Young People Don't Go To Church, or Do They?

There is a common misconception that young people are fleeing churches.   So many churches ask, “Where are all the young people?”   My friend Rev. Elizabeth Hagen on her blog discussed a similar topic a few weeks ago and gave some great thoughts on understanding young adults.  Christianity Today published an article discussing the ministry of Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City.   Most of the article is geared toward Keller’s ministry and his bio.  The whole article is great, but the article begins with:

His church, Redeemer Presbyterian, has five crowded Sunday services in three rented locations—Keller dashes between them—with an average total attendance of 5,000. The service at Hunter is the largest, the “tourist service.” (For many years, Redeemer deliberately avoided publicity, but word has spread lately, and Keller estimates that hundreds of out-of-towners show up each Sunday.) Well over 2,000 people—mainly young whites and Asians you would expect to be sleeping off a late Saturday night—have come to this morning’s service.

Wow, “young people” in church… on Sunday morning no less.  What is due to this great success?  It has got to be a young hip preacher and cool band leading worship.  Nope.

Redeemer’s worship is seemly traditional. Instead of using video monitors, casually dressed worshipers follow a 20-page bulletin that includes hymns, prayers, and Bible texts. Organ and a brass quartet lead the music. For evening services, jazz musicians play contemporary Christian songs.

Standing 6’4″, with a bald head, glasses, and a coat and tie, Keller, 58, does not look hip. Nor is his sermon funny, charming, or daring. He preaches from the first chapter of Genesis, on the doctrine of Creation.  Keller speaks like a college professor, absorbed in his content, of which there is a lot

Wow!  No powerpoint?  (I’ve used powerpoint.)  Why are people flocking to this church?  Why has it grown so much?  The proof is here:

Much of Redeemer’s impact has been through friendships, word of mouth, and sermons passed on from one person to another. Redeemer resisted publicity, avoiding reporters. For years, Keller did little writing or speaking outside the church.

This goes to show us that any church can have the best building, prime real estate, flashy multimedia, the best praise bands, or the best looking preacher and fail.  Redeemer got it right when people were sharing about the church through friendships.  It has been my belief for 10 years now that churches attract and retain people, young or old, to the fullness of a church’s ministry by:

1. Authenticity through community. If the people are not real or the pastor is not real, people will see right through a faker.  It does not matter what kind of programs a church has.  If you have an unhealthy environment around those programs they are not going to be effective.
2. Empowerment of the laity. The lay people must be leaders and be involved.  People in congregations need to take ownership of every aspect of the church.
3. Servant leaders. If the people leading are anxious, self-serving, self-centered, or are into power-plays then the church is going to crumble.  Pastors and lay leaders need to humbly approach their charge of caring for the people.
4. Grace. People need room for making mistakes.  If you are the type of leader that demands perfection in people and demands absolute loyalty then get out of the ministry.  People need love and grace.  Now, I am not talking about cheap grace.  I am talking about forgiveness and accountability.  The people need to feel loved and taken seriously through gentle guidance.
5. Christ centered mission. At the center must be Christ and the redeeming nature of Christ.  The reason why we exist as churches is to share the love of God to others and to change people’s hearts through salvation.  There must be an outreach beyond the church’s four walls.

You can have any type of church: big, small, store front, new, old, any type of worship, any type of denomination or non-denomination, conservative, liberal, or moderate but if those 5 core elements do not exist you are not going to retain a healthy congregation.  If the internet has taught us anything it is that young people desire community.  Facebook, texting, Twitter, myspace, and Starbucks show us that young people want to be together.  Churches are about people and not about entertainment.  The “let’s go to church to feel better about ourselves and ignore our problems” mindset has created shallow churches.  The young people are out there and are interested in God, but they have to feel welcomed and affirmed.