Connecting with the younger generation

Our local community hired a consultant last year to determine how the historic district could better serve the thousands of people who come to view the houses and other buildings in the district.  One of the things he noticed was that many of these businesses made it hard for these tourists to do business with them.  Some kept irregular hours; some were not open on weekends; and some were open by "Appointment only or if you happen to catch us at the store."  That was a sign on at least one of the businesses.  It almost seemed as if some of these businesses made it almost impossible for anyone visiting our city to purchase anything from them.  Now, how does this apply to smaller, bivocational churches?

Most churches say they want to attract younger people, especially young families with children.  But, what are they doing to be more attractive to these people?  The answer in many cases is very little, if anything.

Has your church ever conducted any kind of study to determine the time of the worship service that would be most attractive to young couples with children?  If your church is like most, it has kept the same times of worship it has had for decades.  If you are in a community with a lot of Sunday sports activities for children, a growing trend today, you may need to offer an earlier service so people can come to church and still allow their children to be involved in other activities.  A Saturday evening service might even be more appealing to some young families.

How easy is it for people to financially support your church?  Most churches take up a collection every Sunday morning, and most of the money raised comes in the form of checks and cash, with the bulk of the money coming through checks.  Many young people write very few checks any more.  They are quite comfortable paying their bills on-line or by using a debit card.  Does your church offer on-line giving?  Does your church have the means by which someone could contribute to the church with a debit card?   Many young people have automatic deductions taken out of their checking accounts to pay their bills and would be comfortable authorizing your church to automatically deduct from their account each week an amount they've agreed to.

What measures has your church taken to ensure the safety of the children who attend your church?  I recently read that the top two things a woman who visits a church for the first time checks is the cleanliness of the facility and the security of the children's ministry.  (I don't know what it would be for first-time male visitors, but it probably has something to do with donuts.)  If your female guests perceive that your church is not clean or that it does not provide adequate security for their children, it is unlikely they will return no matter how much they enjoyed the rest of their time at your church.

Notice that none of these things have anything to do with doctrine or church polity, but they have everything to do with how young people live today.  Long before we can introduce them to what we believe we have to connect with them and build relationships.  We have to make it comfortable for them to come to the services at our church.  So, the next time someone in your congregation says that the church needs to find a way to attract more young people, share this posting with them and ask how much of it are they willing to do in order to actually appeal to these people.