Young and Faithful - Why I am a Christian

"You are a young pastor so you will bring young people to the church."

As a young pastor, I have heard this line again and again. And to be honest, it usually makes me cringe a little because I do not believe Christian formation and care can come from one person alone. So I want to write this three-part series on being "Young and Faithful" in the 21st century. In the last several years, there has been a crisis among mainline churches that all the young people are leaving the church, resulting in drastically dwindling numbers. But there is actually much more to the story.

A few years ago, the newspaper in the town where I was attending seminary did an interview on me and several other young clergy who were answering God's call to ministry. The prominent question that they asked was: It is unusual for young people these days to enter into ministry, did you experience much resistance from friends and family? Truthfully, the answer is both yes and no. For much of my life, I was not comfortable sharing my faith with others so I felt caught between this tension of "fitting in" or "being authentic." But once I truly turned my life over to God, it had a profoundly positive impact on my relationships and the direction of my life.

So why am I a Christian? I think this is a good question for us all to ask ourselves from time to time.

I am Christian because I grew up in the Church. This sounds obvious, but it is hard to identify with something if you haven't been taught and practiced the traditions. I learned the prayers and the liturgy, I heard Scripture read and proclaimed, I sang songs, I served others. At the time, I did not necessarily understand the meaning behind it all, but I did it almost every week. Eventually, these practices became part of my heart-language and guided me to stay connected to the faith throughout my life. Growing up in the church, I was also given opportunities for leadership, for fellowship, for service, for seeing more of the world, that had a profound impact on me as a person.

I am also Christian because people along the way invested in relationship with me. I cannot recall all of the Bible stories and lessons that I learned as a child, but I can remember my Sunday School teachers and youth group leaders who showed an interest in my life and wellbeing. I can remember learning that the church was a safe, fun place that allowed me to figure out who I was. I can remember being accepted by my peers, no matter what was going on in my life. It is the people who modeled to me how to be a Christ-follower, not just on Sundays but throughout my whole life.

I am a Christian because God's love and forgiveness saw me through difficult seasons in my life. In college, I was in a toxic relationship and experienced the loss of a close friend. I felt lost and abandoned. But because I was already connected to a community of faith, I was able to reach out for help, and through that, experience God's unconditional love for me. In the months and years following, I was able to forgive myself and others, because God first forgave me in Christ on the cross. The seeds of the faith were already planted in my life, and bore fruit exactly when I needed to depend on my faith the most.

I think the best place to understand something, such as young people in the church, is to first look inward, at our own lives. So I invite you this week to reflect on why are you a Christian? Why did you choose, or not, to be part of a particular church tradition? Why do you continue to attend?

And then next week, I will unpack more the Millennial generation and whether we are actually discontented with the church. Lastly, the following week, I will explore some ways to engage young people in the Christian faith.

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The Rev. Maggie Lewis

First Presbyterian Church, Havre

Chinook Presbyterian Church, Chinook