An Important Lesson from the Jedi Order

A thousand years before Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side, the Jedi fought a war with the Sith and defeated them. The Sith were not destroyed, however, and when the remnant reemerged a millennia later the stagnant Jedi Order fell.

Why?

Because for a thousand years, the Jedi were training themselves to re-fight the previous war instead of the war the Sith had in mind. They were ill-prepared and because they were unable to adapt to, hundreds of Jedi died before a handful of Sith.

A tragedy for the Republic and a warning for the Church.

More often than not, I see the Body of Christ reaching out to Cleaverville—young families with a single income, living in a house with their 2.3 children. To be more specific, the church seems geared for women raising children, or grandmothers. Sure, the men have their place too, doing this or that, but so much of church culture is targeting Cleaverville families.

That’s a great way to reach my parent’s generation, but not mine.

Like the Jedi Order training themselves for the previous war, I feel the church today is working at reaching a yesteryear community. Jill and I are not alone in getting married later in life, or in having children later into our marriage. Take a demographic of America today and you’ll discover that Cleaverville is not the norm. Singles, single mothers, childless couples, children with three daddies and two mommies, duel income families barely making rent on their two bedroom apartment… this is normal anymore.

Yet, these normals are slipping through the cracks in our local churches because they don’t fit the Cleaverville image. I’ve heard a number of Christian singles complain about being treated like there was something wrong with them in the church, almost as though the fellowship didn’t know what to do with them until they were married off.

That’s not adapting; its assimilation.

My own church is planning on starting a more contemporary service to reach out to the younger generation. My fear, however, is that the church doesn’t know who that younger generation is. What would my church do with an influx of young singles and single parents? I’m not sure they would be able to handle it.

I feel like I rag on the church a lot in this blog, and I don’t really want to, but I see so much that needs to be changed; so many ways our Christian Culture has veered from the teachings of scripture. For example, Jesus said go into the world, yet instead of leaving the church we try to get people in. Completely backwards. The Apostle Paul said it was better for a person not to marry because then they could better dedicate themselves to the work of the Lord. Yet, I know of a young widow in my church who was encouraged to remarry soon so she can bear children. Again, completely backwards. It’s easy to criticize the Pharisees of Jesus’ time for missing the forest for the trees. But aren’t we doing the same thing?

As I’ve said before, I have a great passion for the church. The vision of Hatchet Twain should speak to that. I’m just afraid that by the time we maneuver this great behemoth battleship into the fight, the war will be over.