Clint Walker

“So if you really expect to see younger families visit your church, you absolutely must demonstrate that your church is safe, secure, and sanitary. In fact, I just spoke with a Millennial who told me she was not taking her kids back to a particular church because the toys were so unsanitary. “It was a literal breeding ground for germs and diseases,” she told me. “I will never return there.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“First, there are a lot of those children. The Millennial generation, those Americans born between 1980 and 2000, is the largest generation in America’s history. They are seventy-eight million strong. And though only about one out of four attend church with any degree of consistency, there are still almost twenty million or more who will show up at a church. And guess who is coming to church with the Millennials? Their kids. Some call them Gen Z, and others call them iGen. In Jean Twenge’s book, iGen, she describes this generation in this subtitle: “Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.” Whew. While the author offers some fascinating insights to the kids of this generation, one thing about them is totally clear: Their parents want them safe and protected wherever they are, including church.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“What led you to visit our church? The question began as an innocent conversation starter. I ask guests questions about themselves and their families. I do my best to get to know them, and to make the conversation about them. But, at some point, my curiosity gets the best of me. Out of the dozens of churches near them, what was the main factor that prompted them to try our church? The answer still surprises me. “We visited the church’s website.” We now hear that response from approximately seven out of ten first-time guests. Guests use Google to search for local churches, and they look at different church websites. They see the church sign driving by, and decided to look up the website. They hear a conversation about the church, and check it out by visiting the website.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“Until about 170, the churches were predominantly pacifist for several reasons: there was no universal conscription, so Christians were not obliged to participate; Jesus’ teaching seemed to preclude participation in war; loving and killing their enemies appeared incompatible; military oaths of allegiance were pagan, conflicting with Christians’ primary allegiance to Christ; few soldiers were converted, so the question of whether they could continue in the army arose infrequently; and the church’s self-identity was a peaceful fellowship of those who followed the Prince of Peace. As a powerless and marginal community whose views were not sought on political or military matters, they could not assess the justice of proposed campaigns. Their writings indicate they understood themselves as those who no longer used violence but were learning the disciplines of peacemaking.”
― Stuart Murray, Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World