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Jaime has been looking for a church home ever since
she left college in 2002! John has been looking since he moved to a new city
three years ago. Tara left her church after trying for two years to launch a
young adults’ ministry with no support from the church leadership. She hasn’t
bothered to look again. Then, there’s Emily, who, after attending seminary and
moving twice in the past seven years, still is looking for a church with people
like herself and Jaime and John and Tara – young adults.
For years church leaders have been sitting on the
sidelines wringing their hands waiting for young adults to walk through their
doors. From our friends’ experiences and their friends’ experiences, we know that
many young adults have walked through plenty of church doors. But they didn’t
find others like themselves, and they left feeling like they didn’t belong. Almost
every church says it wants to attract more young adults, but the reality is
that few churches (about 16%*) know how and few searchers know how to find
churches with young adults.
Let’s face it, it can be really hard to find a faith
community if you are a young adult. Until now.
A new report on churches that are attracting young
adult populations has just made it a whole lot easier to search for faith
communities where young adults gather.
The rest of this blog reviews the seven characteristics that the Faith Communities Today study revealed, and then we’ve added Search Strategies you can use to search for a church.
1. Characteristic: Young
churches, young people. Congregations organized in the past decade were three times
as likely to have a significant number of young adults as congregations
organized before 1976.
Search Strategy: Google search for
“church plant” or “new church start” plus your location. Most church plants
self-identify on Websites and social media. Both labels indicate churches that
have begun within the last 15 years. Yes, in many cases, a church that is fewer
than 20 years old sees itself as a new church start.
2. Characteristic: The
KISS principle (Keep It Spiritual, Stupid). Congregations reporting high levels of
spiritual vitality were three times as likely to have significant numbers of
young adults as congregations with low spiritual vitality.
Search Strategy: This requires a
visit to confirm a church’s “spiritual vitality,” but gauge the church’s
Website, too. Is it flat and functional, or dynamic and engaging? Does it
emphasize internal programming or relationships with God and others?
3. Characteristic: Eat,
pray, read the Bible.
Congregations that reported a lot of emphasis on spiritual practices such as
prayer and scripture reading were five times more likely than congregations
that put no emphasis on such practices to have large numbers of young adults in
the pews.
Search Strategy: Check out Websites,
social media, pastor blogs, and e-newsletters for signs of spiritual practices
such as prayer services, daily devotionals, meditative exercises, small group
worship, and service to others.
4. Characteristic: Keeping
up with new technology: Congregations that reported multiples uses of technology
such as social media and websites were twice as likely to have a significant
percentage of young adults as those that reported marginal use.
Search Strategy: Most groups offer
basic Websites and a Facebook page. But do they use them to engage visitors?
Are posts current, timely, and relevant? The next step up is pastor blogs,
e-newsletters, and other easy-to-access media (online sermons and podcasts.) The
highest level of tech use is an all-access-pass to the ministries of the
church, small groups, and other connection points via your computer or mobile
device. A flat, functional, and informational online presence usually
translates into a flat, functional, and informational onsite presence as
well.
5. Characteristic: Electric
guitars rock.
Congregations that used electric guitars and overhead projectors in their
worship often or always were about twice as likely as congregations who never
used them to have significant young adult participation.
Search Strategy: Most groups
identify this type of worship experience as “contemporary.” Most Websites will
let you know if the band or the choir is leading the worship experience.
6. Characteristic:
Gender balance.
While women outnumber men in most congregations, the study found the more men
there were in a congregation the more likely it was to attract young adults.
Search Strategy: Another onsite
confirmation is required here. But check out the small group offerings on a
church’s Website. Are the groups, programs, and ministry weighted more heavily
toward one gender than the other? Does what they offer your gender appeal to
you and your peers?
7. Characteristic: Promoting
young adult ministry.
Congregations that placed a lot of emphasis on young adult activities and
programs were more likely to attract young women and men.
Search Strategy: You should be able
to tell from the church’s Website and social media posts if young adults are
even on their radar and if they understand your generation’s spiritual and
community needs.
Unfortunately, too many
churches think they’re reaching young adults when they hire a rock band, hang
projection screens, and start a Facebook page that posts social activity
announcements and calendar changes. The biggest problem with most of these
attempts has been that they were designed and implemented by people who are not
the target audience, and who have either forgotten or just don’t understand the
needs and interests of younger adults.
That’s why it’s important to
look past the window dressing using these seven characteristics.
Online
information should help you to know if a group is even interested in attracting
young adults. Then an onsite visit confirms your perceptions.
The Church Guide Website (www.thechurchguide.net) offers additional resources for reading church
Websites, searching for different types of “spiritually vital” churches, and
search strategies for single adults and young families.
_____________________________________________________________________________
*2010 Faith Communities
Study
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