Over the past couple of years I’ve seen it brewing and churning, rearing its head in and out of church circles in many different places across the country. I thought, well that’s just the area that I’m at–they’re apathetic and it’s probably different in other places. But now, I’m seeing it here (North Point) as well and almost every church that I enter into.
In some places the apathy is an underlying attitude, something that rears its head only every so often or is completely covered over by large amounts of people that are doing and moving in some amazing God-inspired ways. But in others, the apathy is so overwhelming that it chokes the very life out of a church.
Apathy n.
1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.
I understand and assume that the philosophers of our day are correct in the assertion that we’re living in a post-modern world and that more and more we’re progressing towards a post-christian worldview as a society here in western culture. What I don’t understand is how and why this is having such a deep and profound affect on the church as a whole.
I say this not to bash every single church body out there because I truly believe that there are some churches that are getting it, that get the gospel, that get what the Kingdom is all about. However, unfortunatly, I believe that the majority of Christendom in western culture doesn’t get it, doesn’t understand, doesn’t care to understand but is so much more concerned with themselves as individuals. Where has this come from? The obvious answer is the enemy–but how has this occurred? How have we been duped?
If you’re looking for an answer, join the club! I wish I knew, but alas I do not. Apathy I believe is just a bi-product of a much larger issue at hand. That larger issue is a me, me, me culture, a society that is more concerned with the individual than anything else. But where has that come from? How do we fix it? Is it even fixable? Is this really even a problem or am I just crazy?
I see this apathetic attitude displayed a great deal in jr. high students–I think more and more so than in any other area. I wonder if it’s because jr. high students are so much more moldable and susceptable to influence than any other age. If this is the case, they’re picking up the apathetic attitude of their parents and taking it to new extreme’s.
In conversations with some of my jr. high small group leaders there just seems to be this great, overarching frustration with their jr. high students apathetic attitudes. They just don’t seem to care about anything except maybe themselves. They don’t care about what they’re being taught, especially if it’s in stark opposition to the way the world works. Which poses a great problem because that’s what the majority of the teachings of Jesus do–take the teachings/ways of the world and flip it completely upside down.
Does this include every jr. high student? No, as with a lot of things there are exceptions and I believe there are some great jr. high students and some great high school students. But I think that apathy is becoming the rule rather than the exception. What will this mean for the church in the future?
I think that the need for workers in student ministry is great. I think that the need for workers in student ministry is sorely needed. I think that workers with a strong faith, with a strong attitude of love and care, workers that get the message of the gospel are needed so much right now. I don’t say this because I’m a youth minister, but because I see the apathetic attitudes of the church becoming stronger and stronger and causing more and more of a problem for the future of the Kingdom in Western Culture.
But then again, maybe I’ve got it all wrong.
Related posts:
- The Next Reformation
- return of the social gospel
- Reality is like a fine wine, it will not appeal to children.
- Suffering the Pornographers
- Messianic Muslim found Jesus in the Koran
