Canadian Mennonite
Volume 10, No. 17
September 4, 2006
What about the young adults?
People are asking whether I am discovering any trends in my visits to the churches. The answer is easy: Yes I am. I will outline some of the trends and patterns in future articles in Canadian Mennonite. However, I would like to discuss one here. The first and most consistent pattern I have observed so far is the evidently thin presence of 18-28 year-olds in the active life of the congregations.
In 175 visits so far, I have come across only three congregations that report a significant demographic bulge of people in their 20s. What is happening?
In one congregation with the 20s bulge, I asked these young adults what the secret was for their attraction to and participation in the life of that congregation:
• They see their congregation addressing the issues of the day in relevant and practical ways;
• They sense that it’s okay not to have easy answers and final conclusions in worship and study;
• They notice that the pastor doesn’t pretend to understand everything and know it all, and they see that as good;
• They sense that they are struggling together through complex issues of our faith and of being the church, and they want that;
• They have a strong theological home but are allowed to wander and search;
• The congregation focuses a lot on lay leadership: creative involvement and initiative are genuinely welcome and this opens opportunity for participation.
Maybe the things not mentioned are just as important:
• They are not asking the congregation to do more for them, or to have more programs for them;
• They did not mention musical styles. In this congregation the music style is actually quite traditional and conservative by some standards, but this should not be generalized to others;
• They are not seeking specialized attention, e.g., college and careers, but are looking for holistic integration and integrity of all of congregational life.
The perception often is that the church as a whole doesn’t do very much for its young adults. The truth is that enormous amounts of energy, time, and financial resources are invested for their benefit. Many congregations have pastors specifically dedicated to this group. There are four post-secondary Mennonite schools that hope to serve this demographic and prepare them for life and leadership in the church. All levels of church have bursary and scholarship funds available. All Area Churches have extensive camping programs that provide opportunity for leadership development and the deepening of faith commitments. The church commits funds to develop curriculum for this age sector.
In financial terms, it is likely that it is the largest investment the church makes as a system to any area of ministry.
My sense is that the 20-year-olds are not seeking more programs, resources, or more creative worship. Indeed these things are at times perceived by them to be peripheral to their deeper concerns. Rather, they want to be heard, not just listened to. They want to be taken seriously. They are searching for church life that is deeply contextual, socially relevant, biblically prophetic, profoundly theological, globally aware, ecologically conscious, strongly communal, and that has lots of evidence of integrity and passion. All of this speaks more to the life of the entire congregation than it does to the needs of a particular age sector.