Two different thoughts. As I've been preparing for the message I'm gonna give on the 8th of December, I've been thinking about how Japanese preaching is so very different from American preaching. Ever since my Japanese language learning got up to the point where I could understand most of the sermons preached in Japanese churches, I noticed the difference but couldn't quite figure out what caused the differences. Recently though, I've realized that it's the end goal... the purpose of the message. Sure, generically, all Christian messages are ultimately for the sake of glorifying God. What I'm talking about is the means to reaching that goal. The Japanese method is educating the people. At the end of most every message, I've come away with a "take-away" that starts with the words, "After hearing the message, I should know..." Talk to most pastors here and ask them what the purpose of preaching is and they'll most likely say something to the effect of "To teach the people about God."
Most American churches are different. Of course, teaching happens through a sermon. But that's not what most pastors hope people come away with. Almost always the desired "take-away" starts with the words, "After hearing the message, I should do..." The end goal isn't knowledge. The end goal is action... empowerment. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge, was once a noble cause in America. But now, the way of American thinking is changing. Knowledge is now for the sake of application. Interest, for the most part, varies according to the level of application in one's life. And as a result preaching's probably changed as well.
The second thought. Why aren't more churches in Japan starting youth groups? Whenever I ask the question to Japanese church-goers, I usually get the same response: "Japanese youth are busy... they don't have the free time to come to a youth group." But when I walk around Date after 8PM, I see all these high schoolers and post high schoolers hanging around the strangest places: Train stations, roofed bus stops, supermarket parking lots to name a few. They're still at the train stations and bus stops after trains and buses stop running so obviously they're not waiting for a ride home. Sitting around, talking to one other for hours at a time. So, maybe they're not the cookie-cutter, good, studious kids that the church wants to attract. But isn't that just about the same thing the Pharisees said about the people Jesus hung around with?