attracting the younger generation

Pardon me if I hop on my soap box for a few minutes.

I’ve been hearing a bit about "attracting the younger generation." As far as I can tell, the concept seems to be that if we want to attract young folks, we have to become like them. We have to wear the kind of rags—I mean, clothes—that they wear, we have to play the kind of noise—oh, that’s music—that they like, we have to go for the short-attention-span programming that will keep their attention, and we have to have multi-colored strobe lights to get their attention.

Frankly (as you may have guessed) I beg to differ. It wasn’t too many years ago that I was a teen (I still remember a few things about those years) and while I was never a stylish teen or in most ways a normal teen, I well remember what I was attracted to. I was attracted to success, to people who were comfortable with themselves, and to people who weren’t trying to sugar-coat their flaws or trying to super-spiritualize life or themselves.

My own opinion is that when you (and you aren’t so much different from a teenager, in many ways, even if you’re eighty) see someone who has something that you want, you aren’t much going to care if they’re on Facebook or Twitter, or if they have an iPod or … whatever. Every one of us is attracted to people who have what we want, and it is flat-out insulting (to teens) to suggest that this generation wants something so shallow as technology or style. It’s my sincere belief that this generation wants exactly what every generation before them has wanted: peace with themselves, God, and others; a sense of value; love; acceptance of who they really are (not who their elders want them to be) and success. That’s what I wanted when I was younger, and I think that’s what you wanted when you were younger, and I think that is what those who are now young want.

Jesus didn’t have to become a prostitute to reach prostitutes; he merely needed to open his heart to them. I’m going to step out on a limb and say that if we focus on trying to become something that will attract young folks, we will fail. Our focus should be attracting Jesus. Believe you me, if Jesus shows up at your house every day, you’ll find yourself suddenly very popular with every age group. Just take a look through the gospels: everywhere Jesus went, crowds of people followed.

So I’m not much worried about getting on Facebook or about getting in fashion. I’m just going to be me. I’m going to learn to accept myself, so that I can learn to accept others who aren’t like me at all. I won’t bother trying to attract anyone except Jesus, because when Jesus is here, I’ll have as much good stuff as I can handle, and young people swarming me.

If this message has been forwarded to you, and you would like to be added to Charissa’s mailing list please send your request to info@charissaschalk.com. Thank you.