Exiled but not Lost

“As a faith community, we need a whole new mind to see that the way we develop young people’s faith -- the way we have been teaching them to engage the world as disciples of Christ -- is inadequate for the issues, concerns and sensibilities of the world we ask them to change for God.”  

-- Dave Kinnaman, You Lost Me

Last week I went to the “You Lost Me” Barna Group event in Portland, Oregon and learned some interesting statistics.

Did you know that 3 out of 10 young adults are leaving the church but not their faith?

Kinnaman breaks this statistic further down into two groups, Nomads and Exiles.  Nomads have dropped out of church and have no interest in returning.  Exiles are culturally engaged reformers who want the church to change its priorities to be what Jesus intended it to be.   They want to find a way to follow Jesus that connects with the world in which they live.  In essence, they want their faith to make a difference in their lives and the communities of which they are apart.

Even though I am no longer a young adult I realize that I am an Exile and I know many other adults who would describe themselves that way too.  According to the Barna Group 80% of  Americans say they are Christian and 69% go on to say that they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.  Yet, less than 20% of Americans attend church on a regular basis.

I can remember when I was in seminary in the late 80’s attending church and wondering to myself, “Is this all there is?  Is this what it means to be a Christian?” I think that is when I began to drop out of church.  At the time I thought that there was something wrong with me and I told myself to just go to church until it becomes meaningful. Don’t get me wrong, there have been moments of deep meaning and I have loved being a pastor. I am in awe of what faith communities can be and do.  But even before I had words or the imagination to express it, I longed to create a new way of making my faith relevant. I longed to reach others who had already left the church. I longed to help sacralize the world.

As I look back, I am grateful for this painfully good journey because I realize now that I have been able to walk in two worlds -- the traditional church and the exiled nomads.  I now know that I have a unique gift to share -- being a priest to an exiled community.  I use the word “priest” because I understand that role as a bridge builder, a person who helps people to wake up to the sacrament of life and the beauty of love incarnate.

In my role as a coach to new church start pastors I am increasingly hearing others who have had similar experiences of exile. And they, too, are feeling called to create a new thing in a new way.  A new movement is underway.  I can feel it and see it.  It is a marvel to behold and it is sweeping across the country.

At the root of this longing are questions that can help us to create that new future. Some of these include the following:

• If you could create a new way to be shaped and formed in the ways of love and peace what would that look like? 
• What are the values and practices that would be important to you?
• Who would you like to join you on this journey?
• How could “we” make a difference?

So for now these are the questions that I carry with me, and I am always surprised and delighted when they seem to come up naturally in conversations.  I'd love to hear your responses as well!