6 ways any church can reach young adults

The news about young adults and churches often sounds discouraging. Many young adults have no connection to a congregation, and numerous churches struggle to reach them.

Research from Faith Communities Today, commonly known as FACT, reinforces the challenge. In its study of more than 11,000 congregations, only 16% had what researchers called “significant young adult participation.” That meant at least 21% of the congregation’s participants were between 18 and 34 years old.

Some findings seem to favor churches that are already large, growing, or located in areas with expanding young populations. Most churches do not fit those descriptions.

But the research also points to several factors that almost any church can influence. A congregation does not have to be large, wealthy, or located in a booming suburb to take these steps.

1. Make discipleship intentional

FACT found that congregations reporting high levels of spiritual vitality were three times as likely to have significant young adult participation as congregations reporting low spiritual vitality. Churches placing a strong emphasis on practices such as prayer and Bible reading were twice as likely to have substantial numbers of young adults.

For Christian churches, that finding points directly to intentional discipleship. Young adults are not simply looking for entertainment, social activities, or a worship experience that resembles the culture around them. Many are looking for something substantive. They want to know whether the faith proclaimed on Sunday actually shapes life on Monday.

Intentional discipleship does not require a large budget. It requires a clear pathway that helps people learn Scripture, pray, obey Christ, and grow in their faith.

2. Create meaningful relationships through groups

The study found that congregations offering more programs and activities were nearly twice as likely to have significant young adult participation as those offering relatively few.

That finding could tempt churches to create a long list of new ministries. Most smaller churches do not have the people or resources to do that. Nor should activity be confused with effectiveness.

The better application is to provide young adults with clear opportunities to form relationships. Sunday school classes and small groups are among the most practical ways to create those connections. A healthy group gives young adults a place where others know their names, notice when they are absent, pray for them, and walk with them through life.

For many young adults, belonging begins before full commitment. Relationships often become the bridge that connects them more deeply to the church and its mission.

3. Give young adults meaningful responsibility

Churches sometimes say they want young adults while giving them little opportunity to influence the congregation. They are invited to attend but not trusted to lead.

A church does not need a large young-adult ministry to change that pattern. It can begin with the young adults already present. Ask for their ideas. Invite them to serve. Give them responsibilities that matter. Include them in conversations about the church’s future.

FACT discovered that congregations with several full-time clergy were more likely to have significant young adult participation than those with only one. Smaller churches should not conclude that they need to hire more staff. A more practical implication is that ministry must extend beyond one pastor. Young adults are more likely to become invested when they are participants in ministry rather than consumers of it.

4. Become easy to find and understand online

The relationship between technology and young-adult participation was unmistakable. Among congregations reporting major use of technology, 24 percent had significant young-adult participation. Among those making only marginal use of technology, the number was just 10 percent.

Technology does not have to be expensive or complicated. Every church can provide a clear and current website. Worship times, directions, children’s information, and contact information should be easy to locate. Someone should respond promptly when a prospective guest asks a question online.

Young adults will often visit a church digitally before they visit it physically. A neglected website can communicate that the church is inattentive or unprepared for guests.

5. Choose authenticity over imitation

Churches reporting significant changes in worship were more likely to have substantial young-adult participation. But there was an intriguing exception: Congregations reporting no change were also somewhat more likely to reach young adults than those reporting only a little or some change.

The lesson is not that every church must adopt contemporary worship. It may be that young adults recognize the difference between authenticity and imitation. A traditional church should not pretend to be a trendy church. A small congregation should not attempt to reproduce the worship service of a megachurch.

Churches should worship with theological depth, genuine joy, and appropriate excellence. Authenticity is more compelling than an awkward effort to appear young.

6. Replace maintenance with expectation

FACT found that rapidly growing congregations were especially likely to have significant young-adult participation. That does not necessarily mean growth must come first. Growth and young-adult participation may reinforce each other.

Young adults are attracted to congregations where something is happening — where people expect God to work, lives are being changed, guests are welcomed, and the future is discussed with hope. Even a declining church can demonstrate that kind of movement.

The church does not need to be large. It does not need dozens of young adults. It can begin with one or two.

Disciple them. Connect them through Sunday school and small groups. Listen to them. Give them meaningful responsibility. Help them invite others.

The FACT findings are not merely a description of churches with advantages. They are a reminder that churches of almost any size can become places where faith is alive, relationships are real, and young adults know their presence matters.

Originally published at Church Answers.