Storefront Youth Ministry Attracts Teens But Doesn't Recruit

Some churches urge their youth to invite friends to church on Sunday mornings. Others choose to meet youth where they're at.

LIFEspot, a storefront youth ministry of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo., hosts hundreds of teens every week in after-school events and concerts. The ministry is located in a shopping center in Centennial, Colo., but it's not out to recruit youth into their youth programs at St. Andrew.

And the bands that play at LIFEspot's six to eight concerts each month do not necessarily play Christian music. The musicians just have to keep it PG-13.

But outside the church and in a safe setting, Patrick Scriven, director of LIFEspot, says he's getting to know youth better than ever at LIFEspot.

"Outside the church - when they're here - you really can't tell the difference between the ones who go to church and the ones who don't," he said, according to the July/August issue of Interpreter magazine, a ministry publication for United Methodists. "The things that teenagers are thinking about doing or experiencing are things their youth pastors may never know."

The United Methodist director speaks of a popular approach largely seen among independent evangelical churches which target unchurched populations.

"I see God alive and well in the culture, even in the pop culture," Tim Stevens, executive pastor at Granger Community Church in Indiana, has emphasized to church leaders seeking innovative ways to reach their communities.

Stevens encourages the use of pop culture, such as popular movies and music, in sermons and church events to draw more people, especially the unchurched who may be unfamiliar with or intimidated by the church.

He doesn't see anything wrong with Christians listening to secular music such as Linkin Park's "What I've Done," from the band's latest album, in which listeners can draw a spiritual or deep meaning from.

"Meet them where they're at," Stevens stresses.

LIFEspot opens its doors Monday through Friday during the school year and upcoming events including Friday night's concert with Chain Gang of 1974 and Saturday's benefit art show.

Although LIFEspot does not try to recruit youth from the storefront setting to church on Sundays, Scriven says the ministry at least provides a save haven for teens.

"There are some rough sides of being a teenager these days, and we really try to be open to teens exactly as they are," he said. "At least we know that during the time they're spending here, they're not off at a party drinking or whatever they might do."

LIFEspot is one of many "outside the box" efforts in the United Methodist Church aimed at drawing more youth to the denomination whose membership and youth crowd numbers are dwindling. United Methodists launched a new ministry this month called Igniting Youth aimed at welcoming teen seekers into the church.