I don't disagree with anything you're saying, but I'll observe that evangelical churches (and the RCC) are also mostly run by men and yet it sounds like the LDS are doing something better here when it comes to youth involvement.
So the most obvious follow-up here, and the one we have the most ability to influence: what can our churches le…
I don't disagree with anything you're saying, but I'll observe that evangelical churches (and the RCC) are also mostly run by men and yet it sounds like the LDS are doing something better here when it comes to youth involvement.
So the most obvious follow-up here, and the one we have the most ability to influence: what can our churches learn from the LDS?
It sounds like, at the very least, there is a youth group exercise here. As churches, we tend to ask little of teenagers besides showing up to youth group.
We could also compare to how Jews require a Hebrew Torah recitation at a kid's Bar Mitzvah. I'm not sure how spiritually edifying that is, but the fact that it's difficult causes them to take the whole thing more seriously, probably builds character while tying them more strongly to the community.
We shouldn’t demand more, we should ask why there isn’t more of a fire within to do more. Go inside out as opposed to outside in.
Saints are made because of an internal desire, it’s not some minimum bar per se but when you push minimum requirements past a certain point you wind up with whitewashed tombs of the Pharisees, Calvin’s Geneva, or the Mass Colony which Roger Williams left.
Whatever we do, we shouldn’t ask what God wants us to do. Much safer to look at “successful” institutions in the world.
I don't disagree with anything you're saying, but I'll observe that evangelical churches (and the RCC) are also mostly run by men and yet it sounds like the LDS are doing something better here when it comes to youth involvement.
So the most obvious follow-up here, and the one we have the most ability to influence: what can our churches learn from the LDS?
It sounds like, at the very least, there is a youth group exercise here. As churches, we tend to ask little of teenagers besides showing up to youth group.
We could also compare to how Jews require a Hebrew Torah recitation at a kid's Bar Mitzvah. I'm not sure how spiritually edifying that is, but the fact that it's difficult causes them to take the whole thing more seriously, probably builds character while tying them more strongly to the community.
We shouldn’t demand more, we should ask why there isn’t more of a fire within to do more. Go inside out as opposed to outside in.
Saints are made because of an internal desire, it’s not some minimum bar per se but when you push minimum requirements past a certain point you wind up with whitewashed tombs of the Pharisees, Calvin’s Geneva, or the Mass Colony which Roger Williams left.
Whatever we do, we shouldn’t ask what God wants us to do. Much safer to look at “successful” institutions in the world.
I was thinking the same thing about the LDS youth involvement: "What can we learn from it?"
Your comment about the Bar Mitzvah being taken more seriously because it is difficult is interesting.