Teaching Tuesday: Walking in Wisdom - Proverbs 22:6, 6:20-23

Series: Walking in Wisdom
Sermon: Wisdom for Youth - Proverbs 22:6, 6:20-23 (10.12.25)
Watch the messages HERE. 

My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life… - Proverbs 6:20-23

In other words: learn God’s way, walk God’s way, and stay God’s way. That was the charge I issued to MCC young people in this past Sunday’s sermon, where we looked at the real-life impact faith and faithfulness can have for those who become and remain Jesus-following, church-participating Christians. 

As we consider the landscape of religious commitment in America today, there’s some good news on this front: young adults are now the most likely age demographic to attend church. According to new data from the State of the Church research initiative from Barna Group and Gloo, believers between the ages of 18 and 28 now attend church more frequently than their older siblings, parents, or grandparents. 

This is a seemingly encouraging development. For a variety of reasons (that, so far, we have theories about but not necessarily any hard evidence) a very complex web of world events, cultural zeitgeists, and personal experiences have combined to make church more attractive for Gen Z than it was before, and apparently more so than it is for the generations ahead of them. 

The Barna study calls this a “historic” and “generational reversal.”

“The fact that young people are showing up more frequently than before is not a typical trend,” Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research, said in a statement. “This data represents good news for church leaders and adds to the picture that spiritual renewal is shaping Gen Z and Millennials today.”

May it be so! 

However, while Gen Z is showing up the most, the fuller church attendance reality is pretty startling. 

Gen Zers (born 1997-2007 or so) who identify as churchgoers actually attend about 23 services per year. That’s less than half the time. Churchgoing Gen Xers (1965-1980) attend about 19 out of 52 Sundays, while Boomer and Elder churchgoers average just under 17, Barna found.

Millennial churchgoers (1981-1996) attend 22 services annually, up from a previous high of 19 in 2012.

So, there’s lots of work to do. We should view this increased interest in faith and faithfulness from American young adults as a sacred opportunity to introduce this hungry generation to the love and saving grace of Christ.

And, for those of us who are older than the “young adult” label (a category which, I’m sad to say, doesn’t include me any longer!), we have a responsibility to model for Gen Z and Gen Alpha (those born since 2013) what it looks like to live for Jesus. The weekly gathering of Christ’s church for worship isn’t the only aspect of Christian faith practice, but it is the primary aspect of Christian faith practice.

To put it another way: come to church! Your faithfulness depends on it, and the faithfulness of the generations behind you will largely depend on the example we set for them. 

Solomon says biblical teaching and wisdom “leads you” when you walk. So, we should let its principles guide our thinking and decisions about career, relationships, faith practices, and community life. 

For Gen Z, returning to church regularly is a visible sign that the Word still leads. Praise God. 

Pray:
Father, grant me the wisdom to bind your commands on my heart, to walk in the light of your teaching, and to receive correction as life-giving. Thank you for the opportunity you’ve presented us to reach a new generation of faith-seekers who are hungry for a life of meaning, rootedness, and eternal security. Help us help them see that those good things - and all good things - are found only in relationship with you. Empower your church, God - young and old - to re-embrace the rhythms of worship and discipleship, that many may see in us the lamp of Christ shining in a dark world. Amen.

TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN! 

- Pastor Brady