Does your mind ever wander while your pastor is preaching? (If you’re the pastor, don’t answer that.)

Most people in the pew would acknowledge, yes, they sometimes get distracted as they try to listen to the sermon. Some Christians claim the devil makes them do it. Others admit American attention spans just aren’t what they used to be.

Editor Marv KnoxMore and more, pastors seem to make a sincere effort to help listeners keep up. The technologically savvy flash Scripture references, sermon points, film clips, charts and illustrations, and/or pictures on video screens. Others print sermon outlines in the worship guide. And a few still practice the age-old preacher tactic—they tell you what they’re going to tell you, they tell you, and then they tell you what they just told you—a process that often produces looooong sermons.

No matter how your pastor tries to keep your attention, chances are, your mind’s eventually going to wander. We’ll leave debate over whether it’s a sin to the theologians. (That said, let me add Jesus seemed awfully fond of parables about sheep, maybe the most wander-prone animal on four legs.)

If you want to stay with your pastor, then ask questions throughout the sermon. Not out loud, of course. But in your mind.

That may sound counter-intuitive. Aren’t we supposed to listen attentively and follow along, point by point? Questions could lead us astray.

Possibly. But if you ask the right questions, you’re actually more likely to synchronize your thinking with the sermon—and maybe even expand beyond what your pastor has time to tell you.

So, the next time you’re sitting in the sermon, ask four “What?” questions:

• So what?

Think about why the preacher chose this specific Scripture for a sermon on this particular day. Ask yourself why this passage matters—not just down through the ages, but in the here and now. Question why these verses could or should be meaningful in the life of your church, for you, for individuals and groups in your congregation, and for your community.

• What’s in-between?

This question requires you to pay attention to the sermon and use your imagination at the same time. Ask yourself about connections: Why did the pastor choose that illustration to go with that verse? Why is the pastor making these three or four points with this passage? What’s the relationship between a story that’s thousands of years old and what’s happening now? How is the preacher connecting the dots of this text and the sermon?

• What else?

This may be the most dangerous question, because it pushes you to the outer limits of the sermon. But it’s OK to ask: What, if anything, is being left out of this sermon? Given the material in the Scripture passage and the sermon, is the preacher leaving anything out? If you were preaching this sermon, what points would you add? Or leave out? Or phrase differently?

• What’s next?

At or near the end of the sermon, ask yourself: What’s next? What do I do with this sermon? Chances are, your pastor made some practical applications. Often, they’re the last point or points. Every sermon ought to call us to action. What do we do with God’s word delivered to us? How will I be different this week than last, just because I heard and heeded this sermon? How will this Scripture text make a difference in my life on Tuesday afternoon, or with my spouse or children or co-workers? What am I compelled to do because now I know what I didn’t know when I walked into this room?

For four centuries, Baptists have claimed we are “people of the book.” We profess to love and follow the Bible. We typically place our pulpits at the center of the front of our worship centers, because the Bible is central to our worship and our practice. So, engage the sermon as intently as the preacher takes it on.

Ask, “What?” And listen—to your preacher and for God’s answer.

I am called to Howard Payne University and to minister on campus to students. When I talk to students, we discuss how God called us to our major, dorm, apartment, class or whatever. But many times, we neglect to see the area beyond campus.

Kim LilleyBeing called to Howard Payne also means I was called to Brownwood. We plan mission trips that we will go to a variety of places and work with varied groups and religions. All the while, in my own town, people are hurting and just as lost as the places where I would love to travel.

Our calling to serve Brownwood was the vision we shared with our students during our Impact weekend. We spent time serving in our community and worshipping together. The first two hours of the weekend, we sent four teams to service projects around the town. We did everything from playing with kids, to repairing a house, to sorting clothes and food, to hanging out in a juvenile correctional facility.

At Impact, I was reminded there are people in our community who have a very different life than me, and it’s heartbreaking to see the hurt I ignore in my own community. During evening worship services, representatives from assorted organizations came to give us more information about what they do and the people they serve. It was shocking to hear of things that go on every day in a town where I live, work, shop and eat. One speaker reminded us we don’t even have to leave town to see hunger or to encounter hurting and poor people.

Many times, we get so caught up in the things that we do and the area that we work in that we forget the things we don’t always see. I am the worst about feeling like I never have time to help with anything else, but there are times when I need to step back and look at why I never have time to work in my community. I want to be involved in helping the community and make my time in Brownwood more than just about Howard Payne University.

By knowing that God called me to Howard Payne, I know that he also called me to Brownwood. God wants me to make an influence on both—to minister to my campus and my town.

Kim Lilley is serving with Go Now Missions as a campus ministry intern at Howard Payne University.

Some clergy manipulate and intimidate church members, even while they claim they’re only exercising religious liberty. What should members do about it?

Religious liberty is an interesting concept, isn’t it? Many people who stake out freedom to believe and behave as they wish aren’t so eager to extend that freedom to others. And sometimes, as your question hints, some Christians invoke their religious liberty in order to coerce others.

This isn’t a new trend. In the United States, we fondly claim Europeans settled the New World so they could exercise religious liberty. That’s only partly true. Many, if not most, came to be religiously free, but they weren’t concerned about others’ freedom. So, for example, religious minorities faced challenge and persecution in Congregationalist-dominated Massachusetts, Anglican Virginia and Catholic Maryland.

Roger Williams and John Leland

Thank God, Baptists believed otherwise. In 1636, Roger Williams chartered Rhode Island Colony as a haven for people of all faiths and no faith. Two years later, he founded the first Baptist church in America in Providence. A century and a half after that, Virginia Baptist pastor John Leland convinced James Madison to guarantee religious freedom in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Baptists also have applied religious liberty principles to themselves. We champion the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. In sum, it means we think each individual is qualified to relate directly to God. We do not need human mediators. We are free to approach God individually, and freedom invests us with the responsibility to exercise it carefully and wisely.

We also affirm a corollary, local church autonomy. As with individuals, congregations are free to make their own decisions. We don’t need bishops or synods to tell us what to do. And we make those decisions together, valuing and respecting each other’s positions. That’s why most Baptist churches practice pure democracy, with each member possessing a vote when decisions are made.

Respect for religious liberty

Some clergy unfortunately refuse to recognize and honor Baptists’ traditional respect for religious liberty. Worse, some even turn the principle upside-down. They claim their religious liberty trumps their parishioners’—a concept more compatible with medieval Catholicism than traditional Baptist doctrine.

What to do? Start with four steps:

• Educate yourself. Start by reading about Roger Williams  and John Leland. Add in Texans George W. Truett and James Dunn. And read The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms by Baptist historian Walter Shurden.

• Inform others. Talk about Baptists’ strong heritage of religious liberty. Take an upright, courageous approach—talk to your minister(s) as well as fellow laity.

• Invoke policy. Most churches’ bylaws state how congregational decisions are to be made—usually by majority vote in business session. If your church’s bylaws stipulate this practice, compassionately and respectfully insist on following the rules.

• Get help. If you reach an impasse, suggest an impartial third party from outside the congregation provide mediation. This might be your director of associational missions or perhaps a respected member of another Baptist church in your community.

Marv Knox, editor & publisher

Baptist Standard Publishing

Plano

If you have a comment about this column or wish to ask a question for a future column, contact Bill Tillman, consulting ethicist for “Right or Wrong?” at btillman150@gmail.com.

I find it disturbing that LifeWay Christian Resources and Glorieta 2.0 are hurting these homeowners.

This paragraph in the news article also disturbs me: “Glorieta 2.0 gave leaseholders three options regarding their houses—accept a $30 per square foot buyout, with a minimum $40,000 and maximum $100,000 payment, regardless of appraised value; enter a new 12-year lease, with the understanding that at the end of the lease, the building would go to Glorieta 2.0 for no compensation; or donate the building to Glorieta 2.0.”

Really? Both Glorieta and LifeWay, in my opinion, are not acting as Christ would do in this situation. Even with the law on their side, they should not financially hurt their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Obviously, they read a different Bible than I do. The Lord God I worship would do the right thing and be fair with all people. I don’t see that their offer to the homeowners is right or fair.

Marilyn Bick

Dallas

Glorieta: ‘Legal’ does not equal ‘ethical’

Regarding the Glorieta issue, what is “legally” acceptable is not necessarily “ethically” acceptable.

It is difficult to understand how the Southern Baptist Convention can treat fellow Baptists so poorly. It makes me ashamed to be a Southern Baptist, and I want none of my church contributions to go to the SBC.

B.K. Marks

Huntsville

Christ is our Sabbath

I grew up in a tiny Southern Baptist Church in West Texas. My dad was a deacon, and we were there twice Sunday and on Wednesday night for prayer meeting.  Jesus sought me out and saved me in that little church when I was less than 10. I cherish that experience, and he has faithfully lead, pushed, carried and rolled me to this day sixty years later. 

But along the way I also learned from him that he (Christ) is the Sabbath. He is our “day” of rest in Christ. 

Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17, “Therefore, let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”

Hebrews 4 tells us about the believer’s rest in Christ, and verses 9-10 say: “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did his.”

Paul is telling us that because Christ is our Sabbath rest, God has placed us in Christ (see I Corinthians 1:30), and we rest in him, and from our own works to try to earn his approval. When we do work, it is from our rest in his power—the true Sabbath.

I was at the Baylor-SMU game on a Sunday night. 

Danny Wash

Waco

Glorieta 2.0 is a ‘godsend’

Funny. Most  see the  wonderful and sorely needed improvements to Glorieta 2.0, witness the leadership share their great love for Jesus, and see the thousands of young people grow closer to Jesus through this ministry.

Glorieta 2.0 is a Godsend to Glorieta and the rest of us.

Jennifer Brenner

Santa Fe

Glorieta: Perception or justice?

I agree with the letters that say Lifeway and Glorieta 2.0 were unfair to homeowners.

Yet notice that the Lifeway president emphasized the courts made it clear LifeWay did nothing wrong.  Is the image of a denomination or corporation more important than what Jesus taught?

Too much in religious life is about image and public perception—too little about true, even sacrificial justice and fairness.

God will judge right and wrong in regard to Glorieta homeowners,

Additionally, a worrisome problem I am noticing is that Baptists really have no way of expressing their collective or majority will on matters which do not come to a vote before the convention. You may argue that we vote for trustees, but trustees, though approved by the messengers—most of whom do not know them—are loyal first to the corporation. They are not representatives of the Baptist people.

Ruth A King  

Dallas

I came out of our staff training week feeling ready to go. I didn’t have that familiar overwhelming feeling of something new awaiting me, but I instead felt ready to put what I had learned into action.

DeEdra BranchI also felt the closest to my team of co-workers than ever before. I learned a lot about myself and about each of my team members, because we were open and honest about how we were doing and with simply who we are. I feel blessed to be in a work environment where I can be myself, fully, and know that I am receiving the same authenticity back, free of judgment.

During the training, God checked me on the status of my spiritual life. During the summer, I was not spending time with God. That was fact, and I just got into this routine of it. Robert Hooker said spending time with God is like “answering the call.” God calls us every day, he said. We see his name on the caller ID, and we make a choice—either willingly to ignore or willingly answer.

The truth hit me like bricks that I had been blatantly ignoring God’s calls, and it made me feel guilty. I made the choice to repent and to just start over. I did, and it’s been beautiful. Every day, as I eat breakfast, I spend time with God, reading his word, listening to his Spirit and praying for what God puts on my heart. This by no means indicates that I’ve found the “magic formula” or have finally got it right. But I’ve just heard God speak to me clearly, and I am praying everyday that I honor him by simply answering his call.

Welcome Weekend

So, welcome weekend was upon us—the weekend before classes that every organization prepares for, because it brings swarms of people out, especially freshmen. God placed it on my heart that he wanted me to form relationships with freshmen this year. So, I was excited for all the events we had coming up that would present such opportunities.

The weekend consisted of helping with dorm move-ins, serving food at one of the biggest parties in the park and hosting game nights. We met tons of people and made some good connections. Before we knew it, school had started, and we were going non-stop. Breakfast and prayer every morning for students, following up everyday with those we met previously and having a fellowship event every night.

In recent days, God taught me a lot about evangelism and constantly reminded me of the gospel. In the mornings, we went out in twos or threes, handing out breakfast bars to students and praying with them if they wanted it. And I realized what we were doing was a form of evangelism. Through this simple and practical act of kindness, I was able to pray with and for students and even have some spiritual conversations.

It isn’t about me

I used to get super intimidated simply by the word “evangelism,” and there are still some nerves there, but God showed me I am fully capable of serving his people and doing his work and that it honestly isn’t about me. The best way I can love someone is to share the greatest love I’ve ever known. God showed me how powerful prayer is and how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and leads us to places he already has prepared.

DeEdra Branch is serving with Go Now Missions as a campus missionary intern at the University of Houston.

The 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, provided a unique opportunity for the gospel to go forth. My team of eight was partnered with Wallace Well Community Church, a church that opened its doors in March in one of Glasgow’s least-reached neighborhoods.

J.D. ThompsonMany of the adults in the neighborhood have a negative view of Christianity and do not want anything to do with a church. However, the staff at Wallace Well Community Church has been working hard to melt the hardened hearts of people in the community. They have demonstrated Christ’s love in action by providing many educational services and community events over the last few months and have seen great success.

We were leaders for a Holiday Club—like Vacation Bible School—in the mornings and worked at a walk-in youth café in the afternoons. The Holiday Club and youth café gave kids in the neighborhood something fun and safe to do. While most showed up for the games and activities, they kept coming back for a different reason. Many of the children kept telling us how we made them feel special and that there was something different about us.

Showing Christ’s love

While we didn’t see any kids come to know Christ as their Lord, there were several positive outcomes from the week. We were successful in showing Christ’s love to numerous children, teenagers and parents. We were able to plant seeds of the gospel that others will be able to water and, Lord willing, reap a harvest.

We gave the kids and their families a positive experience at the church and informed them of future events. Many parents expressed their gratitude for providing a safe activity for their children, and the children said they can’t wait for other activities the church has planned. We laid a foundation the local church will be able to build on in the future.

I grew close to one student named Nathan who had never been to church before. He was very hesitant to join some of the activities early in the week but became a leader as the Holiday Club progressed. Early in the week, we would help set up snack time and clean up after some of the younger kids; I was trying to show him what servant leadership looked like.

God at work

By Friday, Nathan kept asking me for ways he could help. For a boy at his age in that culture wanting to serve others, God surely is working on his heart! While Nathan is not a believer, he feels welcomed and loved at Wallace Well Community Church and plans to attend different church activities in the fall.

While I wanted desperately to see Nathan come to know the Lord as his Savior, I was comforted by the words of Jesus in John 4:35-38, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. … For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” I was sowing seeds of truth into Nathan’s life all week long, and one day, by God’s grace, another will come and reap the harvest I planted.

J.D. Thompson, a student at West Texas A&M University, served with Go Now Missions in Glasgow, Scotland.

Baylor & Sunday football

Well, Baylor University has joined the world of pay-for-play sports. Their Sunday night football game against SMU must have added a pretty penny to the already big coffers of BU athletics.

When I was at Baylor, games were only on Saturdays, no matter how far the team had to travel in the Southwest Conference. Sundays were for rest, church and watching the Dallas Cowboys on TV.

Slowly but surely, Baylor has been heading in the direction of Sunday games in basketball and now football.

Presidents W.R. White and Abner McCall must be really turning over in their graves now as they watch their beloved Baylor become more and more secular.

“In the world, not of the world.”

Bob Gillchrest

San Diego, Calif.

God is OK with Sunday football

I understand the issue of opposing Sunday football at Baylor,  but no one said a word when Baylor played SMU two years ago—in Waco—on a Sunday. Were we just not high profile enough then for anyone to care?

What’s wrong with going to church, grilling with the family for lunch, and heading to the game on Sunday night on a holiday weekend?  “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, …”

Football is a fun game played by college kids that we all enjoy. Somehow, I don’t see why God would have a problem with that.

And if you think coaches aren’t working on Sunday when there isn’t a game anyway you are kidding yourself.

Caleb Marsh

Dallas

“Please listen to the following menu options, and then press or say the number that corresponds with your choice. You will need to have in your hand your Social Security card, a family Bible and family tree that contains all the names of your entire extended family for three generations, 54-digit account number and your eighth-grade locker combination. Even though you enter these now, we’ll ask you to repeat them over and over again, because even though you’ve been sending us truckloads of money every month for our services, we still have no idea who you are.

Jeff JohnsonIf at any time you wish to speak to a customer service representative …”

Electronic purgatory is real and drives me nuts. Sometimes I just need to get what I need when I need it.

This is true spiritually as well. As a Texas Baptist, when I need encouragement on my connection with God, I go to a group that is connected and helps me connect. Sandra Wisdom-Martin and her team at Texas Woman’s Missionary Union remind me each year I have a direct connection to God, and that makes all the difference.

Imagine you’ve called your insurance company in a panic and, lo, a person picks up the phone and it’s the CEO himself waiting and wanting to address your needs. How would that make you feel? That’s essentially what happens when Texas Baptists get us focused on prayer. That’s some serious personal contact. Texas WMU helps us focus and “keep the main thing the main thing.”

Sunday, Sept. 14 begins our annual emphasis on the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions. It begins with our Week of Prayer for State Missions, Sept. 14-21. I encourage you and your church to pray and sacrificially give to the Mary Hill Davis Offering. When you make contact, you will find there is indeed a menu, but it’s a menu of loaves and fishes, a menu in which Jesus says, “Ask ,and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.”

The good news for us is that we don’t have to wade through a myriad of messages and corporate minions in order to have access to Jesus himself. We bring our needs directly through prayer, and the CEO of the universe makes the connection with us.

Texas Baptists, we also can be the “real person” that makes all the difference in someone’s life.

As God’s customer service reps here on earth, shouldn’t we be as accessible? Let’s connect this year.

WMUofTexas@TexasMissions #LoveStrong

Jeff Johnson is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Commerce.

When a fight breaks out at 35,000 feet, people—particularly pilots—pay attention. That’s what caused three U.S. flights to make unscheduled landings in little more than a week. Experts predict that’s only the tip of the vertical stabilizer. Expect more.

All three emergency groundings occurred when disputes over reclining seats escalated into outright fights. To ensure the safety of passengers and crew, the pilots put their planes on the ground, removed the combatants and flew on.

Editor Marv KnoxIndustry analysts say the frequency of in-flight fracases has increased because planes are getting more and more cramped.

“Seats are getting closer together,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, reported in the Dallas Morning News. “We have to de-escalate conflict all the time.”

That conflict breaks out over legroom, overhead bin space and, seasonally, where to put bulky coats.

It really is more crowded

Crowded conditions don’t exist solely in passengers’ minds. According to the Morning News, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines both moved seats on some planes one inch closer in order to add six seats. American Airlines is adding 10 seats to its 737-800s, Delta Airlines is adding four seats to its 737-900s, and JetBlue is taking away an inch of economy legroom so it can add lie-flat beds to first class.

Treating people like sardines apparently is paying off. USA Today reports airlines recorded record profits this summer. Among them? Passenger-packers American, JetBlue, Southwest and United.

So, what’s this got to do with us? Thanks for asking.

Sky-high rage provides one illustration we live in an increasingly fractious world. Even if you haven’t experienced it on an airplane, chances are you’ve seen it at work, in community meetings, at the grocery store or ballgames, on Facebook. And, sadly, at church.

Kindness is a counter-cultural characteristic

More and more, kindness is a counter-cultural characteristic.

Grace stands out in a world where planes land due to in-flight fights, public meetings erupt into shouting matches, and people are plain ol’ rude, selfish and mean. Contrasted with churlish, vindictive behavior, kindness provides the perfect Christian calling card.

When you’re faced with pettiness, mannerlessness and insensitivity, resist the impulse to fight back. Allow grace, cheerfulness and kindness to bring Christ’s love to bear in a harsh situation.

In his brilliant essay on Christian living, the Apostle Paul advised: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. … Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29, 31-32).

Try ‘transformational initiatives’

The late Baptist ethicist Glen Stassen called actions like this “transforming initiatives.” He pointed to Jesus’ admonition to turn the other cheek, give up your coat or walk a second mile as examples. A transforming initiative is an act of grace so outrageous, it alters the equation of how we relate to others. It is an act of kindness so unexpected, it changes the aggressor’s demeanor and makes reconciliation possible.

In an increasingly touchy, fractious world, acts of kindness—transforming initiatives—may provide one of our best opportunities for living out the gospel. That’s good news, even for a seat-hog.

And if you must fly, remember: Hate the seat but not the sitter.

“Everybody wants to be a Baylor Bear today!” Robert Griffin’s assessment of McLane Stadium’s opening was accurate, concise and simply astonishing to any long-time Baylor fan.

Gordon WilkersonCould Hollywood have written a better script to closing to Floyd Casey Stadium or opening Baylor’s new venue? I watched the events of the stadium inauguration with a combination of pride and incredulity: Admire the McLane family. Proud for Baylor, Waco and Central Texas. Proud of Coach Briles and the Bears. Can you believe this is really happening in Waco?

Fast-forward one day. My wife, Lori, has been on a campaign to introduce our youngest daughter to great films—a task more difficult than it should be. Selection for Labor Day weekend was 1980’s Chariots of Fire, the story of two members of Great Britain’s 1924 Olympic track and field team. Great movie. Clean movie. Director Hugh Hudson admits he inserted one expletive to obtain a PG rating, thus appealing to a wider audience.

The film’s hero, Scotsman Eric Liddell, maintains a steadfast Christian faith that precludes him from competing on Sunday. He withdraws from the 100-meter dash, an event he is favored to win. Enters the 400 meters, where he is an underdog. Receives a note just before the race from an American team member quoting 1 Samuel 2:30: “Those who honor me, I will honor.” Watch the film.

No TV on Sundays

Liddell’s Sabbath-keeping brought to mind visits to my grandparents’ home in Houston, circa 1972. Mama C was a Southern Baptist Miss Daisy, right down to the gas-fired kitchen stove. We were free to do almost anything in her home, but we were not allowed to watch television on Sunday. On Sundays, we were at South Main Baptist Church.

I remember Sunday, Dec. 31, 1972, like it was yesterday. We attended services and were taken to lunch at Jetton’s, a cafeteria that was itself a world of wonder to a 12-year-old from West Texas. Even better, it was the first restaurant I patronized that had a television in the dining area. The Miami Dolphins were taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in the AFC Championship. I didn’t eat much, but I watched every down, contemplating whether the Dolphins would continue their perfect season or the Steelers could come up with a play to top the previous week’s Immaculate Reception. I was devastated when we had to leave with less than two minutes remaining and the outcome still in the balance.

Moments later, I entered the house and headed straight for the television. Surely, this once, an exception could be made. Only for a few minutes. … It was not to be. Mother cut us off at the pass. “We respect the rules, boys. No TV on Sundays.”

Pushing the envelope

In an act I’ve long considered largely merciful and mildly defiant, our grandfather quietly brought my brother and me into his study. He would not break the rules, but he pushed the envelope as far as possible when he pulled a transistor radio from his desk and tuned in for the waning seconds of the contest.

Was McLane Stadium’s opening on the Sunday night before Labor Day a great moment for Baylor? Most certainly. Unable to attend in person, I watched the whole event. When you’ve been a fan through the Bill Beall era and the Reedy, Roberts, Steele, Morriss wanderings in the wilderness, you develop a profound respect for Grant Teaff and Art Briles. Here’s hoping the program’s best days lie ahead.

The stadium opening was spectacular. When I attended, Baylor marketed itself as the world’s largest Baptist university. It now describes itself as a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution. Anyone who would object to Baylor allowing the television powers that be to schedule such a landmark event for a Sunday evening is an anachronism incapable of comprehending what drives modern society. Our culture is no respecter of the Sabbath.

I’m no Eric Liddell and feel hypocritical even putting these thoughts to paper. I’m grateful my wife wants our children to know Liddell’s story. And I’m developing a long overdue appreciation for Mama C.

Gordon Wilkerson, a Baylor University alumnus, is a layman and a member of First Baptist Church in Lubbock.

This week while waiting in line at a Welcome Week event at the University of Texas at Dallas, Jenny and Cole met two international students, Lucy and Yorick, who recently arrived in Texas from China. They made a discovery—neither of the pair ever had eaten a burrito.

Kinsey ClineThis is Texas, the land of Tex-Mex food. Without thinking very long or hard about it, I can name six burrito and taco restaurants within a five-minute drive of UTD. And for Cole, who eats burritos multiple times a week, even being in Texas for just two weeks without yet having a burrito seemed wrong.

So we burrito-loving Americans took Lucy and Yorick out to lunch at a nearby Tex-Mex restaurant. And our new friends loved it! Lucy in particular was surprised by the tortilla’s size and ended up taking half of hers home, saving it for dinner.

Sharing the meal was a great opportunity for us to get to know Lucy and Yorick a little better. They talked about what their hometowns were like, what their parents do, where they have traveled and studied, and what they want to do in the future. After the meal, we invited them to a Baptist Student Ministry event, and they agreed to come. So, Lord willing, we will see them again soon and be able to continue building these relationships.

A relationship founded on burritos is a good relationship, indeed. And the experience was a great reminder of how easy it really can be to establish a relationship with anyone, even someone so different from us. Everyone has to eat. So, sharing a meal is one of the easiest ways to spend time with people. Once you are together, conversation is natural, and with a little intentionality, you can get to know another person and share with them the love of Jesus.

Kinsey Cline, a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, is serving with Go Now Missions at a campus missionary intern at her alma mater’s Baptist Student Ministry.

Back in the 1970s, a lot of congregational prognosticators warned the church, in general, was in the process of losing a whole demographic generation known as baby boomers.

Existing congregations, new congregations and denominational approaches to ministry were losing the ability to appeal to the largest generation ever born in North America. Generally, the birth years of this generation were 1946 through 1964.

George BullardAs this generation approached their 20s during the 1960s, they became known for their rock music, pursuit of mind-altering drugs, guilt-free sexual love and demand for peace. While not nearly all—or even a majority—of this generation connected with all these issues, the segment of the baby boomers who did was loud. They rejected institutions and authority and saw the church, in general, and congregations, specifically, fitting into their perception of irrelevant.

I was part of this generation but missed out on most of the experiences. The only parts that infected me were a pro-peace bias, a belief popularized by Jacques Ellul that institutions do violence to individuals, and some teachings from Saul Alinsky about community organizing that have helped me work with congregations to organize them as social systems.

As the public crescendo of warnings by the prognosticators reached its full volume, a new style of congregation known as contemporary was gaining traction. The most well-known of these were Saddleback Valley Community Church and Willow Creek Community Church. Since you know exactly who I am talking about when I name these two congregations, it is obvious their approach worked.

The power of the response to these contemporary congregations was so great that with some modifications, many of them adapted to the next generation, known as the baby busters. Generally, the birth years of this generation were 1964 through 1982.

Millennials are Different!

When we move to the millennial generation, who generally were born from 1982 through 2000, do things change radically? During their birth years, we saw the emergence of the postmodern age, in which paradigms shifted and many understandings of reality returned to zero and reset.

The heavy focus on vision during the last two decades of the 20th century has shifted to a focus on relationships with God, one another and the context in which congregations serve. Absolute truth has morphed into the story of each person’s truth consistent with the overall written and living Word of God. Connecting with missional causes about which they are passionate that make a significant difference in the lives of others is a higher priority for the millennial generation than loyalty to fulfillment of limited goals to which everyone is requested to connect.

The computer chip and the Internet morphed our communication from a centralized or decentralized pattern to a distributive or networked pattern. Information previously imparted only by experts is now free on the Internet.

The shape of congregations, particularly in relationship with denominations, has changed. The fastest-growing denomination beginning around 20 years ago is called nondenominational. The fastest-growing type of congregation is the multisite church. Some researchers are telling us up to 8,000 congregations that primarily are nondenominational are involved in multisite ministry. Of course, that means more than 340,000 congregations in North America are not.

Some things definitely have changed. The voices saying the millennials are different are louder and broader. Not only are the congregational prognosticators telling us things are different, but the blogosphere, eBooks and events to which they swarm give voice to a significant number of millennials telling us they are different. Baby boomers did not have these communication methods, so they took to the streets.

But are they?

Let’s remember a situation often seems more severe if you are in the middle of it and being impacted by it than when you figuratively can go to the balcony of the North American church and look at the larger picture. Further, let’s remember if someone shouts, “The church is on fire!” they get more attention than someone who sees the fireplace is smoking up the gathering area of the church, and we need to ventilate the area immediately to get more fresh air—or in this case, fresh dialogue.

Are millennials that different? Are they really that much different to the current culture than baby boomers were to their culture? Maybe yes. Maybe no.

In either case, they are worthy of dialogue and a significant response from the church to their life situations.

George Bullard is president of The Columbia Partnership, which seeks to transform the North American Church for vital and vibrant ministry. He also is general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship, one of six regions of the Baptist World Alliance. This column was distributed by ABPnews/Herald.