Kreek Kids and YTH leaders recently took a road trip to Orange Tour! Think Orange is a ministry committed to supporting churches and families as they nurture the faith and future of the next generation.

We’re making a difference and you can too! What is God calling YOU to do?
The Light of the Church + The Heart of the Home = Orange

Leading Humans in the Tension

Tension isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity.

The theme this year was Leading Humans in the Tension. It couldn’t have been more relevant. The recent tensions we have faced as a world and country, the Church, families and as individuals has impacted and changed who we are. So, when the three main sessions were revealed – Deconstruction, Disengagement and Division, we soaked it up.

1. DECONSTRUCTION of the Faith

What is the best way to address Deconstruction? Choose one.

• Develop a ‘Culture of Arrogance’ where we assume the position that we Know, Assume and Defend. Responding this way usually repels instead of making our message attractive. Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, we will speak the ‘truth in love’, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” (NLT)
• Develop a ‘Culture of Confidence’ where we encourage others to Ask, Seek and Knock. It’s much more positive to invite individuals, of all ages, into a journey to discover Truth for themselves. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (NIV) We have nothing to fear. We can trust that those who earnestly seek God, will find Truth.

Take Aways:

• Let’s choose to ‘teach and live’ like LOVE matters!
• If we teach kids to KNOW God the exact same way we know God, not letting them ask questions and find their own way, they may deconstruct their faith later on in life. Think about it… If we can talk someone into believing exactly what we believe, don’t you think someone else can talk them out of it?
• Providing space for individuals of all ages to ask questions and wrestle with their faith is a good thing.

Join us for FX Sunday – 10/30 @ 10am the day before Halloween! We’ll ASK, SEEK and KNOCK on doors throughout the building collecting treats following the main event.

Event Hosts: NextGen Ministry Team

Invite your neighbors and friends of all ages! Learning + Fun = A Faith that Sticks (Costumes welcome:)

2. DISENGAGEMENT from the Church

This generation is responding with movement: they are choosing to walk away or disengage from the church. Many have stopped listening to what we say and are watching what we do. GenZ especially is ready for adventure and want to make real difference. Christianity is not a spectator sport so let’s lead by example. What are some things we can do to help lead individuals in our lives back into a relationship with the Church?

• Lead with Proximity – Live life in community with others. Be available. Follow Jesus’ example of ‘being with’ his disciples in a variety of real-life activities. Sit with those that think and look different. Jesus physically showed up on this planet to be with that generation. Let’s follow his example.
• Lead with Empathy – Empathy is the ability to press pause on your own thoughts and feelings long enough to explore someone else’s thoughts and feelings. Can you empathize with those you are called to serve? Do you know what matters to them? A lack of empathy hides the Truth from coming out.
• Turn Up the Volume – On what matters. Jesus leaned into an insecure generation with these three principles: 1) You are made in God’s image. 2) You will never be alone. 3) You are here for a reason. Make it loud and clear. They matter!
• Pause to Imagine – Matthew 7:12 says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” What would our world look like if, we the Church, decided to live out the Golden Rule? Take time to imagine this and make it personal. What would it look like if ‘I’ really treated others as ‘I’ wanted to be treated?

3. DIVISION in the Church

“How our church sees other churches will determine how the next generation sees church.”

In John 17:21 Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” We need to see and appreciate what other denominations have turned up the volume on. The majority of us have changed the denomination we affiliate with over the years. We have changed our opinions and grown in our faith. Let’s give that choice to the next generation. They need to know we are ONE Church.

Thank You God for…

The Baptists and Bereans who turned up the volume on the importance of Scriptures.
The Methodists who turned up the volume on community service and small groups.
The Presbyterians who turned up the volume on grace.
The Nazarenes who turned up the volume on holiness.
The Pentecostals who turned up the volume on the Holy Spirit, feeling our faith.
The Catholics who turned up the volume on confessing sins to others.
The Lutherans who turned up the volume on grace.

Giving the next generation a foundation to build on, a different kind of faith – a resilient and everyday faith.