This book is about how to grow your church with young people. This isn't necessarily about running a youth group and the programs for teenagers, but more fundamental and wholistic at church itself. The idea is that young people at a church breeds energy, excitement for the whole church, and yet some church are growing old and missing out on young people. ("Young people" in this book include teenagers but also goes up to 25).
This book is based on some research in America, so already the context is a little off for Australia. Still, it has some helpful things to say that does transcend the Pacific Ocean. This research sought to find churches across America in all different denominations and traditions, who were keeping, growing and training young people, from church surveys, interviews, and observations of many different churches (over 250) they came up with 6 common attributes.
They have a few caveats in their findings and point to the Holy Spirit and what He can do, and that these are not guarantees etc etc, but their findings were helpful to get an idea of what others are doing and what is working, even if some of this does seem like common sense. And they were quick to point out that some things you probably expect to be here. Before scrolling down think about what things do you think would help teens and young adults feel valued at church.
There were some good takeaways, about how to help equip parents to raise their children in a church. I think it was this book that put me onto Think Orange, which looks like a helpful resource. I appreciated their finding that five relationships in a church community will massively increase the odds of a young person staying connected.
While it is in a US context, I thought this book was helpful to provoke some thinking in the areas they suggested, and it was good to hear how others were doing things. These guys have a whole website and consultation thing, but I am not sure that is what I really need in my context.
The below summaries have been taken from the chapter summaries and are here mostly for my own reference.
1. Unlock Keychain Leadership
* Churches that grow young are brimming with staff, volunteers, and parents who demonstrate keychain leadership. By keys, we mean the capabilities, power, and access of leaders that can be used to empower young people. By keychain leaders, we mean pastoral and congregational leaders who are acutely aware of the keys on their keychain and intentional about entrusting and empowering young people with their own set of keys.
* Keychain leaders can be volunteers, senior pastors, parents, youth pastors, etc. Beyond any particular role, keychain leadership is a spirit and commitment demonstrated by both paid and volunteer leaders that permeates every area of the church.
* Four types of key leadership we've discovered include
* Young people wrestle with three ultimate questions. Who am I? (a question of identity), Where do I fit? (a question of belonging), and What difference do I make? (a question of purpose).
* While these questions are not unique to young people, teenagers and emerging adults generally feel them more intensely than older generations.
* Now that adolescence has been extended and young people are in a longer season of exploration, 25 feels like the new 15, and 15 often seems like the new 25. Their journey has both an earlier starting line and a later finish line.
* Young people's search for identity is made erratic by their pervasive stress and their peripheral faith
* Teenagers' and emerging adults' quest for belonging is thwarted by omnipresent technology, sexual experimentation, and adult abandonment.
* This generation's hunger for purpose remains unsatisfied because of their jaded realism and cultural pluralism.
* Taking Jesus' message seriously means churches pay attention to the life and words of Christ. Young people can then articulate a gospel that is less talk more about beliefs and more talk about Jesus, less tied to formulas and more focused on redemptive narrative, and less about heaven later and more about life here and now.
* Young people want to know not only what they are saved from but also what they are saved for. They want to take action, not just hear about what they can't do. Participation and challenge are two central features of churches growing young.
* Evangelism isn't dead among young people, but it looks different than in the past century. Vital factors to help young people share faith today including building authentic relationships, listening well, and being honest about questions and doubts.
* Warm is the new cool. More than flashy worship, young people want authenticity and connection. When they talk about their churches, they talk about people and warmth. Regardless of whether you meet in an auditorium or a house, consider how your workship service can feel more like a family room.
* Churches grow young by weaving warmth into their DNA. The most common phrase people use to describe their churches was "like family". Other words describing warmth included welcoming, accepting, belonging, authentic, hospitable, and caring.
* Honest relationships and the ability to be real or authentic are not only preferences for young people; they also build stronger churches.
* Intergenerational relationships grow everyone young by helping them break out of the silos of age- and stage-based ministry and create connections across generations. Two of the most common ways churches invest in intergenerational relationships are through mentoring and corporate worship.
* Fueling warmth helps us live out good ecclesiology, our theology of church. The relationship of the Trinity and the metaphor of the body of Christ remind us that we belong to one another.
* Prioritizing young people means prioritizing families. Parents are the strongest spiritual influences in their kids' lives, but they need the support and partnership of the church.
* Young people need load-bearing roles in the community, meaning they contribute through serving and using their gifts.
* Good leaders and programs do not automatically lead to prioritization, nor are good intentions enough. Prioritizing young people everywhere often requires a congregational culture shift.
* Jesus invites us to grow young as we both welcome and become like children, who are exemplars in receiving the kingdom of God.
* Offering teenagers and emerging adults a thoughtful path to neighbor well is not easy - 36 percent of churches in our study named challenges navigating culture as one of their biggest barriers in ministering to young people. In the midst of this gap and confusion, we discovered several common postures of churches that aim to be the best neighbours.
* Being the best neighbours means congregations reflect mercy toward the people outside their walls by adhering to the example set by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40 and Luke 10:25-36.
* Churches that grow young neighbour well by honouring what's good, making their world better, and respecting the journey as much as the destination. These congregations show a neighbour love that is greater than differences in ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
* Right at the crux of young people's vocational exploration, churches are uniquely positioned to provide mentoring communities that help teenagers end emerging adults discover their calling and become good neighbours.
* Four types of key leadership we've discovered include
- Key-less leaders: often young and inexperienced, without much authority or access, they spend their time proving they're worthy to possess keys
- Key-holder leaders: Always holding the keys and refusing to give others access, they run the show.
- Key-loaning leaders: Often taking keys off the keychain and letting others borrow them temporarily, they make sure the keys are returned quickly.
- Keychain leaders: Very aware of the keys they hold, they're constantly opening doors for some while training and entrusting others who are ready for their own set of keys
2. Empathize with Today's Young People
* Churchs grow young by empathizing, or feeling with, this generation of young people.* Young people wrestle with three ultimate questions. Who am I? (a question of identity), Where do I fit? (a question of belonging), and What difference do I make? (a question of purpose).
* While these questions are not unique to young people, teenagers and emerging adults generally feel them more intensely than older generations.
* Now that adolescence has been extended and young people are in a longer season of exploration, 25 feels like the new 15, and 15 often seems like the new 25. Their journey has both an earlier starting line and a later finish line.
* Young people's search for identity is made erratic by their pervasive stress and their peripheral faith
* Teenagers' and emerging adults' quest for belonging is thwarted by omnipresent technology, sexual experimentation, and adult abandonment.
* This generation's hunger for purpose remains unsatisfied because of their jaded realism and cultural pluralism.
3. Take Jesus' Message Seriously
* Moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD) has been identified as a pervasive religious framework of adolescents and much of the US church. However, while high school-ages participants in our study exhibited signs of MTD coupled with Golden Rule Christianity, by and large churches growing young sidestep this pothole in their quest for a more robust faith.* Taking Jesus' message seriously means churches pay attention to the life and words of Christ. Young people can then articulate a gospel that is less talk more about beliefs and more talk about Jesus, less tied to formulas and more focused on redemptive narrative, and less about heaven later and more about life here and now.
* Young people want to know not only what they are saved from but also what they are saved for. They want to take action, not just hear about what they can't do. Participation and challenge are two central features of churches growing young.
* Evangelism isn't dead among young people, but it looks different than in the past century. Vital factors to help young people share faith today including building authentic relationships, listening well, and being honest about questions and doubts.
4. Fuel a Warm Community
* Structure is necessary for growing young, but it's not enough. Churchs that grow young sometimes actually program less in order to free up more space for relational connection.* Warm is the new cool. More than flashy worship, young people want authenticity and connection. When they talk about their churches, they talk about people and warmth. Regardless of whether you meet in an auditorium or a house, consider how your workship service can feel more like a family room.
* Churches grow young by weaving warmth into their DNA. The most common phrase people use to describe their churches was "like family". Other words describing warmth included welcoming, accepting, belonging, authentic, hospitable, and caring.
* Honest relationships and the ability to be real or authentic are not only preferences for young people; they also build stronger churches.
* Intergenerational relationships grow everyone young by helping them break out of the silos of age- and stage-based ministry and create connections across generations. Two of the most common ways churches invest in intergenerational relationships are through mentoring and corporate worship.
* Fueling warmth helps us live out good ecclesiology, our theology of church. The relationship of the Trinity and the metaphor of the body of Christ remind us that we belong to one another.
5. Prioritize Yount People (and Families) Everywhere
* Churches that grow young are willing to make young people a priority not just in rhetoric but also in daily reality. These churches don't assume it will happen automatically; they emphasise young people in their overall philosophy, worship gatherings, staffing, and budget.* Prioritizing young people means prioritizing families. Parents are the strongest spiritual influences in their kids' lives, but they need the support and partnership of the church.
* Young people need load-bearing roles in the community, meaning they contribute through serving and using their gifts.
* Good leaders and programs do not automatically lead to prioritization, nor are good intentions enough. Prioritizing young people everywhere often requires a congregational culture shift.
* Jesus invites us to grow young as we both welcome and become like children, who are exemplars in receiving the kingdom of God.
6. Be the Best Neighbours
* Churches that grow young strives to be the best neighbours both locally and globally. They recognize the careful dance that values both fidelity to Scripture's commands for holiness and knowing and graciously loving their neighbours.* Offering teenagers and emerging adults a thoughtful path to neighbor well is not easy - 36 percent of churches in our study named challenges navigating culture as one of their biggest barriers in ministering to young people. In the midst of this gap and confusion, we discovered several common postures of churches that aim to be the best neighbours.
* Being the best neighbours means congregations reflect mercy toward the people outside their walls by adhering to the example set by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40 and Luke 10:25-36.
* Churches that grow young neighbour well by honouring what's good, making their world better, and respecting the journey as much as the destination. These congregations show a neighbour love that is greater than differences in ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
* Right at the crux of young people's vocational exploration, churches are uniquely positioned to provide mentoring communities that help teenagers end emerging adults discover their calling and become good neighbours.
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