Kingdom Driven -- Effort Tries to Keep Young Adults Involved in Christianity
Posted on: Monday, 17 December 2007, 21:00 CST
By Special to Faith & Values
Bart Lewis is relentless, takes risks, and exudes passion in his mission and as a teacher.
So, after 12 years of pastoring teenagers and families in local churches , Lewis, 32, has taken God seriously with Kingdom Driven, the organization he founded in December 2006, and is now serving full time. Through partnership with churches, organizations, schools, small groups, and individuals, Lewis and Kingdom Driven are inspiring what he calls, "culture-makers," equipped with influence, mission and spiritual habits to lead the future church.
"God can accomplish his dreams without me, especially without me; but this mission (Kingdom Driven), at the very minimum is non- negotiable and worth everything I have to give ... or give up," said Lewis in a recent interview for an online publication.
One of the most dangerous patterns affecting the church today is the spiritual disengagement of "churched" high schoolers and 20 - something's.
"There's two decades of research that shows the church, on average, is losing 74 percent of 18-25 year olds to some form of disengagement from spiritual experiences and habits," said Lewis . "The same research also shows the church is gaining only 4 percent of 25- to 30-year-olds. That's the stage of life when a majority of adults become parents."
Some leaders say this is evidence that student ministries are failing in local congregations. But Lewis disagrees, saying, "nowhere in the history of Christianity, the church, or in the scriptures have we been taught that the local congregation is responsible for being the primary agents of God's for a family's kids. So, this is not a crisis primarily of local church student ministries. It's a crisis of the home, specifically, parents and teenagers."
If this crisis continues, imagine the consequences that will compound in five years, 15 years, 25 years, 50 years. What effect would it have on our role in the mission of God's Kingdom? Would our local congregations and ministries we love and serve be able to survive? Would we need to plant new churches or buy land or build bigger campuses?
"The Thrive Experience" is a tool for parents written by Lewis that combines an all-inclusive long-term partnership that has an "auto-network" built in, that provides resources, such as podcasts, subscriber-only forums, daily "Take It Further" ideas and much more.
In 2008, Kingdom Driven will be launching The Epic Project, which was inspired by a personal tragedy that Lewis and his family experienced in June . The Epic Project is the collision of social justice, one person's legacy, and the unchanging love and rescue of Jesus. To learn more about the Epic Project, check out theEpicProject.com during the spring of 2008.
For more information about Kingdom Driven, visit kingdomdriven.com. You may also contact Bart Lewis by calling 881- 2648 or by e-mail at bart@kingdomdriven.com.
Originally published by Special to Faith & Values .
(c) 2007 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Commercial Appeal, The
Blaze Sets Church Back: Salem Lutheran Church Faces Challenge of Continuing Its Ministries After Recent Fire
Churches' Series to Explore Bonds of Art, Spirituality: Wauwatosa Events
Local Man's Mission: Fair Trade
Local Districts Beef Up Security; Some Parents Ask: Is It Enough?
Church Commits to Nicaragua Mission: St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Plans to Send Two to Three Teams Per Year.
Church Commits to Nicaragua Mission
Regional Church Takes Local Focus
Feds End on-Site Probe of Mesa Church Fire: Local Officials Also Scour Mormon Stake's Rubble
River of Life Continues: Churches Help Locals With Household Projects
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds