A: The Gospel is most clearly understood in community and in believers’ lives being joined together. When we don’t commit to the local church, we’re less evangelistically effective, because while the Gospel we’re sharing may contain all the accurate information, we’re not giving people the full picture. To truly understand the Gospel’s power, you have to see it lived out—in the lives of Christians who are connected to one another. But the world can’t see that when Christians aren’t living life together as the local church.

To encourage my church to commit, I use this illustration: When one person in the audience claps his hands, you can barely hear him. But when everyone begins to clap their hands together, it’s an impressive sound, and people pay attention. Communities of people building their lives around the Gospel grab others’ attention. Then unbelievers see that the Gospel is not just what works for one person, but that there is real power here, something beyond human explanation.

Q: In addition to commitment issues, your book describes how younger generations tend to be highly critical of the local church. What does this communicate to the unchurched?

A: Well, when a person with a critical mindset (and I’ve been one of those people) is grouching about the church, it’s not going to inspire the unchurched to want to be there.

Our generation wants to relate to the unchurched, to show them that we’re not associated with things in the church that are less than appealing. But it’s much more compelling when we say, “You know what, there are problems here, and I’ll be honest with you, I’ve contributed my own set of problems. But here is who Jesus is and here’s how He’s changing us. And I want to be a part of a generation that’s seeking to fix the problems and be obedient."

Ultimately, a church only changes when people claim their role in the body of Christ and work hard to contribute and strengthen other members.