US Crisis in Mission

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story5101-george-barna-tells-adventist-delegates-we-are-in-a-crisis

and

http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story5098-the-power-of-collaboration

One would not normally expect that the SDA Church would send almost 400 delegates, from 60 countries to Budapest, Hungary to be told  that the United States is in a spiritual crisis as to  mission and ministry.  But, that is exactly what happened.  The person telling those delegates that was the well-known researcher and statistican,   George Barna.

The following quote came from an article referenced on the first website listed above:

His 2017 survey revealed that while 58-70% of parents see value in their children being exposed to extended family gatherings, church services, art exhibits and the Bible, children on average spend only two hours per week on these activities. In contrast, 33-43% of parents do not see value in their children being exposed to professional sports, television news, online content and current movies, yet children on average spend seven hours per day on these and related activities.

Barna then announced that statistically a very small amount of younger people have what he called a “biblical worldview”—only 4% of 18-30 year-olds and 7% of 30-49 year-olds. “We are in a crisis,” Barna said. “If the Church does not wake up and solve it, biblical Christianity in the United States is in jeopardy.”

The researcher then turned his attention squarely to parents, offering a statistical call to parental responsibility. He pointed out that while children form their worldview by the age of 13, only 5% of parents with 5-13 year-old children in the US have a biblical worldview. “Our children usually make their spiritual choices by default, acquiescing to cultural norms,” he concluded.

Barna ended on a positive note, emphasizing that though not easy, worldviews can be changed through proper asking of questions and meaningful dialogue with children and teens, in an effort to “dislodge what culture has placed in their minds.”

Barna sees tremendous value in the Seventh-day Adventist Church organizing a global summit to address family-related issues. “The world is changing so rapidly and so radically, that traditional approaches and strategies are not enough,” Barna told Adventist Review. “The Church needs to understand the latest research available, and the meaning behind the data if we are to effectively grow disciples.”