Shifting Entry Points
Traditionally, worship has been regarded as the primary venue through which individuals enter the life of a congregation. In The Inviting Church (Alban, 1987, 74-75),…
Browsing: Reaching Younger People
Articles
Worshiping at Two Vital Congregations
Readers of Leading Ideas are familiar with the Lewis Center’s focus on the church’s challenge to “reach more people, younger people, and more diverse people.”…
Expanding Your Prayer Ministry through Twitter
People in your community — many unknown to you — have prayer needs each day. Many of them share their prayer concerns using Twitter, the…
Reaching More Disciples
The first decade of the 21st century was one of highs and lows for U.S. congregations. In the wake of the tragedy of 9/11, many…
Generation Rising: A Future with Hope for the United Methodist Church
Twelve United Methodists from Generation X have teamed up to write a practical book of theology for the United Methodist Church. The authors invite the…
From Where Did All These Young Adults Come?
I visited a new church a couple of weeks ago. I periodically do this partially because of my own natural curiosity about how different churches…
Mission as the Emerging Entry Point for New People
It is intriguing that the first connection people have with a congregation tends to change from time to time. For churches with struggling adult Sunday…
Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation
Many church leaders bemoan the absence of younger people from their pews without bothering to consider the contextual factors that must define ministry with new…
When Christians Get It Wrong
For several decades now, many have watched in amazement as churches grew far larger than had been the norm previously in the United States. While…
Leaders Stay Young
What are the qualities of a good leader? Fortunately, Jesus defined leadership: A dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to…
Two Myths Relevant to Reaching Younger and More Diverse People
Each Sunday The Washington Post has a feature in the opinion section dealing with common myths about a particular topic. Noted demographer William H. Frey…
Keeping Campus Ministry Graduates Connected to Church
For many students, campus ministry becomes a community of friends, a home away from home, a kind of extended family. It is a body of…
Helping Youth Discern God’s Call
Two months ago, a group from my church attended the Leadership Institute held at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. Pastor…
Why I Believe in the Next Generation
I work with young adults. That is to say, when I employ them on my staff, my goal is for them to work with me, not…
A Generation of Tinkerers
Robert Wuthnow’s book After the Baby Boomers (Princeton University Press, 2007) is about younger adults — a group he defines as persons from 18-45 years…
17 Ways to Welcome College Students
Your church can make a big difference in the life of a college student! Here are some fun and easy ways to welcome college students…
Why We are Losing Ground with Young Adults
I have the amazing privilege of working with spiritually sensitive and passionate young adults from across the southeast. I am also charged with understanding why…
The Crisis of Younger Clergy
The Crisis of Younger Clergy explores the reasons why having a proportionate number of young persons entering ordained ministry is so vital to the future…
Serving Our Young Adults
Many churches are interested in developing programs for young adults to help their congregations grow. However, there is another equally compelling reason for churches to…
Young Adults and the Future of the Church
How are twenty-and thirty-somethings shaping the future of American religion? Robert Wuthnow, a noted sociologist of religion, considers this question in After the Baby Boomers (Princeton University…
Ministering to the Missing Generation
When I began as a twenty-seven-year-old pastor of a small rural church, ministering to young adults seemed like an impossible task. Newspapers and magazines often…
A Single Voice
I had been attending a new church for a little over two months, when something changed. I was active in this church, attending Sunday school…
Is Outreach to Young Families with Children Still Enough?
“What we really need is more young families with children.” How many times have we heard those familiar words spoken in churches? The image of…
What Leaders Need to Know about the Emerging Church
Susan Cox-Johnson shares insights about the the Emerging Church and ways of connecting with postmodern generations. It was only a few years ago that I…
Learning to See and Listen to Younger Adults
Susan Cox-Johnson encourages church members to seek out and listen to young adults in their communities to learn about their life and faith. As a…
Pitfalls to Avoid in Reaching a Younger Constituency
Reflecting on a failed attempt by Public Broadcasting Corporation to reach a younger audience, Lovett H. Weems, Jr., offers advice to churches about reaching younger…
Predictors of Youth Returning to Church as Adults
Lovett Weems reviews a study of participation in church by adults who had dropped out of church as youth. Of all the variables studied, only…
