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Depictions of God have always informed the faith of Christian believers. Colin McCartney’s new book, Let the Light In: Healing from Distorted Images of God (Herald Press), on the other hand, is inspired by conversations with young adults who have left the church due to
negative perceptions of God and experiences with the church. However, he says he observes a hopeful trend in their responses: “Many young adults are leaving the church, but they are not leaving Jesus.”
In 2014, five years after Warden Woods Mennonite Church in Toronto closed, a new congregation began to form in the Warden Woods community. Led by Jordan Thoms, the Warden Underground is focused on 15-to 30-year-olds. This is an age group which seems to be missed by the Warden Woods Community Centre programs, an age group whose opportunities for entering a criminal life are great, according to Thoms. And he should know, he grew up in the community.
After more than 30 years of working with young people on the margins of society in Toronto, Judith and Colin McCartney are now ministering under the auspices of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada.
During her community outreach work, Judith McCartney will typically ask people: “Did you know Christ walked 22,000 miles in his lifetime of ministry?”
When Colin McCartney of Connect City, a church-planting ministry in Toronto, came to Leamington last month, members of five local congregations in Essex County were taken on a journey from Christendom—where the church used to thrive—to post-Christendom—where it is now struggling.
In our post-Christian culture, many churches in Canada are shrinking. I know this because I have spent many hours working with denominations and churches, all of them asking the same question: What can we do to stop the steady disappearance of younger generations from our churches?
For many faithful church members who have spent their lives serving the church and their families, this exodus of younger generations is disheartening. As children grow up, many leave church life with their own families. Why?
One day, in my Bournemouth apartment, I asked God what his intention was for letting my plan happen. Mark 5 and the story of the man Jesus healed came to mind: “So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him.” I had received my answer—to share what Jesus had done for me. To me, this meant moving to Canada, getting connected with a local organization and preaching the gospel. In a word: missions.
But I had no idea how I would get into missions, so I decided to stick with my Hollywood plan. If God wanted me to do something else, he would have to make it happen.
