We live, as I am sure you know, in a time of spiritual crisis -- particularly when it comes to young people. According to research by the Barna Group, six in 10 young people will leave the church permanently or for an extended period starting at age 15. Further, for probably the first time in the history of the United States, our young people are constantly exposed to a worldview that is distinctly and seriously at odds with Christianity. And, the sad truth is that few churches are equipped to deal with this “new normal.”
Some churches have simply chosen to ignore the situation, hoping young adults will return to the church when they get older -- perhaps after they have families of their own. Particularly given the breakdown of the family in America, I am afraid that this is misplaced hope.
Other churches have made youth the entire focus of their ministries -- alienating older believers in the process. While the approach is well-intentioned, the church was never intended to be segregated based on age.
David Kinnaman, President of the Barna research group, suggests a better approach -- the approach we try take here at HC -- an intergenerational approach to ministry. Kinnaman puts it this way: "In many churches, this means changing the metaphor from simply passing the baton to the next generation to a more functional, biblical picture of a body - that is, the entire community of faith, across the entire lifespan, working together to fulfill God's purposes."
While we are not what I would describe as "youth-centric" at Heartland Church, we do in my opinion have excellent programs for young people, including "Elevate" (which is aimed at high school and junior high school students) and "The Net" (which is aimed at the up-to early 30's crowd). But, the most significant single event we host here at HC for young people is an annual student conference known as "REVEAL."
REVEAL started seven years ago as the brain child of Pastor Dusty. The idea was simple -- to create a weekend where students could openly begin to confess their hidden secrets and experience Christ’s freedom as a result. The first REVEAL conference was attended by 45 students. God showed up, major breakthroughs took place, and Pastor Dusty and his team quickly realized that they were onto something big. And, they were right.
In 2008 HC was joined by students from Grace church, and the number of students who attended more than doubled -- reaching around 100 that year. Last year, around 650 students from multiple churches converged on HC to attend REVEAL, and this year Pastor Dusty and his team are expecting around 750 to 800 young people to attend!
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"Until my first REVEAL student conference, I was still unsure of where I stood with the idea of church. At REVEAL, God showed me my place. REVEAL was a turning point to get my life on the right track. Putting God's calling into action allowed me to begin reaching out to others."
Kaley -- High School Junior
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I hope you will join me in praying for the pastors, leaders, volunteers, and students who will serving and attending REVEAL this year. I pray that the trends we have seen in recent years will be reversed as church leaders allow God to teach them how to impact a generation that is in a precarious place. I pray that instead of leaving the church in droves, this generation will be the one to lead our Nation back to God.
REVEAL
When: April 12-14
Where: Heartland Church -- Carrollton TX
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