Its Heart Must Remain in Christ
A teenager writes to the Church of the future
Melita Suganthi
Member, RTMC • Writing in 2026
Dear Church Leaders and Members of the Church of 2075,
Peace be with you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
🌿 A Church That May Look Different
The Church of 2075 may look very different from the Church of 2026.
Services may be more digital, more connected, and more interactive.
Online worship, virtual Bible studies, and technology-based ways of reaching people — which are still new for us — may well have become the norm for you.
I hope you will still have a blend of in-person and online, because there is something irreplaceable about being physically together.
But whatever form the Church takes, its purpose will remain the same.
Three things, anchored in Scripture, will never change.
✨ THREE THINGS THAT MUST NEVER CHANGE
🙏 1. To Worship God
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.”
Psalm 29:2
To worship God.
Whatever technology surrounds the Church of 2075, worship must remain at its heart.
📖 2. To Teach the Bible
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
2 Timothy 3:16
To teach the Bible.
The methods may change. The tools may change. The ways people learn may change.
But the responsibility to teach Scripture faithfully remains.
❤️ 3. To Show Christ’s Love
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:18
To show Christ’s love to the world.
The Church must never become so focused on communicating the message that it forgets to live the message.
🌍 New Pressures, Unchanging Faith
The Church may need to respond to new pressures that we can only partly foresee:
the weight of technology on daily life,
the pace of change,
the shifting values of society.
Because of this, the Church will need to be clear in its teaching, strong in its faith, and intentional in helping people grow spiritually.
These are not new challenges.
But they will take new forms, and you will need to be ready.
🌱 THE YOUTH OF THE FUTURE BEGIN TODAY
I want to say something specific about young people, because I am one of them and I know what we need.
Youth will play a major role in shaping the Church of the future — which means the Church of 2026 has a responsibility to invest in the youth of today.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12
💬 Make Faith Relevant to Real Life
Pastors and church leaders should speak more youth-relevant sermons and run Bible studies that connect Scripture to the real world.
Topics like:
Friendship • Family • Studies • Social Media • Stress • Decision-Making
can all be explored through a Biblical lens.
When young people see that God’s Word is relevant to their actual lives, they engage with it differently.
The language of teaching matters too.
Many young people understand best when the message is direct and clear.
The goal is to help them grow in faith and knowledge, not to make faith feel distant or complicated.
📖 Teach With Integrity
“In everything, set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned.”
Titus 2:7–8
Teaching young people is not simply about giving them information.
It is about showing them what faithful Christian life looks like.
🙏 PRAY FOR THE YOUNG
Please pray for the youth of the Church — regularly and specifically.
Pray for:
Students.
Young workers.
Youth leaders.
Young believers.
Prayer is not a small thing.
It shows the Church cares, and it gives young people the strength and wisdom they need to stay rooted in faith.
🤝 Give Young People Responsibility
And give young people responsibility.
Trust them with:
Worship • Teaching • Outreach • Media • Service
When they are trusted, they grow —
in confidence,
in discipline,
and in faith.
Young people do not simply need to be spoken to.
They need opportunities to serve, contribute, make mistakes, learn, and grow.
✞ THE CHURCH OF 2075 STARTS TODAY
The Church of 2075 will be shaped by the decisions the Church of 2026 makes about its young people today.
“The Church may change in form, but its mission will remain the same.”
If it teaches clearly, leads with integrity, prays faithfully for the young, and gives them room to serve — the Church of the future will be strong.
And whatever the Church looks like in 2075, whatever technologies surround it, whatever new challenges it faces:
Its heart must remain in Christ.
Sincerely,
Melita Suganthi
Member, Richmond Town Methodist Church • 2026
