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Church for the Under-Forty CrowdAttracting Younger Adults to Congregational LifeSARAH B. DRUMMOND

0n the cubicle where she works all day, Abby has pinned a picture of a church. Wheremany w ould keep a photo of family members or beloved pets, Abby has an imageof a brownstone building on the Cambridge Com mon, and she looks at it whenevershe feels anxious or unmoored. At twenty-five, Abby has seen more life than the average youngadult. She moved to Cambridge, M assachusetts from the West Coast when her high-school-sweetheart husband had an opp ortunity to pursue a graduate degree there. Not long after theyrelocated, however, the marriage fell apart, leaving Abby in a city with no stable job, no friends,and no family. Wh at she did have, however, was First Church in Cambridge (FC C), a churchshe had first found with her husband a nd that later helped her through the transition to single-hood. She now views the church as her anchor, and as she considers options for graduate schoolfor herself she is seriously considering staying in C ambridge so that she does not h ave to leavethe church behind.

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These young adults' experiencesremind leaders that even those whodo not give high levels of input cangarner important lessons from the mosttangential of participation.

FCC is, in many ways, a typicalUnited Church of Christ congregation.The m usic is usually classical, the liturrooted in C hristian history and d ecid-edly traditional. Boards and comm itteesmake many of the church's decisionsthrough a conv entional governancestructure. The ministry staff includesa senior pastor, an interim associatepastor, and a lay m inister of religiouseducation. The com munity where thechurch is located is highly educatedand liberal, and the church's stanceon social issues reflects this environ-ment. W hat makes the church trulydifferent from m any of its peers is notjust that it is growing many chu rchesdo thatbut the dem ographic categorywithin its membership that is growingmost qu ickly: postcollegiate adults intheir twenties and thirties. At one new-mem ber Sunday in early 2008, out ofthirty new mem bers, twenty-seven wereunder the age of thirty-five.What is FCC's secret?There is no easy answ er to that question.But many religious leaders would liketo have at least an inkling as to ho w thismainline Protestant church has beenable to attract a critical mass of n ewmem bers from such a fluid and complexpopulation. Among the leaders who arecurious about this trend are ministersand lay leaders at FCC.In 2007-2008, FCC designed andimplemented a church-wide programon Ch ristian "faith practices" for allof its mem bers, offering them theopportunity to explore the ways in whichthey were living out their faith throughChristian practices such as hospitality,keeping Sabbath, and testimony. T heyused Dorothy B ass's Practicing OurFaith: A Way of Life for a SearchingPeople' as a text and guide in this inquiryas the congregation together soughtto understand what it means to beChristian and part of a faith community.Building on this study, in 2008 -2009FCC initiated a second faith practicesprogram focusing on y ounger adults.They d eployed seminarians toward thepurpose of reaching out to the youngeradults who had found their way, throughvarious means, to FCC.

This second program for youngeradults worked this way: Seniorminister Dan Sm ith approached theseminarians the church had "in care"(the seminary and divinity schoolstudents the church was supportingthrough the UC C ordination process).He invited them to consider creatingshort, focused outreach programsmeant to connect with younger adultsin the congregation. Each program w asto focus on a particular faith practice,either one from Bass's anthology oranother related Christian practice. Thechurch gave each seminarian a smallstipend and some program planningfunds to get the o utreach effort off theground. Ultimately, five seminarianssubmitted proposals for outreachprograms. Th e faith practices they choseincluded parenting, service, personalstewardship, fasting, and discernment.Each seminarian designed a program,implem ented the plan, and thenreported back to each other and churchleaders about what they did and whatthey learned.

I participated in this initiative firstthrough helping the sem inarians todesign their projects and later as aresearcher. Hoping to learn more abouthow y ounger adults approach faithcomm unities and how they engagefaith practices, I interviewed all of theprogram leaders and seven p articipants.As ex pected, the project generated agreat deal of learning about the faithissues of young adults and what theseparticular participants sought (and didnot seek) in a church. None of the find-ings of the study gave obvious instruc-tion for churches that seek to connectwith those between twenty and forty

years of age, but some of the tensionsthe interviews surfaced give helpful foodfor thought to those who seek to eng ageyounger adults.Tension 1: Flexibility,But with High ExpectationsOne of the basic questions one mustask when co nsidering the faith lives ofyounger adu lts is who, exactly, is in thisdemographic category? The programFCC sponsored through the leadershipof sem inarians identified younger adultswho had finished college but had notnecessarily put down roots. They sawtheir lives as transitory, not just becausethey had m oved a lot (although theyhad), but because they had not yet madelong-term com mitments to a neighbor-hood, a vocation, or in m any cases a lifepartner. Those w ho had children hadyoung children; those who w ere marriedwere not yet established in coupledom.Although som e participants argued thatthe differences between single, coupledand parenting young adults m eritedfurther slicing and dicing of the demo-graphic, they all described the popula-tion into which they fall as one that is influx and not yet peacefully ensconcedin a way of life. As one participant putit, "I think you're just living in a sort ofroller-coaster of events that unfolds, andthere isn't a lot of stability in your life,and there's a lot of looking forward to`ok, what's the next thing?' It's a uniqu estage in your life, where you're cominginto your own, finding out who you are,finding out what yo ur responsibilitiesare, and what you want to do with thetime you have."

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GC ...you want a church to be welcoming. Y ou don'twant them to ignore newcomerstrangersut then, onthe other hand, you don't want there to be this feeling ofdesperation." Young adult interviewee

The yo ung adults included in thisstudy spoke of a sense of yearning formeaning and com munity that theythought they could find in a church.They described having arrived at whatone m ight call a younger adult plateau,where "yo u've done all your 'firsts'and you feel a little settled and w illingto grow."

They also spoke of a sense ofbusynesseven beleaguermentthatmade conventional church participa-tion difficult for them. The seminarianwho created a program on parentingfor younger adult parents bemoanedthe fact that many potential partici-pants simply could not make the timeto participate. "It seemed to m e thatpeople were sincere in their desire, andyet the hurdles were also very real."After the seminarians' focusedprograms cam e to an end, the group ofprogram planners came together withthe church's clergy and me to talk aboutwhat they had learned. All agreed thatsome form of a "ladder" approach toprogram planning had been essential,where there were different levels ofinvolvement from which participantscould choose.

For exam ple, the fasting programincluded two didactic sessions on themeaning an d history of fasting at thebeginning of Lent and a feast right afterEaster. In between those two bookends,the program leader hosted a Googlegroup where participants posted whatthey were learning and experiencingthrough fasting. The p rogram leader wassurprised when she learned that somepeople who never participated in theGoogle discussion were actually readingposts every day and reported gaining agreat deal of strength for their own faststhrough doing so."I think that being able to plug intothe group whenever and w herever youare was really helpful for peop le," thisprogram leader reported. "Some ofthese people who w ere fasting atwork would go on the group duringtheir lunch break, which if we onlymet W ednesdays at 7 pm they couldn'thave done."It is easy for program leaders to criti-cize and judge those who participateat a low level as lacking comm itment.These young adults' experiences remindleaders that even those who do not givehigh levels of input can garner important

lessons from the most tangentialof participation.And y et not all agreed that this flex-

ibility, which was essential to the succesof the groups, was a good thing for theparticipants or the church. One groupleader pointed out that younger adultshave high expectations for how muchtheir experiences will engage them;passive participation is not somethingto which they are drawn. And yet, atthe same lime, another group leaderpointed out, they have an understandingof "joining" that does not even neces-sarily involve showing up: they can joina Facebook cause and never meet any otheir fellow revolutionaries.Ultimately, program leadersconcurred that they had to, as oneput it, "be intentional about offeringdiverse ways of plugging in," but somewondered w hether offering high levelsof flexibility w as necessarily a healthyparadigm. As one sem inarian remarked,"If they came looking for community,[and] they're going to get more intensivcomm unity if they put more into thecomm unity, then are we selling peopleshort by not challenging them to reallytake responsibility?" Said another, "Thisis a big conundrum in the life of anycommunity: how do you allow differentpeople to be in different places atdifferent times in the life of a com mu-nity? Because that 's what people need,and I'm n ot sure what it will look like fopeople when our generation is runningthe church."Much of the criticism one hearsabout the different participationpatterns of younger adults in churchesstems from an xiety that a low level ofcomm itment means the church of thefuture will lack leadership. Y et the fluidnature of younger adulthood mirrors

By appearing joyful themselvesand also happy to welcome newcomers,FCC members caused younger adultsto feel embraced out of a sense ofabundance rather than one of scarcity.

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this participation pattern, suggestingthat less fluid times will lead to moreconsistent participation, and thereforeleadership, for younger adults whoremain engaged in faith communitiesthroughout their adulthood.

Tension 2: Welcoming,But Not Desperate

T hey ... appreciated the w ayin which the church welcomed theirdoubts and questions._

All interview participants and programleaders at some point spoke about thehospitality they found at FCC. Theydescribed having needed, in a tumul-tuous or tenuous time in life, to havea place where they felt they belongedand where the community was gladthey were there. Yet the nature of thewelcome they received had a particularflavor to it that many found essentialto their comfort in the church: thewelcome did not feel needy.

As one interview participant said,"It's hard to sort of quantify, becauseyou want a church to be welcoming. Youdon't want them to ignore newcomers-strangersbut then, on the other hand,you don't want there to be this feelingof desperation. My experience at FirstChurch has just been extremely positivethat waythat people are welcoming,people introduce themselves, but it's in avery nonthreatening way. It's sort of justsaying, 'This is who we are here at FirstChurch, and we welcome you to comeand join us if you want to.

Several participants juxtaposedthis sense of welcome with whatthey had found in other churches: aphenomenon I came to call the "CarolAnne Syndrome." In the 1980s filmPoltergeist, a home built on top of arelocated graveyard becomes hauntedby spirits that do not wish to be dead.Those spirits steal away a small, vital

child (named Carol Anne) because shereminds them of the joy of living. In asimilar way, when younger adults entera church that is dying, they often feel asthough the welcome they receive seeksto tap into their resources without anyregard to the spiritual needs the youngeradult might have; they fear becomingthat church's Carol Anne. One programleader talked about being invited tojoin a church committee on her veryfirst visit to a new church. These kindsof welcomes led younger adults tofeel overwhelmed and more neededthan welcomed.

The following comments sum upmany of the feelings expressed: "Asopposed to being part of something thatis going to nurture me and be nurturedby me [my] being there would besolely to try and help the community.It wouldn't be that kind of reciprocityof support. I would be coming backwith them out of feelings of guilt orobligation rather than for me," saidone interviewee. "I felt really sorry forthem," said another, "and so that madeit feel like to continue going there wouldbe sort of out of pity, or like an act ofcharity, and that was not appealing."

Many program participants reportedthat one of the things that drew themto FCC was the presence of othersin their age group. Some pointed outthe chicken/egg irony, where a churchneeds to have younger members to

attract younger members. This said, theunderlying emotion set related to thatsense of comfort seems to have been away in which FCC set the hospitalitythermostat to just the right temperatureto help a younger adult feel welcomewithout feeling pressure. By appearingjoyful themselves and also happy towelcome newcomers, FCC memberscaused younger adults to feel embracedout of a sense of abundance rather thanone of scarcity.Tension 3: Believing,But Not DogmaticMany participants in this studydescribed a sense of comfort theyderived at FCC from knowing wherethe church was coming from theo-logically. Though one might conjecturethat younger adults, often fresh outof secular colleges, would feel most athome in a setting where the Christianmessage was watered down, the youngeadults I interviewed appreciated thatthe church knows who and whose itis. This comfort seemed to have manylayers to it.

First, the younger adults I inter-viewed appreciated the church's honestyabout its Christian worldview and wouldnot have cottoned to a cloaked message.Said one participant, "I feel like youngadults are extremely media savvy, very

.. . cong ruence betw een w hat the chu rch didand what it said was highly attractive to what one participantcalled "cynical G en-X types."

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... churches should consider howflexible while honoring the importance owelcoming but not desperate-sounding,theology while making room for doubt.

they might bef commitment,and overt about

sophisticated consumers of advertisingand m arketing. Learning to be reallysophisticated in consum ing information,I think that when you com e into a placewhere you feel like 'I can kind of relax alittle bit. They're go ing to try and sell m esomething, it's Jesus; they said that, it'spretty clear. Second, they commented on theintegrity of the church's purportedvision and how it was reflected in theway church mem bers behaved towardthem. Tying back to the example ofthe welcome they received, severalindicated that the church's intentionalvision which was generated out of agreat deal of work on the part of thechurch's leaders and members isa way of hospitality (see http://www.firstchurchcambridge.orWpages/about/vision!). The younger adults interviewedunderstood that the welcome theyreceived was part of the church'seffort to live out its stated vision. Th iscongruence between what the churchdid and w hat it said was highly attractiveto what one participant called "cynicalGen-X types."They also, however, appreciated theway in w hich the church welcomed theirdoubts and questions. One describedher decision to join FCC this way: " Igot sucked in by a sermon." She wenton to describe a sermon that ques-tioned whether a just God wo uld havecrushed Pharoah's army in the Red Sea.She had never heard a m inister openlyquestion the Bible, and she found thisfreeing. "W hen I started coming to FirstChurch," she said, " I was definitely aquestioner. I didn't really lose faith perse, between the faith that I had as achild and then coming back as an adult,but it definitely changed dram atically."

This participant's com ments reflectwhat those who study faith developmentmight consider common knowledge:younger adults redefine the faiths oftheir childhoods as they formulate theiradult belief systems. Perhaps becauseof its relatively highly educated p opu-lation, this permission to questionseemed particularly important at FCC.Participants indicated that they couldnot have felt comfortable in a churchthat required them to withhold ques-tions and forego critical thinking.ConclusionWhat does it take for a church to beattractive to a younger adult? The initia-tive at FCC brings to light that churchesshould consider how they might be (1)flexible while hon oring the im portanceof comm itment, (2) welcoming but notdesperate-sounding, and (3) overt abouttheology while making room for doubt.Clearly, these tensions present morequestions than they do answers. But asmany churches are led to believe thatfollowing fadssuch as audio-visualtechnology or "theology on tap"is theonly way to reach you nger adults, thesetensions present opportunities for amore nuanced conversation. Y oungeradults are savvy when someone is tryingto sign them up for som ething, drawthem into something, or sell them som e-thing. May they also be savvy to howmuch they have to gain, and how m uchis at stake for them, as they seek to joinwith a commu nity to find meaning intheir lives. Sarah Drummond is the author ofHoly Clarity: The Practice of Planningand Evaluation. To learn more aboutthis book or to place an order, seehttp://www.alban.org/bookdetails .aspx?id=8010.

N O T E1. Practicing Our F aith: A Way of Life fora Searching People, edited by Dorothy C.Bass, Second Revised Edition (Jossey-Bass,2010). For more information, see On OurWay: C hristian Practices for Living a Who lLife, edited by Dorothy C. Bass and SusanR. Briehl (Upper Room, 2010) and www.practicingourfaith.org .

Questions for Reflection

1. If you are not currently a youngeradult, but are further along in life,what do you remember about yourchurch participation patterns whenyou were between twenty and fortyyears old? How might patterns bedifferent or similar today?

2. Consider your own faith community.What areas of tension do you feelyou have addressed? Is your churchflexible about program participationwhile also honoring the importanceof commitment? Welcoming butnot needy? Celebrating beliefwithout dogmatically enforcinga particular worldview?

3. What areas of tension do you believepresent challenges for your church'sway of doing business?

4 . Consider a younger adult you know.What might she or he seek byway of community, support, andmeaning-making? How might achurch address those hungers?