As the young woman sits down in one of the back pews, she feels the gaze of the long-time church goers. She knows she does not fit the typical “mold” of this environment. She wears jeans and a sweater under her old, worn jacket. Her shoes scream young professional on a budget and wearing formal jewelry makes her feel like she’s playing dress-up in her grandmother’s closet. To the congregation, she is a living mystery. As discomfort and self-doubt set in, the young woman reminds herself that she woke up, drove to church and entered this holy place for a reason. She just needed some time to remember.
To be young in church means that there is a genuine desire to be in church. It doesn’t take a formal study to point out that the church generally and the Episcopal Church specifically lack young adults aged 18-39. One need only to look around the pews, inventory church leadership or survey children’s church to see that the age distribution is skewed to the right and to the left (may we not forget our youngest saints), causing more of a “U” shaped age distribution than a normal curve. Though no formal study needed, the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study quantifies the above reality. Conducted in 2014, this study surveyed over 35,000 Americans from all 50 states. The study looked both across and within faith traditions and denominations to study demographics, beliefs, practices, social views, and political views. Not surprisingly, the survey concluded that more than 66 percent of the Episcopal Church is over 50 years old, with the other 35 percent of membership falling between 18-49 (the survey did not include children under the age of 18 in its findings).[1] This 35 percent number, however, is misleading. Considering that the average mainline tradition caps “young adult” at 39, the 35 percent includes an entire decade not considered “young adults.” Thus, the percentage of 18 to 39-year olds in the Episcopal Church is an even smaller sliver of the pie. Adding to this dismal picture is that Average Sunday Attendance continues to dwindle across ages since Pew conducted this study in 2014. Given that, statistically, young adults do not come to church, to be young in church means that there is a genuine desire to sit in a pew on a Sunday morning, attend Bible Studies, stay for adult learning forums and engage in a religious community. No one is forcing young adults to attend, nor is there an added social pressure from peers. Rather, our own volition compels us to forego the status quo and draw closer to God.[2] So how should we, the church, engage our young adult population? What is it that this demographic – often deemed the most puzzling or enigmatic demographic in the church – really wants? Let's return to the young woman who entered the nave and tried to blend in by sitting on one of the back pews. Though she knew the statistics and that she, more than likely, would be a unicorn, something compelled her to attend. That “something” is the church’s unique ability to offer authenticity, depth, connection and impact – all rooted in a Divine being which gives meaning and purpose to all of life. Research from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts’ 20s and 30s Task Force and the church consulting firm Ministry Architects highlight the above in findings. Both sources conclude that young adults want to be seen, taken seriously as valuable contributors to the church’s life, and afforded opportunity to push the church out of the myth of the “glory days.”[3] Young adults don’t want to be banished solely to the Land of Misfit Toys. Instead, they want to engage in intergenerational relationships, lead (committees, worship, ministries) and undergo substantive study and formation.[4] They are concerned about life both within the church and outside of its four walls. They are hungry and, when given the opportunity, will not just consume a feast but prepare one for the masses. Thus, the 18 to 39 crowd is not a mystery. Rather, the young adults of today could be the church. The research shows us that we don’t even need to buy a projector or smoke machine to attract them – our liturgical worship and tradition is enough! The problem is not that the church is unattractive to young adults but, rather, that young adults are stigmatized and tokenized. Young adults know how to do church, but the church – in a way only the church can – overcomplicates the situation and doesn’t know what to do with young adults once they walk through our doors. In a world of “Boomer vs. Millennial,” what if the church were the one place in which we leave our preconceived notions at the door, accept all persons, and treat everyone with dignity, value, and worth? The beautiful thing about the cycle of life is that, one day, the church’s current young adults will be the Old Guard. When that time comes, it will be our responsibility to empower, rather than tokenize, those once little saints who comprised the left skew of our age distribution. If we model this behavior now, through saying hello to a young adult just as you would anyone else, considering how meeting times and locations may or may not be conducive to a young professional’s schedule, or normalizing young leadership, then this process will occur naturally. Yet, as long as we view young adults as “other” and tell them to wait their turn, young adults will forever occupy a minority position within our church and unnecessarily remain a mystery —thereby perhaps preventing them from developing a healthy, personal relationship with Christ. May we solve this “mystery” and realize that to be young in church means, simply, to want church. [1] “Members of the Episcopal Church,” Religious Landscape Study, 2014, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-denomination/episcopal-church/. [2] Interested in the young adult population at St. Michael’s? Stay tuned for future articles! [3] Sarah Neumann, the Reverend Suzanne Wade, et al., “Report to the 234th (2019) Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts from the 20s and 30s Task Force” (Boston). [4] Scott Pontier, “Free Tools and Resources – Young Adult Ministry,” Ministry Architects, https://ministryarchitects.com/free-tools-and-resources-young-adult-ministry/. |