Jesus, without the Church

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

For some time now, there have been indications of a renewed interest in Christianity among young people.

WORLD’s Janie B. Cheaney says turning, or returning to Jesus, is best when accompanied by time with his church.

JANIE B. CHEANEY: Our family rejoiced last month when one of our wandering members went down to the beach to be baptized at sunset. The Great Shepherd found a lost sheep and brought her into the fold – or not. She had a plan to meet weekly with a friend for Bible study and prayer, but that only happened once before schedules and interruptions got in the way. I have no reason to doubt that my relative’s inner life has profoundly altered, but her outward routine looks unchanged. Church attendance isn’t part of it.

She’s always been attracted to Jesus, yet for years has despised His Body, sometimes for understandable reasons. But many younger people, who never darkened a church doorway, don’t even have that excuse. It seems that more and more of them are attracted to Jesus, yet a big hole remains in their spiritual life.

In Christianity Today last month, a teaching fellow at Fordham University reported some startling observations. In previous years, none of Daniel Kunkel’s students recognized the picture of a very famous evangelist he showed at the beginning of a lecture. This year, at least half the class said, “That’s Billy Graham!”

BILLY GRAHAM: Now the bible says to study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed

They’ve been watching his sermons on TikTok.

Pastor Kunkel acknowledges there’s something to those reports of rising interest in traditional Christianity among the young. Besides his Billy Graham fans, he’s seen Christian musician Forrest Frank sell out Madison Square Gardens and Gen-Xers pack Manhattan churches, praying for revival.

Indeed, us older folks who became Jesus people in the 1970s take heart at the news of conversions among millennials, of young men leading the way back to church, of campus revivals breaking out across the USA,. But conflicting data creates a backwash: this survey shows growing enthusiasm for Jesus; that one indicates church attendance is still going down. And while campus ministers report record numbers of students seeking out the Neuman Center and the Baptist Student Union, what do their Sundays look like?

A year ago the Barna Group reported that “Millennials and Gen Z Christians are attending church more frequently than before and much more often than are older generations.” “More frequently” means that, “The typical Gen Z churchgoer now attends 1.9 weekends per month, while Millennial churchgoers average 1.8 times.” What are they doing the other weekends?

Daniel Kunkel notes that a ‘spiritual revival for one’ is no true revival at all if it excludes the church: Not just regular attendance, but regular commitment to the family. Throughout the New Testament spiritual formation is communal, not just individual. Individuals come to Jesus, but they abide in His body, like leaves on the vine.

But I’ve been hurt by the church, you might say. No, you haven’t. You’ve been hurt by a particular congregation, or people within it. So have I. But we’ve not been hurt by the body Jesus prayed and died for. We are citizens of a holy nation, not spiritual tourists. A congregation may have her all-too-human flaws (which you and I share), but the church is where love is tested, patience is tried, humility is seasoned, and joy is complete – both our joy, and His. Don’t stand apart; join in.

I’m Janie B. Cheaney.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.