Which school are you?

There's a lot of talk about the "old school". It's full of nostalgia, happy memories, it's what we had and what we think we want for our children.

Then there is the "new school". It's full of progressive ideas, change, and often scary ideas.

The church is only one generation from dying out. Our "old school" generation is supposed to teach the "new school" the doctrine, and let the new school figure out the effective method for reaching the unschooled.

Who are the unschooled? That is the world we live in. There are people in America who only know Jesus as a swear word. They may have heard of a Bible, some old book grandma has on the shelf, covered in dust and not very useful. They may be the college professor who finds religion as quaint and a crutch for weak people. It could be the drug addict who has forgotten the lessons learned at Vacation Bible School as a child. It's the single mom, afraid, hungry, has to move out of the apartment and has no place to live.
It could be the surgical doctor who has watched so many die, he himself is jaded about life. It could be the family down the street, with all the toys and picture perfect life, who is happily going along through life without a thought to what may come after.
Maybe its us, those who grew up second generation in the church and we live on the faith of our parents, never coming to our own faith. We just do church, know all the right answers and look good in the pew.

All of us fit into one of these categories, we're ready to teach, ready to learn, or ready to learn. Before we go further, we need to evaluate one thing: new does not equate better. The new school needs the old school, and the old school can't reach the unschooled without the new school.

As we come into a new era of church, an era without church choirs, less hymns, multi-media worship, 20 minute sermons, mega-churches and multimedia illustrations; let's remember it's not the stuff of church that's important.

The most important thing is the message.

The message does not change, the Bible does not change, God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. When the old school focuses on the message, and allows the new school to change the method, the unschooled is brought into the kingdom.

Which school are you in?
What I am supposed to be doing?