward institutional authority, dogmatic values, and theoretical knowledge. A church reaching out to this generation will have to develop and implement church models that are designed for Generation X. Instead of listening to institutional authority, Generation Xers will respond to relational authority. Relational authority exists when Christians develop genuine relationships with non-Christians. Relationships provide opportunities for Christians to share life experiences and the Gospel with non-Christians. Dogmatic values are not widely accepted by Generation Xers. Generation Xers are tolerant of different groups and views. Churches will have to learn to appreciate, not necessarily agree with, and listen to different groups and contrary views. Generation Xers will listen to churches that show tolerance toward different groups and point of views. Generation Xers place emphasis on experience. Experience overrides theoretical knowledge. Theoretical knowledge provides theories and hypothetical situations. Experience provides first-hand encounters and non-hypothetical situations. A church reaching out to Generation Xers will have to place emphasis on an experiential and interactive Gospel. Generation Xers will be open to a faith in which they can experience and interact with. Two church models have been designed to reach Generation Xers for Christ. A church desiring to reach out to Generation X can use the Apostolic church model or the Soul-Awakening church model. Either model can be implemented in any church focusing on reaching Generation Xers for Christ. Apostolic Church Model The Apostolic church model is the same as the apostles’ church model in the New Testament. The apostles in the New Testament were called and sent by God to reach the pre-Christian and unchurched population, were adapted to their surrounding culture, were rooted in their theology, and communicated their message to a targeted group of individuals. The Apostolic church model mirrors the apostles’ church model. Willow Creek Community Church is an example of an Apostolic church model. Willow Creek developed a strategy to assist them in their desire to turn nonreligious people into growing disciples of Christ. One of the steps in the strategy involved cultivating a relationship with a nonbeliever. The apostles befriended the unchurched through relationships. Willow Creek wanted to do the same, develop relationships with the unchurched. A relationship, over time, provides credibility and trust with the unchurched and non-Christians. The leaders of Willow Creek wanted to reach the unchurched as well as non-Christians for Christ through relationships built upon trust and credibility. Another step in the strategy involved culture adaptation. The apostles in the New Testament adapted to the culture. Willow Creek wanted to do the same, adapt to the culture. So, Willow Creek decided to hold seeker services. Seekers are irreligious and unchurched individuals, believers or nonbelievers, who are seeking for a place to attend a church service. Willow Creek’ s seeker services were weekend services designed to reach seekers. The seeker services adapted to the culture through contemporary Christian music, drama, multimedia, video, dance, and biblical sermons all designed for seekers. Another of Willow Creek’s strategy steps encouraged believers to regularly attend believers’ worship service. Believers’ worship services provided spiritual nourishment to believers. The services involved worship and celebration through songs, the Lord’s Supper, and biblical sermons. Unlike the seeker services, believers’ worship services were designed to feed believers the meat, not crumbs, of God’s Word. Believers’ worship services helped root believers in theology through regular study of God’s Word. Willow Creek’s strategy contained a step that encouraged believers to join a small group. A small group consisted of individuals gathered together to care, pray, encourage, and love each other. A small group was designed to be a group of close-knit individuals who were lead by a leader to study God’s Word in-depth. A small group helped root believers in theology. The steps that have been mentioned in the Willow Creek strategy targeted certain groups of individuals in order to share certain messages. Seekers and believers were the targets. Willow Creek’s strategy intentionally targeted seekers in order to develop relationships, bring them to church, and share God’s Word. Willow Creek’s strategy intentionally targeted believers so that they may cultivate relationships, become active in believers’ church, become active in small groups, and become rooted in theology. Soul-Awakening Church Model Postmoderns have a tendency to reject Christianity, the Bible, and Jesus Christ. The church can reach postmoderns for Jesus Christ, including Generation Xers, through a process. The process includes building friendships, soul-awakening events, fellowship through a community, a challenge to convert to Christianity, and discipleship through transformation. One part of the process includes building friendships. Churches can invite pre-Christians to participate with Christians in movie nights, summer festivals, healthy parties, and other friendship building events. Churches can encourage Christians to genuinely befriend pre- Christians. The friendships can assist in the soul-awakening of pre-Christians. Christians and pre-Christians each have souls. Christians have been awakened to their soul’s need for God and for spiritual needs. The Christians have responded by allowing God to feed their soul and their spiritual needs. Pre-Christians need to be awakened to the idea that their soul is hungering for God and for spiritual needs. The Christian community is a community of Christians. The pre-Christian community is a community of non-Christians. The soul-awakening part of the process provides events that transport the Christian community into the pre-Christian world so that non-Christians may be awakened to their soul’s hunger for God and for spiritual needs. The events are opportunities of communication between Christians and pre-Christians. Events include the communication of topics, issues, struggles, and challenges faced by pre-Christians. Another part of the process involves churches providing opportunities for pre-Christians to belong to a genuine Christian community. A genuine Christian community can be described as a group of individuals whose warm welcome and acceptance of non-group individuals are genuine. A genuine Christian community can meet on a regular basis at a church or other location. Community members should invite non-community members, preferably pre-Christians, to meetings. Food, fellowship, name tags, group discussions, heartfelt worship, and intimate Bible studies should be a part of meetings. Once a postmodern individual feels accepted by a genuine Christian community, the individual will more likely decide to become a member of a Christian community. Another part of the process involves calling for pre-Christians to convert to Christ. Each Christian has their own conversion story. Once a pre-Christian individual is befriended and associated with a community of Christians, the individual may be open to the Gospel through a Christian’s conversion story. A Christian can share their conversion story with a pre-Christian. A Christian’s conversion story may help bring a pre-Christian to Christ. A conversion story can discuss emptiness in a heart without Christ, Christ’s love for mankind, Christ’s death and victory on the cross, Christ’s power over addictive powers, and a decision to follow Christ. A Christian can then ask a pre-Christian to think about the conversion story. The Holy Spirit may convict a pre-Christian’s heart. A pre-Christian may or may not be willing to give their life to Christ. Once a pre-Christian becomes a Christian, discipleship needs to be developed through a community of believers. Discipleship is a process which calls for moral effort, provides power to overcome addiction, and heals wounds. Transformation, a step in a discipleship process, develops a Christian’s true identity in Christ through teaching biblical truths, repentance of false identities, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship through transformation provides Christians an opportunity to live moral lives, overcome addiction, and comfort wounds. The soul-awakening church model provides opportunities for churches to encourage Christians to become involved in pre-Christians’ lives. This model encourages Christians to share the Gospel through friendships, events and Christian communities. The model is designed to help postmoderns’ attitudes shift from a negative to a positive view of Christianity and churches. Summary and Conclusion The Apostolic church model and the Soul-Awakening church model are two models designed to help churches reach Generation X for Christ. Generation X tends to have a negative attitude toward Christianity and churches. The two church models seek to shift the negative attitude to a positive attitude. An attempt to shift the attitude is done through the emphasis of relational authority and personal experience. |
| Dr. Jad Khalaf |