8 out of 10

Dear Lord,
you know the statistics:

8 out of 10 teenagers drop out of church.

Those are numbers worth fighting.
If we the church truly believe
the only thing that really matters in life
is a life-giving relationship with you, Lord Jesus,
then we will commit ourselves,
our time, our money, our energy,
our talents, our schedules, our loves
to make certain
the teenagers in our midst are connected to you.

How do we do that?
The same way you demonstrated love to us, Lord.
By coming among us,
by offering us acceptance and friendship,
by living and loving with us.

Help us commit to the youth of our church and community:
Meeting them where they are,
Calling them by name,
Extending acceptance and friendship,
Valuing their voice,
Exploring and asking hard questions of life and faith together.

That's the vision.
That's the work.
That's the mission.
That's what you call us to do.

Help us answer that call.
Amen.

____________
These thoughts taken from Genon Ministries founded 50+ years ago by Rev. Dale Milligan.  See his story in the video above.