(OPINION) Evangelist Nick Vujicic is raising the alarm about the state of the Western Church — something he laments has become “more like a country club and a social gathering” than the Body of Christ — and its critical role in shaping the next generation amid a rise in addiction and suicide ideation.
“We are seeing the fruit of us not really disciplining the next generation or having accountability,” the 42-year-old Australian-American evangelist told The Christian Post.
“If we look at our country, there are youth pastors that are seen as babysitters, and 95% of the churches I’ve walked into, I would never attend because they feel more like a country club and a social gathering,” he continued.
Vujicic, who leads NickV Ministries, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the Gospel and uniting the body of Christ, pointed to a cultural shift within American churches in the early 2000s. He said many adopted a more entertainment-focused approach to draw in younger audiences.
“A lot of Western churches in the USA changed their approach and actually started watering the Gospel and bringing a little bit more entertainment, a little bit more fun, a little bit more interaction; they went from meat to milk,” he said.
“There were preachings back then about keeping your pants on until marriage. None of that’s really happening in 95% of the churches. Today, we have Gen Z swearing, saying the F word, sleeping around, and everyone knows it, but no one’s really keeping anyone accountable.”
“I’m seeing the fruit of no accountability and no meat being taught, which means we’re raising up babies who are frightened and are easily caught in depression,” he stressed.
The Life Without Limits author painted a grim picture of the challenges facing Gen Z, from technology addiction — “seven and a half hours a day, that’s how much time young people are spending on screens,” he said — to sexual exploitation, to abortion and its aftermath.
He said that many teenagers today are creating “inappropriate photos of themselves” and lamented the number of children who report being raped by age 17.
“Of the 25 million abortions in this country, many were carried out by women who regularly attended church. We’re not talking about the PTSD that comes with that,” he said.
“We don’t talk about the things that we need to talk about, and for as long as we don’t start healing the broken hearts that need healing, and for as long as we don’t bring in boundaries, as long as we don’t hold our leadership accountable, I am very afraid of what’s ahead,” he added.
Vujicic warned of complacency he sees in post-election cycles, as conservative Christians are “praying and fasting less” after their chosen candidate won the election.
“He is not our Savior,” he said, referring to President-elect Donald Trump. “On public television, he admits that he hasn’t asked God for forgiveness. He doesn’t think he needs to do that. So, I pray for his soul. I think his wife is saved from what I’m hearing. But in the end, it’s not about the president; it’s about the Church.”
