Young Adults Want "Genuine" Church

The Christian Post reports that another survey was recently released citing statistics saying that young adults like yourself (ages 18-34) feel left out by the church, they want "genuine" church, they want to put their faith into action through social work, and they crave relationships.

I don't discount the survey results one bit, primarily because we've been hearing this for years. There is nothing really new in this survey's results. Maybe LifeWay had to do their own survey so that those Southern Baptist churches that ignored previous surveys would finally listen? Or perhaps they are releasing some new material targeting the young adult population and needed to justify it with their own research. Who knows.

But what makes me not embrace these findings with passion or a "see, I told you so" attitude is that I don't think these things are necessarily true of only young adults. I think ALL humans crave relationships. I think most Christians regardless of age want "genuine" church (it's just that "genuine" looks different to different people). I think many followers of Jesus in all generational stages want to put their faith into action. And there are many people that feel left out by the church - just ask a 45-year-old single-again or never-married person, or an immigrant from another culture without any fellow countrymen in the community, or the senior citizen whose church is becoming more and more contemporary (music, fashion, programming, etc.), or the business man with the demanding travel schedule. It seems most anyone could find some excuse for not being accepted.

If we try to say these survey results are only about the young adult years, I think we make three errors:

#1: We isolate young adults even more than they are. Churches come up with special programs and groups just for your age group, and many of your peers end up missing the richness of being mentored by those older than us or giving to those younger than us. While we need to have young adult groups (like the Adult Bible Fellowships I oversee or movements like Watershed), we can unintentionally put young adults in a bubble, making life even more difficult for them and making them feel even more unwanted or disconnected from the church family. That's why things like Men's Fraternity are so valuable.

#2: We keep young adults focused on themselves. There is so much going on during the young adult years that it is very natural for young adults to focus on themselves. Many of you are still trying to figure out exactly who you are and what you want to do with the life God has given you. But often the best way to find out your passions, spiritual gifts, personality, etc. is not to hole up in a small group of other young adults complaining that the church is ignoring you or you can't get a date, but rather start serving others - within your generation and outside your generation - gaining experience and exposure to many things. So often when we get our eyes off of ourselves, we learn more about ourselves than we ever expected.

#3: We devalue the humanity of other generations. By saying that these findings are all about young adult age group, we miss out on the other generations that feel these exact same things. Yes, I know that the 18-30 age group is often the most overlooked group by the church. This time of life is so transitional (college, jobs, marriages, first kids, first house, travelling, etc.) that it makes it hard to minister effectively to those in your peer group, so special attention and thought is needed. But we mustn't make the mistake of then ignoring the other generations that also crave genuine worship, deep relationships, and kingdom-minded action. We as young adults don't "get it" alone while everyone else is missing it.

I remember hearing Bill Hybels talk about being a bit insulted when the recently-revamped Axis was starting up at Willow Creek over 10 years ago. The young adults starting this new church-within-the-church talked about having something "genuine" and "real". These were the same words and attitudes that Bill and his friends had when they were starting Willow Creek up in a theater in the 70s. While he wisely let them go start something that would more effectively reach their generation than the "regular" worship services at Willow would, I couldn't help remembering that this pastor in a different generation had the same cravings that I and my peers had.

Feel free to share any thoughts you might have about the survey results or young adult ministry in general. Perhaps you think we are missing the mark at New Covenant or in Watershed, or maybe you are thankful for what is being done through NCBC or Watershed and these survey results show you that we are trying to effectively minister to you and your peers.

Thanks to Catablog for the story and link to the Christian Post.