Need younger members

[Apex]

I'd appreciate skipping the twisted sexual ethics comment. As a young person who became Orthodox from an evangelical church, I do not see the ethical problems you are referencing - or the theological problems for that matter.

That said, I'll stop there as it is off topic to the thread.

I don't think it is too far off topic. Millennials are looking for a community that has logical theology. They have near instant access to an unprecedented amount of good information - unlike the past generations. It is harder to fool them. They don't just swallow everything wholesale.

 

[SnowyMacie]

I was with you up until the very last paragraph. I do not believe Anglicanism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy are what most millennials are looking for. I feel that those institutions laid the foundations for some pretty horrible theology. Just look at their twisted sexual ethics. Good post still.

I know it sounds a bit contradictory, but that's what the numbers seem to be suggesting.

Why Millennials Long for Liturgy

Young Evangelicals Are Getting High


I have personally have several friends that have left Evangelical Christianity. All but one of us who stayed in the church, is now either Anglican or Catholic.

 

[Apex]

I know it sounds a bit contradictory, but that's what the numbers seem to be suggesting.

Why Millennials Long for Liturgy

Young Evangelicals Are Getting High


I have personally have several friends that have left Evangelical Christianity. All but one of us who stayed in the church, is now either Anglican or Catholic.

From one of the articles: "The millennial generation is seeking a holistic, honest, yet mysterious truth that their current churches cannot provide."

I agree with this point, but I must nuance my agreement. Yes, many evangelical churches lack true depth or richness that can come from older institutions. However, I think this appeal is both limited and ultimately superficial. It simply appears to be the better of the available options. I'm suggesting an option not on the table yet. A new "church" revolution. For example, lets look at the homily (or sermon). Almost all churches practice this. Yet, pedagogically speaking, lecture-based teaching is highly inefficient. If we really want people to learn about God, why are we afraid to make the needed changes? There exists several teaching methodologies that could be implemented to replace the homily. But....tradition.

We don't need to go back, we need to go forward!

 

[All4Christ]

I don't think it is too far off topic. Millennials are looking for a community that has logical theology. They have near instant access to an unprecedented amount of good information - unlike the past generations. It is harder to fool them. They don't just swallow everything wholesale.

It's the sexual ethics comment that is uncalled for.

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

My church is very small and we have lost our pastor. The average age is between 65 and 70. We need to bring young people into the church. I am building a website http://www.solidrock-baptist-church.com and hope to use it to bring younger people into the church. Any ideas on how to bring people into the church would be appreciated.

Our church isn't dealing with a problem as big as yours average age is like 30-50 or so but still a problem. Difference is we have some young people though working on getting more.

Anyway I am familiar with churches that hvae a good amount of young people and this is what they do that seems to work.


1. Post messages/stuff on social media/facebook/youtube that's where a lot of us young folk keep up with christian sermons and stuff rather than TV. It helps a lot to have some way of posting sermons online.

2. They participate with other churches that have youth retreats or camps from time to time and partner with that.

3. Some of the bigger ones like this pentecostal one I go to (good friends with the youth pastor down there) have lots of youth activities. Now they have around 300-400 members or so so more money to do more things vs a local church like yours or mine of course but still.

4. What helps this same church is that they also use slides when they preach with decorations and such. We started doing the same, it helps to implement modern day technology into a sermon, slides with the verses and pictures and stuff do a lot.


5. Something we started doing that's been increasing the youth coming is having outdoor events outside the church whether that is a service or barbecue/prayer tent outside or something.



Uh I hope this helped just waht I could think of.

 

[Apex]

It's the sexual ethics comment that is uncalled for.

I'm sorry you felt offended, but I honestly believe that the sexual ethics practiced by the vast majority of Christians are "twisted". Twisted simply means "forced out of its natural or proper shape". Christians have replaced their "natural" sexual ethics with a jumbled mess of Neo-Platonism and other secular philosophies. This concerns me greatly.

This becomes relevant here because, in my opinion, this is one of the contributed factors why many young and well-educated Millennials are not embracing traditional and/or evangelical Christianity. We need to fix our thinking about sex. Many churches make their younger members feel guilty for something that is natural and proper. I wouldn't want to be part of that either.

 

[All4Christ]

I'm sorry you felt offended, but I honestly believe that the sexual ethics practiced by the vast majority of Christians are "twisted". Twisted simply means "forced out of its natural or proper shape". We have replaced our "natural" sexual ethics with a jumbled mess of Neo-Platonism and other secular philosophies. This concerns me greatly.

This becomes relevant here because, in my opinion, this is one of the contributed factors why many young and well-educated Millennials are not embracing traditional and/or evangelical Christianity. We need to fix our thinking about sex. Many churches make their younger members feel guilty for something that is natural and proper. I wouldn't want to be part of that either.

If you feel like it is the vast majority of Christians, then why do you specify t as a reason to not look at Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Anglicanism? Suggest that about the majority of Christianity, but don't do that about specific churches here.

 

[Apex]

If you feel like it is the vast majority of Christians, then why do you specify t as a reason to not look at Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Anglicanism? Suggest that about the majority of Christianity, but don't do that about specific churches here.

Because I was referencing someone else's comment.

 

[All4Christ]

Because I was referencing someone else's comment.

Yes. If you don't see what I mean based on the series of comments (which I was takung into consideration), then so be it. Further discussion on this is off topic anyways, so I shouldn't continue. Apologies on my part to the OP.

 

[SnowyMacie]

I'm sorry you felt offended, but I honestly believe that the sexual ethics practiced by the vast majority of Christians are "twisted". Twisted simply means "forced out of its natural or proper shape". We have replaced our "natural" sexual ethics with a jumbled mess of Neo-Platonism and other secular philosophies. This concerns me greatly.

This becomes relevant here because, in my opinion, this is one of the contributed factors why many young and well-educated Millennials are not embracing traditional and/or evangelical Christianity. We need to fix our thinking about sex. Many churches make their younger members feel guilty for something that is natural and proper. I wouldn't want to be part of that either.

I have not heard as much twisted or misguided sexual ethics in Anglicanism as I did when apart of the Churches of Christ or evangelical churches.

 

[2Timothy2:15]

My church is very small and we have lost our pastor. The average age is between 65 and 70. We need to bring young people into the church. I am building a website http://www.solidrock-baptist-church.com and hope to use it to bring younger people into the church. Any ideas on how to bring people into the church would be appreciated.

Preach the gospel to all and pray. Nifty clever skits and programs will not produce real disciples and will only turn things into a social club if they are not already. Sorry for the loss of your pastor.

 

[Sketcher]

A former mentor of mine pastored a church full of old people, and was not shy about his efforts to bring in young people. It's going to take a lot of hard work in the church and the old folks were resistant to some of the changes, he moved on. The story I heard is the church had become their social club, functionally speaking. It was unofficially about their traditions and morals. He had to get their ushers used to seating black people rather than sending them to the other church down the street, for instance. When the human core of a church is that far gone, young people probably aren't going to want to join that church.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

A former mentor of mine pastored a church full of old people, and was not shy about his efforts to bring in young people. It's going to take a lot of hard work in the church and the old folks were resistant to some of the changes, he moved on. The story I heard is the church had become their social club, functionally speaking. It was unofficially about their traditions and morals. He had to get their ushers used to seating black people rather than sending them to the other church down the street, for instance. When the human core of a church is that far gone, young people probably aren't going to want to join that church.

Are "young" people morally superior to older people? You do realize that all old people, without exception, were at one time, young people, right?

Younger people turn church into social clubs at an equal or greater rate than older people do. They just have different club rules, and a different dress code.

 

[Sketcher]

Are "young" people morally superior to older people? You do realize that all old people, without exception, were at one time, young people, right?

Younger people turn church into social clubs at an equal or greater rate than older people do. They just have different club rules, and a different dress code.

I didn't say that couldn't be a problem. But young people want a church that is free of man-made barriers to encountering Jesus. Jesus wouldn't turn people away because of their skin color or because they failed to dress up. As a Jew, Jesus probably didn't have a problem with dancing, and we know from the Gospels that he didn't have a problem with wine. Old Baptists have a reputation among young people for being on the wrong side of these and similar issues.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

I didn't say that couldn't be a problem. But young people want a church that is free of man-made barriers to encountering Jesus. Jesus wouldn't turn people away because of their skin color or because they failed to dress up. As a Jew, Jesus probably didn't have a problem with dancing, and we know from the Gospels that he didn't have a problem with wine. Old Baptists have a reputation among young people for being on the wrong side of these and similar issues.

You fail to see that the so called, "young people" put up man-made barriers of their own.

 

[Sketcher]

You fail to see that the so called, "young people" put up man-made barriers of their own.

Again, I didn't say that couldn't be a problem or isn't in some circles. My point in bringing up the issues I named is to point out that the social adjustment needed to re-invigorate a church full of old people with young people is not going to be easy, and not likely to be comfortable. We're talking about a church that has failed to attract and retain young people for 40 years, given the average age of the membership that the OP shared with us. Undoing 40 years of failure to reach and retain the young is going to take hard work and sacrifice, perhaps at levels that the congregation does not feel ready for. I'm willing to hear from you what you see as barriers to Christ that young people put up, but if that can't be done in this thread in a way that is conducive to helping the OP, perhaps that can take place in another thread in an appropriate forum, or via PM.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

Again, I didn't say that couldn't be a problem or isn't in some circles. My point in bringing up the issues I named is to point out that the social adjustment needed to re-invigorate a church full of old people with young people is not going to be easy, and not likely to be comfortable. We're talking about a church that has failed to attract and retain young people for 40 years, given the average age of the membership that the OP shared with us. Undoing 40 years of failure to reach and retain the young is going to take hard work and sacrifice, perhaps at levels that the congregation does not feel ready for. I'm willing to hear from you what you see as barriers to Christ that young people put up, but if that can't be done in this thread in a way that is conducive to helping the OP, perhaps that can take place in another thread in an appropriate forum, or via PM.

There is no barrier.

I was a member of a church in New York City for 10 years. It was packed full of 20-35 year olds. It had 4 services on a Sunday, and all were full, in NYC!

Was there a rock band? No.

Was there video screen? No.

Was there an organ? Yes!

Did we sing hymns? Yes!

Was the service liturgical? YES!

Why was it filled with young people? Because the preacher preached the gospel. No dog an pony show.

People young and old, God's elect, His sheep, hear His voice. They will come from miles around where the word of God is preached, and Christ and His cross are central.

 

[Sketcher]

There is no barrier.

I was a member of a church in New York City for 10 years. It was packed full of 20-35 year olds. It had 4 services on a Sunday, and all were full, in NYC!

Was there a rock band? No.

Was there video screen? No.

Was there an organ? Yes!

Did we sing hymns? Yes!

Was the service liturgical? YES!

Why was it filled with young people? Because the preacher preached the gospel. No dog an pony show.

People young and old, God's elect, His sheep, hear His voice. They will come from miles around where the word of God is preached, and Christ and His cross are central.

OK, I didn't say that a rock band, video screen, or dog and pony show was necessary, but thank you for that. I agree that young people will come to where the Gospel is preached, but it has to be more than just preached. It has to be practiced. Looking at the OP's site, I'm not seeing a problem with the advertised doctrine: What We Believe. The issue then, may well be how does the church practice what the NT teaches? If they are preaching the true Gospel, why have the young people from miles around not come and stayed, like they did at the church in NYC that you brought up?

 

[jimmyjimmy]

If they are preaching the true Gospel, why have the young people from miles around not come and stayed, like they did at the church in NYC that you brought up?

That should have been obvious. They (likely) aren't preaching the gospel. Most churches don't. Mission shift has caused many a church to lose focus. An orthodox faith statement is equal preaching the gospel.

My original advice is that they, and all churches, do their best to be gospel-centered.

Legalism, both from conservative and liberals sides, is what the majority of the church is consumed with, which means the gospel is not only not preached, but not even proper understood.

 

[Sketcher]

That should have been obvious. They (likely) aren't preaching the gospel. Most churches don't. In fact, you thinking that an orthodox faith statement is equal preaching the gospel, it reveals your having the same issue.

Legalism, both from conservative and liberals sides, is what the majority of the church is consumed with, which means the gospel is not on not preached, but not even proper understood.

So, would you agree then, that if the church preached the Gospel and made the Gospel their number one priority, that the core membership of the church would have to change the way they have done church?