I had a disconcerting experience at Moody Pastor’s Conference last month. They asked for all the pastors who have been in the ministry for thirty years or more to stand up. I shrugged and thought, “Hey, that’s me!” So I stood up. I looked to my right to see my friend and colleague, Larry Spear, still seated. I said, “Stand up; you’ve been in the ministry longer than I have!” He looked surprised and said, “I guess that’s right!” and stood up with me. We looked around, and we got another surprise: we were part of a minority, probably less than 10% of the total of the thousand-plus pastors at the conference.
When Larry and I first started going to this conference together in the mid-nineties, we used to see this group of three or four older guys, always sitting together and drinking coffee between the sessions. We haven’t seen those guys for a few years…and now we’re the “old guys” sitting around, drinking coffee between the sessions!
We don’t feel like “the old guys”…well, maybe a little. The most obvious difference to us is that it seems like the conference is run by teenagers these days. Actually, it seems like the world is run by teenagers these days! (We know they’re not actually teenagers, but they look like it to us.)
And some of those impossibly young looking people say and do some really wonderful things. I went up to Kevin DeYoung after he spoke at a session, and told him, “Young preachers like you just might keep me from becoming a cynical old preacher.
And some of those impossibly young looking people say and do some really wonderful things. I went up to Kevin DeYoung after he spoke at a session, and told him, “Young preachers like you just might keep me from becoming a cynical old preacher.”
And I noticed something: it was the middle-aged and older preachers that seemed to be trying the hardest to be contemporary, “hip” and “happenin’”. They seemed to be the ones most determined to turn the sessions into a “Rah, Rah, Jesus!” pep rally. Kevin DeYoung was probably the youngest preacher at the conference; he didn’t even use PowerPoint.
DeYoung also told us to quit trying so hard to reach “young people”. He said he is often asked what his church does to “reach young people”. He said, “I always answer: ‘Nothing!’” That is to say, they don’t do anything out of the ordinary to “attract” students. He told us that students aren’t attracted by gimmicks or fads: they’re attracted by authenticity. He said, “They don’t really care if you’re singing old hymns or contemporary worship songs. What they witch to see is: “Are you singing?” Is your heart in what you sing? Is there passion there? Or are you just sort-of half-heartedly mumbling the words and looking bored?
DeYoung then talked about an old man in his church (a really old man, way older than me) who the college kids just flocked to. He doesn’t know any praise and worship songs…but he doesn’t mind if the students sing them. He doesn’t try to be “contemporary”; he wouldn’t know where to start. Mostly, he loves Jesus, and he loves those students. He’s constantly asking them about what they’re doing (When’s the last time you gave anyone the gift of your curiousity?), and constantly inviting them to have dinner with he and his wife…and the kids love it! They love him and his wife, and the generational differences just never seem to get in the way. Because students—people—are attracted by authenticity: authentic faith, authentic love…and authentic hope, too (1 Cor. 13:13).
So here’s the good news: while growing older can make you moody (sorry, couldn’t help myself!), authenticity never goes out of style.
So, go be authentic…you moody old coot!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor David