As data and our experiences reveal, there is a rising mental health crisis in the next generation (Gen Z) and many churches, pastors, and leaders are not equipped to address it. Religious trauma, disappointment, painful church experiences, and people leaving churches are at an all-time high.
The Church must change. This isn’t an argument, it’s an emergency. Some steps every faith community should consider:
Trauma informed training by licensed professionals. You can’t be on staff or in a leadership role at a church unless you have gone through it.
Strip belief statements to the bare minimum. Churches belief statements are serving as theological fences for people. In essence, churches are communicating, “If you don’t agree with all of these, you can’t be a part of this community.” And this is a big problem right now. The division in our country is leading churches (both conservative and progressive) to lengthen their belief statements. Our faith in Christ should make us more inclusive and less exclusive. *Seeds and Water Collective has one belief statement: “Jesus is Lord.” That’s it. No other hoops to jump through.
Experiences over Teaching. People are craving an experience with God. It’s through experience that Christ will gain ground in the hearts and minds of people, that healing can begin and occur. American churches need to stop building their worship and gatherings around the monologue sermon. There are churches building entire campuses with a video fed sermon and organizing their entire community group gatherings around discussing the sermon. This is such a big problem and has to change.
Remove the Lead/Senior Pastor. Yes, please do it and replace the CEO model of leadership with a collaborative team of pastors, mutually submitting to one another’s giftings. This is the way of the Trinity. The more diverse this team is, the better. Women have to be included.
What are we leaving out? What are we missing? Truth is arrived at in community.