In just a few weeks, Vickie and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in full-time children’s ministry. A lot of things have changed over the years. So, so many great advances have been made in the 30 years. We now have the tools, the trained staff, the decorated rooms, and, in some cases, the money to do some pretty exciting things.
At the same time, children’s ministry has never been in a more vulnerable position. Consider these statistics:
1. Lifeway Research (Southern Baptist) recently reported that their research showed that about 75% of young people quit church. (Leadership Journal, Fall/2007)
2. In his online Barna Update article Twentysomethings Struggle to Find Their Place in Christian Churches George Barna reports that many twentysomethings are reversing course after having been active church attenders during their teenage years. As teenagers, more than half attended church each week and more than 4 out of 5 (81%) had ever gone to a Christian church. From high school graduation to age 25 there is a 42% drop in weekly church attendance and a 58% decline from age 18 to age 29. That represents about 8,000,000 twentysomethings alive today who were active church-goers as teenagers but who will no longer be active in a church by their 30th birthday. www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/127-twentysomethings-struggle-to-find-their-place-in-christian-churches
Those statistics are frightening, aren’t they! Even more frightening is the reality that many of our children’s ministries knowing these statistics will continue to do what they are currently doing and expecting to produce different results. THERE MUST BE A CHANGE!
There must a revolution. There must be a paradigm shift. There must be 21st century individuals who are like Martin Luther when he on October 31, 1517 nailed his 95 thesis on the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany and declared enough is enough.
Together, let’s launch a revolution. The sole reason for Billy Burns Ministries and our Ignite the Supernatural Conferences is to ignite and unite passionate, vocal children’s ministry leaders who are standing in the gap for this generation. We won’t just do children’s ministry as usual. We won’t just have great programs. We want a revolution so that this generation will fulfill Joel’s prophecy!
