Don ’ t Predict . Prototype .
Tom Bolsinger
When I was a pastor , even before I knew about this process , I found myself in a quandary about why our church was having a hard time keeping our young adults connected to the church after high school and the early college years . We tried different programs to little avail and were constantly trying to brainstorm ideas that never seemed to work .
Then , my wife and I were invited to our worship director ’ s thirtieth birthday party . We were nearing fifty at the time and thought that this was just a nice gesture on her part and that having two older people ( one , the pastor of the church and the “ birthday girl ’ s ” boss !) would put a damper on the party .
We decided to make a quick appearance and then leave politely and discreetly . I told my
wife that I was sure there wouldn ’ t be anyone there who would even know us . We wanted our friend to have the party she wanted with her friends . She didn ’ t need us around !
We showed up that evening at the party and were stunned to realize that everyone knew us . All of the attendees of the party , friends of our staff member , were the very young adults that our church was trying to reach . Indeed , most of them had once come to the church in the past ! I found myself immediately worried that my presence there would trigger in some of them with feelings of guilt . I imagined an awkward evening of conversations with young adults who were now face-to-face at a party with the pastor of the church that they had left . Yikes .
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