When churches struggle to develop new and authentic programs to attract children, youth and young adults (often in desperation) it would make sense to pay close attention to ongoing surveys that indicate what these groups believe, think and need. If we know how younger members respond to fundamental questions, it might make it easier to develop tomorrow’s ministries.
A summary of three recent surveys appeared in the October 30 issue of Christian Century. In order to use them in my college introductory Bible class, I paraphrased some of the questions and put them into a True/False format on our online Blackboard module to see how our students compared to national responses. (One survey was conducted with Roman Catholics by Georgetown University Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and the other by LifeWay Research.) The first numbers which follow indicate the national answers; the second our responses.
1. I regularly practice my religious faith. (True 55%, 57%)
2. I can be a good member of a religious organization without attending weekly services of worship. (True 68%, 90%)
3. Helping the poor is a moral obligation for most religious people. (True 68%, 81%)
4. I consider myself more spiritual than religious. (True 72%, 43%)
5. I rarely or never pray with others. (True 66%, 62%)
6. God is just a symbol for me. (True 28%, 33.33%)
7. Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. (True 50%, 19%)
The article provides a statement by Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, in which he commented on his research on the faith of some young believers and I also put that into a True/False question to see how our students would respond.
8. 18-29 year old millennials who think of themselves as “nominal” religious people are really “mushy” believers or “just indifferent.” (True 48%)
Phyllis Tickle’s statement about the fact that people under 40 are not returning to the church was similarly phrased.
9. Is it true that when people get married and have children they will not return to organized religion? (True 14.5%)
The validity of the responses depend upon the context in which they were given, the religious groups they were designed to test and how the respondents understood the questions. In our classroom situation we discussed them in small groups. In regard to number 5, for example, we discussed what biblical passages indicate about the value of corporate worship and whether the Holy Spirit works better in an individual or a group. Question 6 provided an opportunity to discuss Scriptures about the nature of God. What do biblical stories indicate about the way Old Testament leaders communicated with God? How did Jesus, the disciples and early church leaders regard their relationship with God? Did they think of God as a formula or, as one student put it a little sarcastically, “the force”?
The implications of question 8 are particularly important. How should religious leaders regard young people who offer definitions of the nature God and the importance of worship that differ from those of their parents? My students and I agreed that it would be useless to have a class at all if their opinions and statements about faith were devalued or treated in a patronizing manner.
How would youth and young adults in your congregation respond to questions like these? How would their answers influence the development of your future ministry?
EARL S. JOHNSON JR. is a retired pastor living in Johnstown, N.Y., and an adjunct professor of religious studies at Siena College.
