They Like Jesus But Not the Church

I didn’t intend this blog to become a book review site but I have read some good books lately. Right now I am reading They Like Jesus But Not the Church: insights from emerging generations by Dan Kimball. I find it an interesting book. I don’t necessarily agree with all of his points but he does make me think. He decided that it was too easy for him (as a pastor) to get caught up in his own little Christian subculture and ignore the unchurched. He decided to start going to the local coffee shop (he lives in California) to work on his research and sermons. There he was able to build some relationships with the “regulars” and he was able to ask them some questions. He defines emerging generations as people in their late teens to early thirties. He chose this age group because he sees them as the largest missing segment from the church.

“Three-fourths of today’s high school graduates leave the church as soon as their parents stop making them go.”

Some basic ideas about this emerging generation:

• They don’t have a basic understanding of the Bible.
  
• They don’t have one God as the predominant God to worship.
  
• They are open to all kinds of faiths and mixtures of faiths.
  
• They no longer believe that Christian ministers are the “good guys”.
  
• They are interested in Jesus. They like and respect him.
  
• They are suspicious of organized religion.
  
• They would not go to church to seek God or spiritual growth but they would see these things on their own.
  
• They don’t want to be told how to pray, dress, think, or act.
  
• They see church as “religious Simon Says”.
  
• They see the church as driven by its own social and political agenda.
  
• They want to express their ideas but feel left out of all areas of leadership.

I’m only about 1/3 of the way through the book so perhaps I’ll have more to share in a few days.