Consider a popular song in contemporary Christian music community. It says, “There’s a place where religion fin’lly . . . Dies when religion finally dies”. Your first thoughts may be “How terrible!”

But one of the beauties of listening to the young is that their perspective often points out the problems of the world they were born into. If you talk to youth, they will often say, “I am spiritual, but I am not religious.” What do they mean?

Why do people join a church? It is because the church is a profitable business. Bills are paid, the church puts its focus on bills or property. This is majoring on the minors. Young adults today are not joining, they are leaving churches, because they find the churches to be majoring on minors. Too many churches only speak of mission and ministry. They act like a business or like a private country club. Young adults grew up as consumers. If they don’t like Joe’s market, they don’t try to fix Joe’s, they shop at Jim’s Market. It is no surprise that they carry the thinking over to their attitude on churches. If you want the young adult, focus the church to what they demand. They will not change their expectation to continue the life of an organization that they consider “irrelevant.” Spirituality to the youth is relevant. “Religion” is irrelevant.

Why do people join and remain active in a church? The Spiritual gifts class addresses why people of all ages join a church. The reasons center around four needs or cornerstones for ministry: Spirituality, Community, Care, and Ministering. These issues are met and fulfilled through the spiritual gifts with which God blesses His people. Spiritual gifts are God’s empowering of God’s people, for God’s work. The use of those gifts blesses both, the Christian who uses the gifts and the receiver of the benefits of the gift in ministry, whether it is in Braille Workers, Community of Need Meal, Youth Ministry workers, or whether it is leadership or supporting positions. How are you using the gifts that God has given you? Are you using them in His ministry? Are you majoring on the minors, or focusing on what is important for the best use of your gifts for God, for family, and yes, even in business? Do you have your priorities lined up right?

What the youth want to see is what they call “spirituality” and spirituality is God serving and neighbor serving. If you have your priorities right, as a result of a good use of your spiritual gifts, you will develop spiritual maturity. This spiritual maturity results in what God promises in the nine Fruits of the Spirit – Love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Gal 5:22-23). For Christians, and for the Christian church, this focus is having your priorities straight. It is majoring on the majors. With a growth in the Fruit of the Spirit, priorities become focused, and “busy” is not a term but a way of life. It develops a spiritual maturity. It is worth the effort! The rewards are great!