I was astonished at Mitchell’s answer. He had just confessed Jesus as Lord on my front porch after attending our 9th-10th grade small group of young men for four months. As we discussed his background, an Asian-American teenager from a non-practicing Buddhist family, it became clear that he had very limited knowledge of Christianity. I asked him how he became interested in Jesus, and he said that he started watching videos of a gospel preacher on the social media platform, TikTok.
He then began to read a Bible from a digital app and read John, Acts, and was working on Amos! He expressed that no one had ever told him about Jesus, but then a friend named Garrett invited him to our small group and shared with him.
My mind was spinning that night. How much effort are we putting in to reaching young people as a church? Are we willing to try new things to connect? How are we getting the attention of the next generation? Why did it take 15 years for someone to talk to Mitchell about Jesus in the Bible belt?
We are losing the next generation. Baptisms of teenagers in South Carolina have been cut nearly in half over the past 20 years. They are distracted and disillusioned with the world they see spinning out of control. Young people are in desperate need of hope. What will you do about it?
How far would you want someone else to go in order to reach your grandchildren? Are you willing to learn a few new tricks in order to connect?
You’re probably thinking, “I don’t even know what a TikTok is?” Go ask your kids and grandkids. They’ll fill you in. Have a conversation with them about your Jesus story and ask them about a friend they have who needs to hear about Him.
I pulled Garrett over to the side that night and told him what happened. I then said, “Mitchell will never forget that you cared enough about him to bring him to this Bible study. You are now a part of his spiritual story, and every time he talks about meeting Jesus, he will talk about you.”
We then walked into the garage and Mitchell told the boys he was getting baptized. A locker room dance party broke out, they celebrated, and I shot a video. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to get it on TikTok.