Loading...Many – maybe most – churches in our denomination and others spend a lot of time wondering where younger people have gone. Churches used to be multi-generational, with children following parents in leadership and service. In a few places, this still happens, but more often, congregations are aging.
If it were apparent that those not in our pews are sitting in one somewhere else, this would not be overly troubling. As much as we love the church in our own neighborhood, at least in our moments of clarity we can see that the Church is a global phenomenon. The success of a church in Boston or Bombay is a success for the Kingdom of God.
The problem is that we can’t make that assumption with any confidence – at least in the industrialized world. When surveys report increasing numbers of “nones and dones” (those with no church affiliation or who have ceased all church activity), much of that growth is among people under 40.
There are as many reasons for this as there are people. More people than in the past have to work on Sunday morning. Others have family commitments or social activities or other interests that keep them busy at the time when most churches are in session. And some, to be sure, no longer find church to be meaningful to them or to offer a way to worship that lets them speak with a voice they can recognize.
Many congregations have tried to address this last problem by changing the character of their Sunday morning worship. Praise bands, PowerPoint, stage lighting, stadium seating, electronic sermon feedback – all kinds of things have been tried with varying degrees of success. At the same time, we hear that the young are intrigued by silence and mystery in worship, words and rituals that have survived for much longer than almost anything we encounter on a daily basis.
My hunch is that the truth for many people is somewhere in the middle. Sunday morning feels too formal, but an hour of Christian Contemporary and a rockstar preacher fails to meet the deepest needs of the soul.
I bring all this to your attention because I and others have been thinking about how we might reach out to those in the “lost”generation(s). After discussions with the Purpose and Vision Committee and the Vestry, I have begun to plan an experiment in new worship. As currently conceived, the idea is to begin a third Sunday service, to be held on Sunday evening.
Much is still to be worked out. These details include where to have it (in the church? in the parish hall?), how to structure it (Eucharist – probably, sermon – maybe in a discussion format, music – probably not the Hymnal, maybe with some musicians not otherwise affiliated with the church), and even what to call it.
All will, of course, be welcome, but the goal is not to replace Sunday morning for those whose spiritual and social needs are best met by that kind of worship. All are, of course, asked to pray for the success of the project. And all ideas, concerns, cautions, and hopes are most welcome.
Blessings
Howie+
