A New Way of Being for our Young People

By: Bryan Willkom

"My 20-something children are not looking for a belief-system, but for an experience."

I keep hearing a similar story.

The younger generation sees through our broken religious systems. They don't want what they inherited. They don’t want something they cannot question. They don’t want to be told what to believe.

Young people want authentic experiences that give them a sense of meaning, belonging and purpose.

Which, spoiler, isn’t a new thing.

Unfortunately, many churches responded by luring young people with a show. The thought was - if we create a good show and make enough noise on a stage that will be this amazing spiritual experience and solve the problem.

But after awhile, the soul gets tired of stages and you realize, you just built your entire faith on the quality of a weekly performance and eventually...it fails.

The truth is: It was the wrong experience.

What if…the experience our young people need most is something much more quiet & ordinary?

Steady and habitual? Simple and practical. Maybe even fun?

What if the experience looks more like asking questions and concluding, "I don't know and that's OK". What if it's an honest conversation on a family road trip? What if it's a quick gratitude exercise on your walk to school? What if it's learning outside of your religious box? Including someone? A simple act of kindness? Spontaneous generosity? Attending a church that hikes in the woods?!

What if the EXPERIENCE is actually just practicing a new way of being with the God who's always with us?

We have a hunch this is the way, but how do we get there?

Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to know! (Insert: sigh of relief)

This is just one of the many BIG questions that could cause a seismic shift in your spiritual path - but not only for you.

Reorienting your spiritual life around meaningful experiences and practices (like the ones mentioned above) will be extremely positive for the young people in life.

Maybe not at first, but if they see you modeling a new way of being AND it’s working - over time it will mean something to them. By working, I mean they see the spiritual fruit in your life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). It will be messy and imperfect, but in the words of the Mandalorian:

“This is the way”

So when it comes to young people: Think experiences not beliefs - practices not events - habitual not sensational - being > doing.

No stages required.