1. A precise size
Don’t buy into the Goldilocks fantasy that some churches are too big,
others are too small, and few are "just right". We saw no
statistical relationship between church size and effectiveness. Size
doesn’t matter.
2. A trendy location or region
Did our data unearth churches flourishing near bustling urban centers and
dynamic college campuses? Sure. But we also uncovered equally robust
ministries in rural one-stoplight towns and middle-class suburbia. Your
location does not have to be a limitation.
3. An exact age
We applaud how God is working through new church plants. We love what we
learned from churches that are less than five years old. But we learned
just as much, and recorded just as much life change, in churches that are
over a century old. When it comes to churches that grow young, there is
no age discrimination.
4. A popular denomination or lack of denomination
When we started our study, we wondered if the churches that rose to the
top would skew toward particular denominational or non-denominational
leanings. While it’s true that some denominations are shrinking or aging
faster than average, our fear was unfounded. No need to apologize for
your tradition or the fact that you are part of a denomination at all!
God is working powerfully through churches of all stripes.
5. An off-the-charts cool quotient
Granted, several of the congregations and leaders bubbling to the top of
our research have a certain hip factor. But those were in the minority.
For young people today, relational warmth is the new cool.
6. A big modern building
Some of the congregations that are most effective with young people have
new state-of-the-art facilities – but not all. The majority of the
effective churches we studied gather in decent, but not spectacular,
spaces. Some don’t own their facilities and are creatively meeting in
local schools, community centers, and living rooms. For teenagers and
young adults, feeling at home transcends any building.
7. A big budget
Churches that grow young intentionally invest in young people, and most
often that translates into a financial investment – but not always.
Less-resourced congregations creatively support young people in other
ways, proving that a small budget does not have to mean small impact.
8. A "contemporary" worship service
Our data indicated that while many young people are drawn to "casual
and contemporary" worship, others are drawn to "smells and
bells" high-church liturgy and everything in between. While the
churches we visited were likely to prefer modern worship in some or all
of their worship contexts, they didn’t depend on that alone as a magnet
to draw young people.
9. A watered-down teaching style
It’s often assumed that we have to whitewash the teachings of Scripture
and somehow make them seem less radical in order to appeal to teenagers
and young adults. That’s not what we found. For today’s young people,
growing young doesn’t mean we talk about Jesus or the cost of following
him any less.
10. A hyper-entertaining ministry program
The entertainment options available to young people in our culture are
endless. We don’t have to compete. If we try, we will almost certainly
lose. Our research highlighted that faith communities offer something
different. Slick is no guarantee of success.
Have you been buying into these myths?
Is your church focusing on what
matters with the youth?
Source:
Todd Rhoades
Implementation Lab Director
www.lab.leadnet.org
*Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover
and Love Your Church (2016)
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