A Seat At the Table
A Generation Reimagining Its Place In the Church
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Why are so many 20- and 30-something Christians disappearing from the church? They are told how much the church wants young people, yet there is growing suspicion among young believers about who is in and who is out of the scope of Christian orthodoxy. Through this suspicion, a rift between the generations has emerged. In the face of frustration, of being cut out because they don t seem to fit, young believers often take their gifts and leave the church. This book helps those who feel displaced by this generational collision to find a sense of place and welcome with a church that is still becoming all that God wants it to be.If you are a young person who wonders if there is a place in the church for someone like you, or if you want to know if your own church can be the kind of body in which young people are welcome, A Seat at the Table will give you a new personal and kingdom perspective. Embrace the challenge to re-imagine your relationship with the church in light of this generational collision , not seeing it as an unredeemable rift, but as an opportunity to give and receive hospitality.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The problem of twenty-somethings leaving the church isn't a new one, but insights from co-pastors Gaines and Gaines could finally help church leaders fix the generational gap. Through the stories of a handful of young people who have left their churches, the authors demonstrate that older generations of Christians have classified young people as a homogenous group that should be placed into existing structures set up for their benefit (e.g., the "singles group"). This inability to acknowledge young people's individuality and organic interactions combined with a lack of trust (e.g., one church leader told young members "they were not qualified to lead a Bible study") have kept young people from finding their place in churches. These insights should give readers plenty to chew on, though they will have to get past the authors' excessive number of rhetorical questions and loose, repetitive writing. Still, Gaines and Gaines have reignited a tough discussion that should both humble churchgoers and help them refocus on serving one another instead of catering to divisive debates.
