I joined our denominational staff in Washington, D.C., to, among other things, help congregations connect with young adults in the area. It seemed an exciting possibility, especially when a September 2009 article in the Wall Street Journal listed Washington as the hottest, hippest destination for 18- to 29-year-old professionals to live and work.
But after 2 ½ years, things haven’t changed much. It’s not for a lack of interest. Most people want young adults in church. But they just can’t imagine how. The 25 percent of our congregations that have reached out to this demographic have done so with limited success, usually starting with a small group and never building to anything more than six to 10 people on a regular basis; a gathering with 15 people seems like a boom.
The fact that I am not accomplishing one of the main purposes for which I was called to this position is not lost on me. These are not great statistics with which to walk into a yearly review, and I strongly considered whether I really wanted to spread this all over the Internet. Yet I know I’m not the only one wondering why the mainline struggles so mightily with this while others have young adults streaming in their doors.
If I knew how to answer this question, I’d probably be writing a book, not a blog post. But I am beginning to wonder if it all starts much more simply than many of us have imagined. Is it possible that we are so focused on our little numbers that we can’t imagine larger ones? In other words, do we need to dream a little bigger?
I think the answer is yes. It appears as if our congregational imaginations have been limited. We envision small groups, small ministries and even small congregations. One wiser, younger pastor even pointed out to me that most mainline congregations are small and very few of them are thriving. So, if small and struggling ministry is the experience people have in the church, why would their vision for other ministries be any different?
One possible answer could begin with a vision of God’s reign. The Bible is filled with wonderful promises and images of what the kingdom and the feast is like. And not just for later, but now, too! At the very least, we may envision a feasting party at which presumably there will be more than 6 to 10 people in attendance! So, what if we started dreaming there? What would a foretaste of that be like in our own congregations -- today?
I know that beginning with this basic biblical image may sound silly or simple, but I think a lot of congregations, especially smaller ones, get so consumed with their budgets, lack of volunteers, and perceived deficiencies that they don’t allow themselves much time to dream something bigger. But I think that is exactly what God invites us to do. And in this case, it will be necessary. Because, as I like to say, young adults attract young adults. And the only way our young adult ministries will reach a place where young adults feel safe inside them -- and ultimately inside the church -- is if they begin by including more than 6 to 10 people. They also have to give the impression that something is happening in them, that they won’t fall apart when a couple of people leave and that these ministries are safe spaces for them to ask questions and share their honest (albeit not always pious or orthodox) opinions. The occasional feasting party wouldn’t be bad, either.
The sky is the limit when it comes to dreaming what this could be like. Getting started won’t be easy for everyone, and it won’t work everywhere. It will require a lot of one-on-one work with young adults building both relationships and trust before the “program part” even starts. But young adults are spiritually starved, and they are out there looking for some substantive spiritual food. We just have to figure out how to do a better job of serving! So, opportunities abound to build up such ministries, even inside an existing congregation.
It will just take a vision big enough that we know it could be of nothing other than the kingdom. Then we must only trust that it can and will come to life in our own congregations!
