To My Generation . . .

“If our church doesn’t _____”

“If they asked me, _____”

I’m sick of the men in my generation; just to be clear, I’m referring to men between eighteen (18) and thirty (30).  Most people have heard the above quotes over various different topics and circumstances. I have friends who are all-knowing and can fix any problem life throws at them. They have answers and WE (everyone else) just aren’t smart enough to ask them for their opinion. Only one problem, these men haven’t practiced what they preach.

Men all too often want the title before they do the work. If you have a problem with how a business is run, they will tell you about it. If you have bad theology, they will tell you about it. If, by some chance, your church leadership wasn’t perfect, they will tell how THEY would do it better.  However, at the end of the day, they are not willing to stand up and practice what they preach. Instead, men want to sit around and critique hoping for the day someone in leadership will turn to them and ask “Please, brother out of your extensive experience, tell us what we should do about this?!?”

“If our church doesn’t start to care about the young people . . .”

I have run into this statement several times with close friends. Sadly most of the men who say this are blind to the situation to which they refer. Many younger men have jumped from church to church because, “They didn’t care about the young people . . .” or “I just don’t fit in . . .” These are not bad reasons to leave a church unless you’ve actually tried to make a change before you leave.

“If I they asked me . . . “

Complaining about how “Unfair” it is, doesn’t actually help anyone call attention to the blind spot. Stepping up, accepting responsibility, and becoming the example is how people learn to change. But, all too often, men want to sit around and critique hoping for the day someone in leadership will turn to them and ask, “Please, brother out of your extensive experience, tell us what we should do about this?!?”

Why don’t the older men hand over the reins?

It’s simple. The older men only hear complaining children and not men. All men have to pass the torch someday, whether they want to or not. However, if you have the option to whom you will pass the torch, you will pick the man who is already doing his job with a cheerful heart. The hard worker, who has put time in and knows submission…

To young men from one of your own. Do something or shut up!