Alvin Reid

Dr. Alvin Reid, Professor of Evangelism and Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, spoke at my home church last weekend. He really challenged our church to focus on the next generation. Speaking in conjunction with a DiscipleNow weekend, Dr. Reid shared in the morning service from Acts 2 on "Movements". Here is some of what he shared:

The American church has reduced a movement to the maintenance of an institution.

Personal preference is not the Truth of the Gospel.

Everyone is living a life that is different from what they thought their life would be, but everyone wants their life to matter.

Many people treat Christianity as a factory and as a result they are raising their children to be atheists.

Later that evening, Dr. Reid taught from Acts 11:19-26 on the topic "Reaching the Next Generation". To reach the next generation, he challenged us to:

1. Share unchanging truth, but differently- v. 19-22
2. Focus less on behavior and more on wonder- v. 23
3. Focus less on rules and more on relationships- v. 24
4. Focus less on institutions and more on a movement- v. 25, 26

People don't necessarily reject the Gospel, but because of the way many Christians live, they just find it irrelevant.