When I was a very young Christian, I read a book that greatly influenced my thinking on the Church—The Problem of Wineskins by Howard Snyder. Written in the mid-70’s, Snyder’s book challenged much of what was being done in the local church. He claimed the ‘wineskins’ were old and no longer could contain the new wine of the gospel. I grew up with the old wineskins, as probably many of you did as well. These wineskins of gathering in seats on Sunday, listening to sermons, participating in Sunday School and other programs of the local church, Snyder said, were inadequate to convey the immense power of the gospel to a lost world. That was profound news to me.

It began to change my thinking about what I had grown up with. As I entered campus ministry in 1983, what I gained from Snyder’s book I realized I could apply to my ministry to college students. Unfettered from church politics and tradition, I and my student leaders could change things up as necessary, sometimes in the middle of a semester, but typically every year. We had the Wine, which never changed, but we often and almost regularly had to change the wineskins which carried the Wine. We changed the nights of our meetings (I think my weekly large group meetings met on every day over the years except Saturday.), we changed the way our small groups worked—staff-led, student-led, theme focused, Bible book focused, eating a meal together or just providing snacks. To the point, I am very adaptable when it comes to ministry because that is how I have worked for decades. And, in many ways, I have Howard Snyder to thank for that. The Lord used him to open my eyes to what ministry could be and needed to be.

Now, more than 40 years later, I find myself in a similar position as Snyder and hopefully I will influence young people and church leaders just as he did. My book, Letters from Downstream, which was released last month, is a challenge to the old wineskins the local church has been using for decades to minister to children and youth. These wineskins—children’s and youth programs—have shown their increasing wear since being introduced in the 1970’s and are about as effective holding the new Wine as the old wineskins mentioned by Jesus. Yet, just like the Pharisees, many of today’s church leaders are resistant to change. While research for nearly two decades (see for example Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean, unChristian  by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons) has shown how ineffective these wineskins are, there has been little change. 

Our problem is, as with the Pharisees, is we like our old wineskins. They’re familiar and comfortable, and they appear to work well, at least if the goal is to maintain a system. The Pharisees were very committed and successful at maintaining a religious system. We are as well. Think of how many successful churches there are across our country, churches with beautiful and functional buildings, with staffs committed to their responsibilities and programs. Yet, 60-80% of the young people growing up in these churches leave the faith sometime during their college years. And their understanding of Christian doctrine and what it means to follow Jesus is, as Dean and Kinnaman & Lyons note, often of a less than biblical nature. The truth is our current wineskins are in tatters and need replacing. 

The question is, are we willing to acknowledge this problem with our wineskins and begin exchanging them for new ones, ones better able to carry the Wine of the gospel without spilling it uselessly on the ground around us? Jesus knew that the wineskins used by the religious leaders were not adequate to meet the true needs of the people. This is why he came proclaiming the need for change. Today it is no different. The programs of the typical local church do not meet the spiritual needs of the people. They are not leading them into intimate relationships with the Lord; they are not growing men and women to be ambassadors for Jesus in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and even within their families. Parents are not being taught how to disciple their children. Children are not growing up with a missional vision for their lives as ones created to serve the Lord. And young people are not arriving on campus with the view that they have just arrived on their mission field. 

Churches talk a lot about the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), but few prepare their people to carry out that command in their own families and communities beyond bringing their kids to church and inviting other people to join them. 

We may be for the Great Commission; we may be for discipleship. However, if our current wineskins aren’t accomplishing these, they must be discarded for the sake of the Kingdom and new ones put into place, ones effective at carrying the rich and life-giving Wine of the gospel.

© Jim Musser 2022 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.