Let's overturn these tables

They say young people are the future of the church. But in first world countries less and less of them are joining churches, or staying in them.

Churches run all sorts of activities to attract youth and young adults, and often try to make their music contemporary, and their youth pastors look hip. They run youth groups, young adults groups, weekend camps and all the rest.

But what if all these things weren’t addressing the reasons why young people are staying away?

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What do they say?

A 2018 US report investigated why the American church is losing numbers and what to do about it. A large part of the report focused on youth and young adults (Gen Z, currently aged about 12 to 26, but 5 years younger when the report was written), because these youth from Christian families are dropping out of church at a high rate.

Surveys quoted in the report (some of them a decade or more old now) showed that being unable to believe the church’s teachings wasn’t the major cause of this loss of faith. Rather, the report said:

“The majority of the disaffiliated did not go through a crisis of faith or intellectually reject church teachings. They left because they just weren’t interested in the Christian life they saw.”

There are many surveys of youth dropout, and many reasons given, but I want to focus on this one for now. While the studies were pre-Covid and so not entirely contemporary, I think the issues remain relevant.

Why aren’t they interested?

This report says young people look to the church to be a positive influence in the world, and don’ t like what they see. This seems to express itself in several different ways.

Caring for the poor?

Youth tend to be idealistic. They are digitally connected and have the pain of the world in their back pockets. And many have been taught at school to care for minorities and to be sensitive to those suffering mentally or physically. They want to change the world for good and believe this should be the role of the church.

So many youth see the threat of climate change, the damaging effects of inequality, discrimination and gun violence, and the need to help those who are struggling, but have come to believe that “the church is of no benefit” in working for justice.

A lack of integrity on social issues

• The church’s record in politics is a real problem for many Christian youth. Many want to be politically involved. Many are happy to follow the evangelical church’s association with more extreme right wing politics and Christian nationalism, but a significant number, especially young women, are rejecting such views.
• The church’s generally conservative stance on gender, sexuality and race can be a barrier, especially for women and those with queer or minority race friends.
• The financial and sexual scandals of church leaders are another reason why more idealistic youth have lost interest in the church.

A different type of community

And so, the report suggests, youth would want to be part of a caring community that exhibits to the world a different way of living – less polarised and more accepting of people even when their lifestyles are different to the church’s. A church that sees the world and its inhabitants as objects of God’s love rather than his anger or judgment.

The church’s failures (as they see it) in these areas makes religion irrelevant for many. Their feeling is more indifference than anger.

Whether we agree with these negative assessments or not, the church surely needs to take them into account.

Suggestions for change

The report suggests some significant changes in the way churches and families raise children and youth.

The really important thing, the report says, is “actively engaging youth into a full life with Jesus in their family and church”. While youth groups have their place, they shouldn’t be the only way youth are discipled. This principle leads to a number of strategies:

Adults matter more than peers

Adults have the most impact on youth faith (more than peers). So parents need to be trained and given tools to disciple their own kids. The whole church needs to be trained and mobilised. If adults can learn to relate to youth without talking down to them, can take a genuine interest, and can learn not to be shocked, then they can mentor youth and show them an example that will be noticed. Youth group leadership teams should include suitable ådults.

For 13 years, while in our late 60s and 70s, my wife and I were part of a large youth team ministering to over 100 kids. While our main role was in the kitchen, there were many opportunities to informally support both young leaders and the youth themselves. At first, I felt out of place, but before long I felt comfortable, and the leaders really appreciated having someone older around.

More than sin management

The good news of Jesus is more than just a way to manage our failings, more than just a way to be forgiven and “go to heaven”. The gospel is about renewal of the whole creation (Romans 8:21), about the kingdom of God on earth and the difference that makes in people’s lives (Matthew 13:33). It is about caring for the poor, the widows and orphans, and the suffering and marginalised (Matthew 25:31-46).

Too often the church has narrowed the gospel down to sin and salvation alone, which robs it of some of its attraction. The full gospel can excite and motivate youth.

Cultural apologetics

Our postmodern world has redefined and made more fluid many aspects of life that were once more certain: e.g. gender roles, sexuality, respect for individual choices. Traditional social ethics have been modified. As a result, youth raised in a traditional Christian home and church can come across many different values among their friends, in their schools, on TV and social media, etc.

These differences can be difficult to negotiate and require deep discernment. Are all the traditional Christian values still true and essential? How much can we learn from the culture around us? How can Christians be friends and respect those who hold very different beliefs and values? What things can we be flexible about?

These are often very different questions with different answers from what previous generations faced. Churches and families must think and pray deeply about these questions, and provide sensitive guidance to youth.

Involve youth in mission

Instead of youth meeting in their own groups, insulated as much as possible from the big bad world, the report recommends that youth be involved together with adults in all aspects of mission – evangelism, overseas mission (via short exposure trips or gap years), caring for the poor, church planting, advocacy, leadership, decision-making, and more. This allows them to express their idealism, be apprenticed by adults and have a sense of accomplishment that builds skills, commitment and self worth.

Lukewarm and comfortable?

The report isn’t explicit, but suggests to me that the American church has become somewhat comfortable in its relative wealth and privilege. I’d say the same about the Australian church, and that includes me!

Bob Dylan wrote (a long time ago!) “When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose”. Conversely, western Christians have so much we have much to protect. It seems sometimes that we are more concerned about protecting what we have than sharing what we have, including the good news of Jesus. Concerns for preserving Christian influence and privilege seem often to be more important than caring for those around us.

The report picks up this theme and argues the church needs to look outwards more to the needs of others. “We are hard pressed to understand a theology that does not take centrally the importance of the missional work of the church.” Youth who are unimpressed with how disconnected the modern church appears to be from the teachings of Jesus may just see things differently if Christians make a greater effort to live as disciples.

Pray

The report emphasises prayer. “We cannot stress how important it will be to increase prayer for many of the efforts discussed previously. Without prayer, we believe we will labor in vain.”

The challenge

It is easy to think funding a youth worker and having contemporary music in services will do the trick and retain youth. Perhaps even easier to say God is sovereign and we just have to be faithful. Or to say the world has rejected God and we just have to live faithfully.

Much more challenging is to prayerfully consider whether our church is living as the committed, sacrificial, loving community that will more likely retain our youth and be attractive to outsiders. Are we living with attitudes that are contrary to core teachings of Jesus, such as care for the poor, integrity, loving our enemies, non-violence, forgiveness, turning away from materialism – i.e. loving God wholeheartedly and loving neighbour?

And then being willing to make changes wherever the Spirit shows us is necessary. This is just one of several factors in youth growing in faith, but it is a good start.

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