The Church has fallen on hard times in America. She is in statistical decline, aging and contracting. In the normal course of things aging brings maturity, and with maturity comes wisdom – usually. Maturity, therefore, must be passed along to the next generation. However, that’s just it. The next generation is missing from many congregations.

On the one hand Americans simply aren’t having many babies anymore. And on the other, what babies we do have aren’t all being brought up in the faith. Countless grandmothers and grandfathers are lamenting that their grandchildren are no longer a part of the church. They see them immersed in extracurricular activities, often from dusk until dawn, seven days a week, and long for them to be in church to receive the Means of Grace. Of course, people wish their own adult children would be a part of the church, too. But it takes seeing the loss of grandchildren for the urgency to set in.

In many struggling congregations, people fondly remember the years when children’s voices sang in the sanctuary, confessed the creed, prayed the Lord’s Prayer, and recited the commandments. They’re wondering where all those voices have gone. They’re asking, where is the church’s next generation? Often the youngest active members are in their 60’s. They want the youth to come, but they are at a loss for why they don’t. In fact, they’re fighting to stay open. They wonder what will become of their congregation – even though in some cases new houses are springing up all around them with plenty of potential for evangelism.   

Psalm 78 tells a similar story. It’s a long Psalm—seventy-two verses—written thousands of years ago. But it highlights the importance of passing on the faith to the next generation, as well as the challenges of dealing with unbelief and rebellion:

[God] established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,7so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; 8and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God (vv 5 - 8).

As it was for the people of God then, so it is with us today. The church finds herself heartbroken and yet hopeful. We long for the next generation to faithfully receive the Means of Grace and trust the Lord to work when and where He wills. Yet, seeing generational rebellion and unbelief, we grow frustrated and discouraged. We dare not dismiss the next generation, however. We don’t want them to remain in unbelief or rebellion. We love them too much for that. Even better, Jesus loves them so much He died and rose for them.

This love must lead the local church into the future as we deal with the challenges of the present. We must remember someone’s child or grandchild is always at stake. The urgency to reach them with the Good News of the Gospel remains ever central to the church’s mission “so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments” (Ps 78:7). Zeal to bring the Word and Sacraments to the next generation drives us on. It brings a salutary urgency to reach those in rebellion and evangelize those in unbelief.

This zeal needs to shape and direct the life of a congregation. Not the rules for using the church kitchen. Not the congregation’s long-standing customary service time. Not the cemetery care fund. Not even the constitution or bylaws or filling every position on the boards and committees. Helpful as these may be, such traditions can unfortunately become the primary focus of a congregation’s work.

When this happens, it takes away from the valuable time and energy that could otherwise be directed at cultivating relationships and evangelizing the next generation. In some cases, focusing on maintaining the structure of an aging and dying organization is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Time would be better spent helping people get into the lifeboats of God’s Law and Gospel. Filling a position on a church committee simply for the sake of the organization may not be as important as inviting someone to a meal at your home to converse about the faith. The church needs good order. But the point is we must evaluate those customs as we look to maintain and reclaim the next generation of the church.

Remember, Jesus promises the church will stand forever, but a local congregation often has a natural life cycle. Looking ahead, then, we must uphold a robust marriage culture where husbands and wives love and cherish each other and raise up children in the fear and nurture of the Lord, as well as intentionally come alongside broken families. This includes not only in our congregation, but in our families, neighborhoods, and community.

These are our children and grandchildren. With them in view, every local congregation must ask what they are willing to do to ensure these precious children and grandchildren will “set their hope in God and not forget the works of God.” To that end, Psalm 78 offers us a way forward. It laments a wayward generation but ends on a word of hope, a hope that will also sustain us in our time.

God chose David to raise up the next generation, “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds” (v. 70) and shepherd them with a skillful hand, “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand” (v.72). This is our hope. He prefigures our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David, who is our Good Shepherd. Jesus is our Light and our hope who will lead us through this present time as the Light no darkness can overcome.

In Christ,