Church and Its Priority with Parker Webb

Ever wonder how church attendance has shifted through generations, especially for millennials? On Quirks, Bumps and Bruises, we're joined by worship pastor Parker Webb from the band “Guilford,” who's not just strumming the guitar but tuning into the heartbeat of today's church culture. With Parker's unique insights and our own reflections on the role of church in our lives, we journey through the social and spiritual landscapes that have shaped our faith journeys.

This episode is a vibrant discussion that might just resonate with your own experiences. Whether you're firmly planted in a pew every Sunday or you're navigating the busy crossroads of modern life, join Melody, Candi, and Parker for a conversation that's as enlightening as it is heartfelt. We're not claiming to have all the answers, but we promise you'll leave with new perspectives on the spiritual legacies we're creating in our families and our communities.

Transcript

0:00:00 - Melody

Hi, I'm Melody and I'm Candi, and you're listening to Quirks, Bumps and Bruises. So glad you're with us on Quirks, Bumps and Bruises. This Melody, Candy like always. But we have a very special guest with us today: Parker Webb of the band and group that you hear on Joy FM called Guilford. Parker, let's have some fun talking about some church stuff. I'm gonna ask this question to especially to Parker and to Candi. Y'all are about the same age, I think, right. 

0:00:31 – Parker Webb

A couple you got I'm 24. 

0:00:32 - Melody

How old are you? 

0:00:34 - Candi

I'm 23. 

0:00:37 - Melody

And they both lie a lot. Yeah, and I'm 30. How old are you? 

0:00:41 - Candi

I'm 37. I thought we were a little bit further than that.

0:00:45 - Parker Webb

I'm 39. Yeah, yeah, that's painful. Well, we're pushing on 40. And if we go to heaven in our 80s, we're middle age. 

0:00:54 - Candi

Lord, come back. How about that, Lord, come back? 

0:00:57 - Parker Webb

Well, welcome to the world, yeah anybody that needs a depressing comment for the day. They are right there. 

0:01:04 - Melody

Well, I'm gonna ask you to something. We're gonna talk church Now. Parker, I know you and your family, candy, I know you and your background and your family. Of course, I know my background and my family. We are church kids. We truly love the church, and so, me being a little more seasoned old, she's 26. 

0:01:26 - Parker Webb

She's 26. You got two years old, yeah. 

0:01:28 - Melody

Right, I grew up in the era of most everybody went to church. Oh yeah, for sure. Now it could have been more, because there was not as much vying for your attention as it is now. It was kind of the thing to do, and it was maybe even a social outlet for many. 

0:01:45 - Candi

Stores were closed. Like you didn't do anything, stores were closed on Sundays. 

0:01:48 - Melody

They did not open, it was just a different time, yeah. And so I grew up going to church every Sunday and loved it, and I still love it, like I don't care how old I am. I will never not find a church home. I've been in the same one my entire life, sure, and I love it there and that's where God has placed me. If that for some reason, I would need to move or whatever, I would find me another church home, right. And so I know you two are the same way. But my question is this: do you feel like for your age group, that there are more going to church now, or do you feel like, for your age group, church has become? Maybe I'll do that if there's nothing else better to do? How do y'all feel about what do you see in your churches? I guess is a good way to ask that. 

0:02:40 - Candi

I would more so say that Parker should answer this, because you are a worship pastor at your church, so you physically are seeing. 

0:02:48 - Parker Webb

And it's difficult because I mean it's conversations that we have around the pastoral table. I mean all the pastors in our church we get together once a week for a pastoral staff meeting and it is a struggle. How do you reach all the different demographics? But Melody you're spot on with back in the 50s and 60s. I call it the ending. 

0:03:10 - Melody

Now, I wouldn't make that far apart. 

0:03:12 - Parker Webb

Well, here's that Right, because you're only 26. So obviously I'm way back, but I would say the Andy Griffith era. So even Otis, the town drunk went to church. 

And so there was an actual study from one of our large Christian suppliers that they did a study on all the generational decline of the church. So you had your greatest generation before the baby boomers. Baby boomers were the first generation to start leaving the church, because before that everybody went to church. So the baby boomer, right. So the baby boomers were the first generation where you found people walking away from the church totally. Then, on down a little bit, millennials were the first generation to have never darkened the doors of church, for the most part, predominantly. 

Now you have generational thank the Lord for that generational legacy where, like us here in this room, we've always been to church and because of our parents' leadership and guidance. So they're finding that millennials on down Now this is a proven statistic they are looking for church somewhere, but they're not looking at it in what millennials which is myself and candy have been blamed for, not for the more progressive, that's not what's enticing. They're actually looking for deep theology and something they can hold on to. And so if they're not finding it in our churches which there can be some churches that don't stand on God's word they are leaving and going to a church that can. So I challenge our pastors preach the word, spend time studying God's word and, as you very carefully, tear apart verse by verse and explain it to your people, because that's what's going to draw people in. Authenticity is what millennials are looking for. 

0:05:13 - Melody

Yeah, that was just getting ready to say the millennials, and down they can spot fake oh a mile away. Yes, totally. And they are looking for transparency, that's right. They are looking for authenticity, as you said, and sometimes the church and I'm just using that as a blanket statement there cannot be that way we're going to try to hide who we really are. We don't want others to know that we've dealt with this situation, or even pastors and that kind of. 

There's part of me that wants to say the church is kind of in a mess, it is For sure. But there is another part of me that knows there's hope and that there are so many good pastors, young pastors out there that love the Lord, that delve into His word, that will not compromise. And I urge anyone listening. If you're in that age group and you're just like I, just can't go. I'm not doing that, it's just a bunch of fake. Ask God to help you find that church body. We love talking church because Parker, you, candy, you myself all church kids grew up in church but truly love the church. Like when I don't go to church, I don't know about the all, but even if you go on vacation and I'm not in my church home. I feel weird oh for sure. 

0:06:34 - Candi

Oh yeah, well, you miss it, you miss your family, yeah. 

0:06:36 - Melody

And it's that day at church. That kind of sets me for the week, you know, and that kind of thing. I love church, I'm a church girl, but we're talking about the priority of in today's society, especially millennials and under and their priority when it comes to church. And Parker you had mentioned a few moments ago when we were talking about the millennials and under. They want authenticity. They don't want they can smell fake y'all Two seconds away. They know. Yeah, sure, you know hypocrisy and you're going to have all that in the church, but you know, if you got, I've always said when people say to me there's so many hypocrites in the church, and I'll say where is there a better place for them to be? Amen sister. 

And if you come, you're going to be one too, because we all have times where we have a little bit of hypocrisy. You're right and either our thoughts are in our life. Let's just be honest. 

0:07:25 - Parker Webb

I'm going to lay that out there. 

0:07:26 - Melody

We're human, we're depraved humans. That's what Christ died for. That's right. Yeah, genesis, chapter three yeah, but anyway. So talking about that in church and I know, with millennials especially, that's the age, like you all, where you have young children Barnard research says that a child will believe, for the most part, I think that I think the percentages are in the high eighties that a child will believe what they're going to believe for the rest of their life by age nine. Wow. So it shows you the importance of the home First of all, the example set in the home, the witness you have as parents to your children, and that the church can. 

Church is not made church youth groups, church children's programs. They are not the ones that are supposed to be raising your children in the Lord. They are a tool. They assist To walk with you. You think about it. For most families, your children are in church possibly two hours a week. Yeah, right, they're a Wednesday nights maybe, or Sunday nights and Sunday morning, maybe three hours. You've got them. The rest of the time, oh, yeah. So you see the balance there, totally. Let's just talk about that for a minute. I know both of you have your children in church. How high on the priority list. Is that for you, candy? I'll start with you. 

0:08:48 - Candi

Oh my gracious. A hundred on a scale of one to ten, yeah, and church. 

0:08:54 - Melody

Let me say this: Church can't save your children. 

0:08:56 - Candi

That's right. That's right. But there is something about little kids coming together with other children, singing songs and reading the Bible, hearing lessons. Being part of a church family, I mean, I believe that even if I were not in church myself, I would put my children in church. Yeah, you know, I would have them if there was any time where I was like Lord. I just I don't want church anymore, which I would absolutely send the kids. It's more important for me that they grow up right and learn the way Can I say that as a former children's director of children. 

0:09:34 - Melody

Many times I have that situation where the children were in church with me and the parents were at home. 

0:09:40 - Candi

And that's sad. It shouldn't be that way. Sometimes things hinder physically. You know people aren't able to do that, but it's very important. I mean my children's. Even though we train them at home, they learn the majority of it at home from mom and dad. It's still. 

0:09:56 - Parker Webb

Church is extremely important, extremely, and I think if you look at any any other, just grab an analogy. If I want my little boy to be a wonderful baseball player, there has to be a balance of I need to have him in the backyard myself as his daddy throwing the ball back and forth, but he has got to understand the camaraderie with other baseball players on the team at practice If he's going to be a star baseball player which he might not. 

0:10:27 - Candi

He's got music genes in his little body, and so he's not going to be a star You've already got that from him. 

0:10:32 - Parker Webb

Yeah, he's a wonderful little guy and very athletic, but the point being, if we want him to grow, it's all aspects of his life that he's going to have to and we don't put now. There are people that will put a priority on some of those other extracurricular things, and these are godly people. My challenge would be to folks put as much priority in being around fellow believers, growing them at home, training them up in God's Word and reading God's Word to them. But I think as a society we have diminished church fellowship in the sense of it has become an action that we utilize to gain salvation or whatever in our minds, when it's not. It's the simple fact of the more we are around fellow believers, we are going to grow closer to God because of it. 

And we're all human and a part of our depravity is we're going to slip up, but we've got to be around fellow believers that can grab us by our arms and get us back up. Accountability, accountability and I believe it's crucial with our walk with which is and so for us again, baseball Bryce's practices were on Wednesday night. Our church has a wonderful Wednesday night program. We made a commitment if the practice is on Wednesday night, we won't be there. 

0:11:52 - Melody

We had to do that with my son, who was a lefty, a pitcher and quite good, have some colleges even looking at him as he got older. But when he was in that younger little league, he was asked to be on a traveling ball team. And not to say that we're so righteous that we, but we had to make that decision as parents because the games were on Sundays and so we had to tell him no, you know, and so it is. It is tough because the world's going to push you, you know, really pull you in a certain direction, and I want to say why do y'all have to have those games on Sundays? There's there's six other days of the week that you could have those games, but to do it on Sunday because he would be out of church. A lot that traveling ball stuff. 

0:12:34 - Candi

And I think in the parent. You could justify like well, if we, if we miss this Sunday, we'll just watch it online, and it's that word right there Justifying yes. 

0:12:42 - Parker Webb

We, we justify our actions unbelievably in 2024. Yes, because there's so much going on, or? But I'm telling y'all it's. It's very simple what you want your children to turn out to be is where you put them, what you have them involved in, and I think everybody can, even people that don't know the Lord, would agree that having them around other Christians, godly people, is a better outcome than not. 

0:13:10 - Melody

Amen, so yeah, and can I just say, as a little side note church, what's God's idea? Church is not something that we just created, that's right. That's right. God finally says in his word to be around other believers so that you will encourage each other. You will walk together through the joys of life. You'll walk together through the sorrows of life. I frankly do not know how people do it without a church family. 

0:13:33 - Parker Webb

I agree, I think y'all would agree with that. 

0:13:36 - Melody

I could, I have grown up with a wonderful church family that loves the Lord. That is not perfect at all. I mean, I go there, so obviously it's not perfect, but I don't know where I would be without that group of people in my life. 

0:13:53 - Parker Webb

Well, and you look back all the way to the early church talking about not being perfect. Has anybody read about the church in Corinth, Amen? I heard a pastor say it was a straight dumpster fire that they were dealing with in Corinth. 

0:14:05 - Candi

I think they got a letter. 

0:14:07 - Parker Webb

They did, they got, and let me tell you we need a few letters these days. I was about to say. I think that most churches would receive a letter from Paul just saying y'all, you got to get your act together. We're better than this. 

0:14:22 - Candi

Yes. 

0:14:22 - Parker Webb

And. But the purpose of church is for fellowship, but more importantly it's for growth, spiritual growth with other believers, because we are better together than apart. Amen. 

0:14:35 – Announcer 1

Thanks for listening to the Quirks, Bumps and Bruises Podcast with Candi and Melody. If you enjoyed the show, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast. You can learn more at joyFM.org. 

0:14:53 - Announcer 2

Try Peas and Carrots Podcast for more encouragement. Brian and Kayla share life from their piece of the vegetable patch. Expect to laugh, find common ground, and hear stories you can't wait to share. It's a podcast about doing life together, growing in Christ together, and learning to laugh no matter what comes your way. Search Peas and Carrots Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts today.