THE JOSHUA ONE WAY: ARTICLE 1.  FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES, SEE: SUCCESS.

Most Christians seem to be divided into two equally misguided camps when it comes to the topic of seeking success in this life.

On one side are the modern-day hucksters of the Prosperity Gospel. They teach that on the day you became a Christian, God lifted the curse and cleared the way for you to receive abundant wealth and perfect health. It is God’s will for every Christian to be rich.

On the other side, many Christians consider it improper to admit to any desire to seek success in this life. To them, it is somehow sinful to want to be successful, and especially worldly to want material comforts.

It amazes me that most modern Christians seem to have embraced one of these two philosophies, even though both positions are obviously in error.

PROSPERITY FOR THE PREACHERS

To know that it is not God’s will for all Christians to be rich at all times, all you have to do is look around. Millions of Christians struggle to make ends meet. Some Christians are unemployed; some live in dire poverty. Some believers even face starvation.

To explain these millions of exceptions to the rule, prosperity preachers blame the very ones who are without. They do not have enough faith. They are not planting enough seeds. They are not sufficiently obedient to God. The Prosperity Gospel promises health and wealth but delivers condemnation.

Prosperity teaching tends to mainly prosper the preachers, the ones selling the books and videos and taking up the “seed-faith” offerings. For the rest, the Prosperity Gospel often results in self-condemnation: “I am not rich, therefore God must be punishing me.” God gave us the book of Job to combat that kind of faulty thinking. But you won’t hear Job preached much in a prosperity church.

SEPARATING THE SECULAR FROM THE SPIRITUAL

However, it is a much greater error to teach that Christians should be ashamed of the desire to succeed in this life. The logical extension of that thinking is ascetism. God may call some believers to live as monks, but He has clearly not called most of us to such a life. To anyone who has a job, a home, and a family, success matters. It is silly to suggest otherwise.

But having been led to believe that the desire to succeed is somehow unspiritual, many Christians end up separating their spiritual and secular lives. They work hard to do well at their jobs and to provide comfort to their families, but they keep that part of their lives separate from their spiritual existence. They never ask God to prosper them, believing that prayer should be reserved for more noble things. “God has more important things to worry about,” they say, as if God’s resources are limited, or as if He ever worries about anything.

A Christian should not feel like he must live a double life — one on earth and one in the clouds, and nary the twain shall meet. Such faulty thinking has been around for centuries, at least since the days of the Greeks and the Gnostics, but that is not what the Bible teaches.

WHAT I BELIEVE

I believe success is a great thing. Is it really necessary to say that? OK, I confess: I prefer success to failure. I prefer abundance to lack. Turn me in.

From cover to cover, in both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible has hundreds of teachings on seeking God’s blessing, on obtaining prosperity from the hands of a generous God, and on reaping the temporal fruit of what we sow. The Bible has a wealth of helpful information on how to succeed at work, how to succeed at achieving our goals, and how to succeed financially.

God is the one who created this beautiful world. God is the one who commissioned us, with His blessing, to be fruitful. He is the one has called to do good work. God invites us to turn to Him with our requests — to ask, to seek, to knock. In fact, God commands that we put our faith in Him, not just for the bye and bye, but for the here and now.

It is only logical that I would like to have a dollar, or a thousand, or a million. Is there one of us who would turn down a million dollars if it were offered? I could sure do a lot of good things with a million dollars. Couldn’t you?

Obviously, God knows better than to let most of us get our hands on that much money. Material blessings create not only opportunities, but also temptations. God has promised to protect us from being exposed to more temptation than we can handle. That is just one of the many reasons why Christians often have less than they would like to have.

However, as a Bible-believing Christian, it is my intention to work hard, to do the best I can, to achieve all that I can achieve, and to have much so I can do much. I believe, based on hundreds of Scriptures, that I can do my best only with God’s blessing. Rather than being kept separate from our “secular” lives, God should be at the very center of our work, our homes and our finances.

THE JOSHUA ONE WAY

Our ministry, Joshua One Ministries, takes its name from the first chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Specifically, verses 7-8. In these verses, the Lord Himself is speaking. Joshua is at the eastern bank of the Jordan River, preparing to lead Israel into the promised land. At that moment, one of the most important in history, God speaks directly to Joshua, telling him: “I want you to prosper. I want you to succeed.” Listen to His words:

“Be careful to do according to all [My] law … Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

Just follow my Word, God says. Study it, meditate on it, and obey it. My Word is your roadmap to prosperity and success.

God wants you and me to prosper. He wants us to achieve success. In fact, God has given us His wonderful Word as the great roadmap to get us there.

In this series of articles we will explore the many things the Bible teaches about achieving success. The Scriptures have hundreds of things to say on this important topic, so this will be a long series. I invite you to join for me this study. I also invite you to participate in the discussion, if you like, by using the comments section of each article.

As we begin this study together, it is my prayer that you will experience great success in everything you do. If you offer up the same prayer for me, I will be grateful.

Terry Hull

In March 2012, a few of us associated with Joshua One Ministries will make an exciting journey to visit some very special friends of ours who live in the rainforest of southern Costa Rica. We are now forming our team for this exciting adventure to the Chirripó Mountains. We are limiting the size of our team to 10-12 people. Because the journey will be quite strenous, only those in top physical condition should consider joining us. Do you have an interest in being part of our team?

A group of young pastors from the Chirripó mountains attending our 2009 Preaching and Teaching Convention in San José.

Approximately 12,000 Native Americans of the Cabécares tribe live in the Chirripó Mountains of south CR. The Cabécar lifestyle is very primitive. They have had very little interaction with the “outside world.” One Costa Rican newspaper has called the Cabécar the “hidden people.”

The Chirripó terrain is a rainforest. The economy is mostly self-subsistence and barter. Homes are grass huts in which people sleep on the ground. Polygamy is common. The language is Cabécar (Spanish is spoken by some but not all). The Cabécar people are mostly illiterate. As a matter of fact, the Cabécar had no written language until missionaries developed one for them in the 1970s.

Even in this remote place, the Lord is not without a witness. During our four previous visits to Costa Rica, we have formed friendships with some Cabécar Christians who have attended the annual Preaching and Teaching Convention we host each January in San José. We are familiar with seven churches in the Chirripó Mountains which have a combined membership of about 300 believers.

A Chirripó pastor baptizes a young disciples at our 2008 Preaching and Teaching Convention.

Next March, a group of us will make our very first journey to the Cabécar reserve to fellowship with our Chirripó friends in their native setting. We are extremely excited about this remarkable opportunity.

THE JOURNEY

The journey to the Chirripó Mountains will be strenuous. On Mar. 20, we will fly from Oklahoma CitytoSan José. We will spend the night in the capital city. The next morning we leave in rented vans for Quetzal, a small village south ofSan José, about a four-hour drive. From Quetzal, we will hike on foot for about four hours into the ChirripóMountains. On our backs we will carry our bed rolls, food and supplies for our four-night stay with the Cabécar brethren. We will sleep on the ground under open-air, thatched-roof structures called “ranchos.”

During the four days we are in the Chirripó, we will fellowship with our Christian friends, visit their churches, and preach and teach God’s Word. We are also exploring the possibility of a construction project and a health clinic.

For more details, please see: CR4C-Mar2012-Prospectus1. If you believe God may be calling you to be part of this outreach to the Chirripó people, please contact me, Terry Hull, at terryhull AT joshuaone DOT org.

Our January 2011 team to Costa Rica -- 39 people from 11 churches.

We are returning to Costa Rica in January for eight days of preaching, teaching, medical outreach, construction work and lots of sweet Christian fellowship. Do you want to come?

Dates: January 16-23, 2012

Cost: $1732 (covers everything: air, hotel, meals, ground transportation, projects, etc.)

First deadline: RIGHT NOW! $50 nonrefundable deposits for air travel are due on Monday (Oct. 24).

This will be our fifth annual Costa Rican venture. During 2008-2011, we have had a total of 53 individuals from 15 churches take the gospel to Costa Rica with us. Last year we had 39 people from 11 churches on our team. Is God calling you to join us this year?

Many of you have already told me that you are planning to join us again this year, and are just waiting for the details. Well, all the details are now available.

I am sorry I am running so late in putting this information together for you, and very sorry for the short notice on the deposit deadline. The last three months have been one of the most challenging times ever for Norma and me — Norma has had back surgery and a very slow recovery, and I have gone through a huge transition in my career. I’ll tell you more about those things later.

Anyway, the details are available now. For those of you who have gone with us before, I can tell you that none of the major details have changed.

• Here is a four-page prospectus (pdf) with much more detailed information: CR4C-Jan2012-Prospectus.

• To sign up or to indicate your interest, please complete the short online form below. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM RIGHT AWAY — even if you have already told me that you are planning to go.

During the holidays, I saw lots of offers for Buy Now Pay Later and Buy One Get One Free. Have you ever received such an offer from a Missions Organization? That’s exactly what I want to propose to you in this letter.

The Lord willing, Norma and I and 29 other team members leave for San José, Costa Rica, IN FOUR MORE DAYS. All the details are coming together beautifully. All indications are that we are going to have an outstanding week. A week of very hard work, a week of genuine evangelism, a week of great worship and sweet fellowship.

However, with just four days left before we go, we still need some financial help. Back in December I sent out an email and posted a message on this website titled:
I NEED TO RAISE $10,000 IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS!
Today, we still need to raise:
FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS IN THE NEXT FOUR DAYS!

August 2009: Rodrigo Rojas with some of the younger members of a church in the Guancaste province in far north Costa Rica, near Nicaragua.

The good news: We have received so many generous gifts in the last three weeks! Praise the Lord … and thank you so much to each one of you who sent a gift. Norma and I will send you a full report, complete with photos, when we get back from Costa Rica. I promise that your donation will be used for the Great Commission – saving souls, starting and equipping churches, training and equipping pastors.

If you have not been able to send a gift, I understand entirely. These are not the best economic times. The holidays are always a tight squeeze. You can only do what you can do. I sure get that. Nevertheless, I still need to come up with four thousand more dollars in the next four days.

So how about this. Would you be willing to pledge now and give later? Plus, every dollar you pledge now will immediately be doubled by a matching gift from a local church. That’s “buy one get one free,” right?

Actually, thanks to God’s faithfulness and your great generosity, along with several hours of nail-biting midnight-oil budget crunching, we pretty much have all the funds we need for next week’s trip. (Norma suggested we could save some money if I would just skip black beans and rice, fried plantains and Costa Rican coffee for the entire week. Sorry, Norma, I don’t think so).

With the trip taken care of, the one final item we are raising funds for is a car for Rodrigo Rojas, our senior evangelist in Costa Rica. For two years now, Rodrigo has been relying on borrowed cars and public transportation to carry out his ministry!! Is that any way to get the Lord’s work done??

When we are with Rodrigo next week, we want to present him with $10,000 to buy a reliable used car. We already have $2,500 designated for that purpose. Plus, Edmond (Okla.) Christian Church has offered a matching gift to raise the rest. They told me: If I can raise $4,000 before we leave for Costa Rica, they will match it, dollar for dollar, with another $4,000. Raise One Get One. That will give us more than enough to put Rodrigo behind a smooth set of wheels.

May 2009: Rodrigo Rojas with some new converts in Limón province in south Costa Rica.

Do you want to help? Would it be more convenient for you to do so at the end of the month or the middle of next month? If so, would you send an email NOW, pledging a gift sometime during the next 30 days? I have talked to Steve Logan who heads up ECC’s missions committee. He has agreed that they will acknowledge such pledges and match them immediately dollar for dollar – even before we actually receive your gift! All we need is your email to activiate the matching gift!

To those of you who already sent a gift, I want to say again: THANK YOU! You dear relatives, friends, acquaintances and strangers have been very generous! During the past three weeks we have received about $4,500 in donations. Thank you!!

Plus, I have gone through our budget like a kid scrounging around in the sofa for lost change. I have identified $1,500 of our expenses that can be paid after we get back … which closes the rest of the gap on the $6,000 we needed to make this trip work out.

Yeah, that’s right –- I’m going to have to send out another fund-raiser in early February to raise the funds for our remaining costs. Mainly, I will just send you photos from our trip:

• Photos of moms and their kids being treated at the health clinics by our team of six nurses.
• Photos of the new classroom building our team is erecting in San José for our Bible Institute.
• Photos of Christians from several Costa Rican churches praising and worshiping at our convention – something they look forward to all year long.
• Photos of dozens of young pastors and their wives being trained in our Leaders Seminar.
• Photos of people accepting the Lord and being baptized into Him.

I am trusting that when I send out those photos, raising the additional funds will not be a problem.

So, during these last four days we are focusing on raising the $4,000 for Rodrigo’s car. Rodrigo has no idea that we are planning to give him a car next week. He is a strong man, but I won’t be surprised if we see some tears of joy when we surprise Rodrigo with this gift. Not just because he needs a car, but because it means he will be able to travel to more villages, share the gospel with more people, encourage more young pastors, and accomplish so much more for the work of the Kingdom.

Can you help? Will you help? All I need is an email from you, pledging to send a gift on or before February 15, the Lord willing. I will show your email to Steve at Edmond Christian Church, and they will match it with a gift of an equal amount. Are you in? Will you please let us hear from you?

Thank you! God bless! Keep us in your prayers! Let us hear from you!

What a mighty God we serve!!

Love … Terry & Norma Hull

Whenever you are ready to send your gift, send it to Joshua One Ministries, P.O.Box 8464, Edmond, OK 73083. All gifts are tax deductible. Thank you!

Christmas is one week away. Like you, Norma and I are busy getting ready for the big holiday. We will be going out this weekend to do some last-minute shopping. We expect a full house of kids and grandkids on Christmas Day.

But another BIG DAY is also on our minds. Exactly one month from tomorrow, on January 18, we leave for San José, Costa Rica. Norma and I are leading 32 people on an eight-day evangelism adventure in Central America.

Young preachers at our January 2008 Costa Rica evangelism trip. Rodrigo Rojas is standing in the back row, far left.

Some members of our team will be building a classroom building in San Miguel, a southern barrio of San José. The classrooms will be used by the new Bible Institute Rodrigo Rojas has been leading this year. Rodrigo is the senior evangelist of Costa Rica For Christ, one of the ministries of Joshua One Ministries. Two years ago Rodrigo told me of his vision to start a Bible Institute. So, last year, we built the first classroom. All this year, Rodrigo has been teaching about 20 young pastors and church leaders in weekday classes in that classroom.

This year, we are going to build the ground floor of a two-story building which will have six classrooms when it is finished. More classrooms will make possible more teaching and training for more pastors, who in turn will reach more people for Christ and make more disciples.

Meanwhile, other members of our team will be offering free health clinics in villages near San José. We have six registered nurses on our team this year! On Tuesday we will go to Santa Elena, where Rodrigo has been working to build up a small church there. On Wednesday we will go to Rosario, where Rodrigo has been leading a Bible study. On Thursday we will go to Itaipu, where Rodrigo has been working to gain a foothold for the gospel.

Our health clinics in these villages will meet people’s physical needs, while communicating the love of Christ and giving a big boost to Rodrigo’s evangelistic outreach there.

Of course, all of these projects are expensive. The estimated cost of the classroom building project is $12,000. The cost of the medical supplies for our health clinics will be $1,500 or more. In this short note, I haven’t even begun to describe everything we will be doing during our week in Costa Rica, and all of the expenses we will have. I won’t even try to mention the car we plan to purchase for Rodrigo on the first day we arrive in Costa Rica. Believe me, that’s going to blow Rodrigo’s mind. I will tell you much more about everything we have planned in future notes during the next 30 days.

But the bottom line for right now is this: I have to raise $10,000 during the next 30 days.

Our team members are donating or raising $1,650 each to participate in this adventure. That money covers their personal expenses — transportation, lodging, food — plus, it includes about $400 above and beyond, to apply to our project costs. Without their enthusiastic involvement, it would be impossible for us to do everything we are doing.

But the money they are giving is not enough by a long shot to cover the entire need. We need some additional help to make this work. Lots of it. We need your help.

Would you please send a gift? Somebody reading this letter could send $1,000. That would close 10% of the gap for us. A couple of people reading this letter could send $500. That would be such a huge help! Several of you could write a check for $100 or $200 or $250. And if lots of people sent checks for $20 or $25 or $50, our need would be met. Please send what you can.

Norma and I have been leading evangelism adventures like this for many years. Every time we begin such an adventure, we have no idea exactly how it is all going to work out. Today, just 30 days from our departure, I do not know exactly how it is all going to work out.

But I have a pretty good idea. Like all of the times before, the Lord is going to meet our needs to do what He has called us to do. And I imagine He will do it the way He almost always does it.

Through you.

Please make your check to Joshua One Ministries. Write “Costa Rica For Christ” (or just “CR4C”) in the memo field. Send your check to Joshua One Ministries, P.O. Box 8464, Edmond, OK 73083. Joshua One Ministries is a non-profit Christian ministry, and your gifts are tax deductible. Thank you very much for your support.

A “Mass” is a liturgical service of the Eucharist, presumably at a Catholic church, and a “Christ mass” is such a service held at midnight on the eve of Dec. 25, traditionally the birthday of Jesus (although there is no historical basis for Dec. 25).

A “Holiday” is a “Holy Day,” a day to cease from work and worship God.

So, if you’re headed to St. Greg’s for midnight mass, “Merry Christmas.” If you’re spending the day worshiping God, “Happy Holiday.” And if you’re spending the day doing nothing more than exchanging gifts and eating food, “Happy Festivus.”

For more info about our Jan. 18-25, 2010, Costa Rica evangelism trip, read our: CR Trip Prospectus.

The Lord is putting together a remarkable team for us:

* We have 22 females and 9 males. We run the gamut of ages, from two teenagers to two in their 60s, and members of every decade in between.

* We have 6 nurses, who will be invaluable during the four days of free health clinics we offer to low-income Costa Rican villagers.

* We have several highly skilled, able-bodied amateur builders, who will show their stuff as we build a classroom building at Iglesia del Evangelio de Jesucristo (Church of the Gospel of J.C.) in San Miguel.

* We have 4 preachers. We will take turns preaching and teaching during a three-day regional convention of Costa Rican churches.

* We come from 10 different churches.

Here are two statistics I am expecially proud of:

* Out of the 13 people who made our first evangelism trip to Costa Rica in 2008, 7 are returning for their third straight CR adventure.

* Out of the 29 people we took in our 2009 trip, 20 are returning for their second straight trip.

That gives you a pretty good idea what kind of experience previous participants have had.

If you are interested in joining us, it is not too late to sign up. As a matter of fact, we made group reservations with American Airlines, and after a couple of drop-outs, we now have three slots to fill in our original group rez. That means you can still come for the original price. But pretty soon I will have to turn in our team roster to attach names to tickets, and release any plane seats we aren’t using. So if you are interested, now is the time.

Please read our Trip Prospectus, which will answer 98.8% of your questions. Then shoot me an email — joshuaoneministries at gmaildotcom.

Terry and Norma Hull led 13 people on a week-long adventure to Costa Rica in January 2008, and 29 people in January 2009.  We are now putting together our 2010 team, and the time to sign up is NOW.

We will travel from Monday to Monday, departing Oklahoma on Jan. 18 and returning on Jan. 25. Tuesday through Friday will be spent in evangelism projects, and on Friday through Sunday we will lead a regional convention of independent Christian churches in Costa Rica.

Team members will volunteer for one of three teams:

(1) Construction: We will rebuild the classroom building at Iglesia del Evangelio (Church of the Gospel) in San Miguel, San José.

(2) Health clinic: We have two nurses (so far) on our team, and hopefully one or more Costa Rican doctors joining us, to provide minor health care. We need several non-medical personnel to assist with the clinic.

(3) Child evangelism: Our children’s outreach includes playing games with the kids and passing out tracts during the health clinics, and teaching classes during the convention.

Cost of the trip is $1,650, and $100 of that is due this month to reserve a plane ticket.  For more information, please read our detailed: CR4C 2010 Trip Prospectus1.

While doing some research yesterday, I came across a remarkable essay: “The Vital Role of Tentmaking in Paul’s Mission Strategy.”

This 1997 article was written by Ruth E. Siemens, a former missionary to Latin America and Europe and the founder of Global Opportunities (GO), which promotes tentmaking as a missions strategy.

Many Christians know that the Apostle Paul knew the trade of tentmaking, and that while traveling through Asia Minor and Europe as a missionary, he supplemented his ministry income by plying his trade. But Siemens offers a fascinating and provocative analysis in which she says that tentmaking was a crucial element of Paul’s missions strategy.

Siemens argues that tentmaking was not just a “fall back” source of income for Paul, but rather, that Paul earned almost all of his income from his secular trade. She points to evidence of tentmaking during all three of Paul’s missionary tours. She proposes that Paul refused to request or accept donations when they might have been available to him, preferring to be a tentmaker. She argues that tentmaking was Paul’s strategic way to infiltrate a community, and that it also was a method of evangelism that Paul could reproduce in his converts.

In short, and quite remarkably, I think, Siemens attributes Paul’s phenomenal success in spreading the gospel to several nations in a relatively short period of time largely to Paul’s tentmaking strategy.

Siemens correctly points out that Paul also endorsed and encouraged paid ministers. She says that Paul encouraged established churches to generously support their own pastors. But for missionaries seeking to save lost souls and start new churches in a foreign culture, tentmaking should be the norm, or at least a norm, Siemens contends.

The modern Church does not appreciate the significance of Paul’s tentmaking strategy, she says. Rather, we look down our noses at tentmaking. Because of this, we are failing to effectively utilize what could be a powerful strategy for world missions in the 21st century.

Siemens’ article has stretched my thinking. Here are several excerpts from her 9-page article:

• “I will use the term tentmaker to mean missions-committed Christians who support themselves abroad, and make Jesus Christ known on the job and in their free time. They are in full-time ministry even when they have full-time jobs, because they integrate work and witness. They follow Paul’s model of tentmaking, for the same reasons he did it.”

• “Because we cannot finish evangelizing the world without a massive force of such tentmakers, I am amazed at the lack of attention that is given to Paul’s model.”

• “The collapse of the U.S.S.R. not only freed the Soviet satellite nations, and produced 15 new Soviet republics, but it turned almost all non-unaligned governments to the West. Most of them struggle to implement free market economics, multi-party politics and improved human rights, in order to qualify for scarce international aid. All need tentmakers.”

• “By far the largest demand today is for educators, as it was in the early 1950s when I began my teaching and administration in private, secular schools in Latin America. But in addition to education at all levels, professionals and certified technicians are needed especially in health care, engineering, science and technology, business and finance, agriculture and related fields, and computer science.”

• “It [tentmaking] can reduce the attrition rate of missionaries who do not finish their first term or return for a second one– about 30%. Tentmakers who have learned the language and culture at their own expense are tried and proven candidates for mission agencies.”

• “Paul’s example gives a biblical basis [for tentmaking]. This is desperately needed! The mission community is not even sure whether to accept tentmakers as valid workers. Almost all the magazine articles and book chapters on tentmaking in my considerable collection have one common characteristic. They give a few advantages of tentmaking and end up with a long list of disadvantages. Always the same ones, most of which are not defects of lay ministry, but are based on an inadequate definition, and the restrictions of a hostile society. Regular missionaries cannot do a better job in those countires since they cannot enter at all.”

• “Tentmakers are often made out to be second class. They receive little help or encouragement from their churches or the mission community because these do not understand the tentmaker approach to which the tentmakers are called by the Lord. No wonder so relatively few young people are going as tentmakers …”

From your perspective what is the next battle we are going to have to face as a church?

Brad, I have been giving that question a lot of thought for the last few years. My answer is longer than suits “The Wall” on Facebook, so I will post my answer here.

The next great battle that will beleaguer the modern American church is already well under way, but it will get much worse. I am talking about the battle between the ages. Just as Christian churches split over speaking in tongues in the 1970s and over styles of music in the 1990s, today we are seeing more and more churches splitting down generational lines. During the next decade, that Great Divide will become the norm.

Don’t mistakenly synonymize the age divide with the debate over music. The music squabble is/was largely a dispute between us Baby Boomers, who prefer soft rock choruses, and senior citizens, who prefer the older gospel songs in our hymnals. Being forced to choose between the two, most younger Christians lined up with the Baby Boomers in that debate. But the growing division between the generations in the church goes much deeper than musical taste. This is about power: who is in control of the church and who should be. And as Baby Boomers move to the other side of the age divide and Christians in their teens and twenties mature, the rivalry will escalate greatly.

During the 1970s-1990s, beginning perhaps with Willow Creek in 1975, some churches began explicitly targeting younger people. That was occurring in an era when the older generation still had tight hold of the reins in traditional churches, and younger people were seeking a less stifling worship and fellowship environment. Wanting to share in the success of those younger, hipper and usually larger churches, by the 1990s most traditional churches began mimicking the same strategy.

As a result, senior adult members are increasingly being marginalized in our churches. In many, perhaps most, Christian churches today, senior adults are expected to go along with what the younger members dictate and not make any waves. And if you would rather go worship somewhere else, there’s the door.

In response, we now see churches being started by older members who left (from their perspective, were driven out of) their former churches. Your church in Houston has witnessed this first hand, Brad, and we have seen the same thing here in Oklahoma City. It is happening all across the country. In addition, we now see a new phenomenon: churches that are not only started by older Christians but which are explicitly targeting older people in their marketing.

Everything so far has just been the first act. Senior citizens today are the “silent generation.” They tend to take what is dished out to them. They are uncomfortable making waves. But we Baby Boomers are hardly known for keeping quiet. As Baby Boomers continue to grow older, the power struggle between young and old will intensify. And as Christians in their teens and twenties grow older, they will become much more comfortable in expressing their latent resentment toward the Baby Boomer generation.

As these tensions mount, Baby Boomers will clamp down hard on their control of the church. In most churches, they will have the numbers and the dollars to do it. Younger members will be driven off to start a new bumper crop of youth-oriented churches. In some churches younger members will gain the control and the Baby Boomers will march out — in large numbers and taking their large offerings with them — to start churches to their liking. All of this is already happening. But sadly, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, none of this is pleasing to God. But I do not hear anyone denouncing it. To the contrary, most church leaders continue to champion the strategy of targeting specific age groups, despite its obvious corollary of marginalizing other age groups. Ten to fifteen years from now, most churches will clearly identify themselves in all of their marketing and presenting materials as catering to a specific age group, and church-going Christians will never be forced to endure the distasteful experience of rubbing shoulders with believers of other age groups.

Such categorization and division of churches will be the norm, in the same way that we currently accept and even encourage division by age in Sunday School and small groups. Sunday morning will more than ever be the most segregated hour of the week.

But there will be many more battles and blood-letting in our churches on our way to the Great Divide. It can only get much worse as the demographics continue to shift.