Attracting and Retaining Young Adults to our Church

It is fairly obvious to those attending worship at Mountain View Lutheran Church, that a large majority of folks in attendance are not in the millennial generation (defined by Pew Research as between the ages of 22 and 37 in 2018).  A recent article in the Reporter, a publication of the LC-MS, shared results of a recent research project on young-adult retention in the church.  This group now comprises 35% of the U.S. labor force and in 2019 will be the largest segment of the U. S. population.

The LC-MS Youth Ministry study involved a survey of congregations on youth retention, a survey of young adults who have ever had a connection with the LC-MS and a series of focus group discussions with young adults.

Some conclusions that emerged directly from the focus groups were that young adults:

• Desire to connect at church with people in their own peer group but put an even higher importance on good theology and an overall welcoming environment at church.
• Are interested in building relationships and receiving advice and mentoring from church members who are outside of their own age group.
• Want to serve and make a difference in the community.
• Want to be leaders but understand they need to be trained to do so.
• Want their church to talk about difficult issues such as mental health and sexuality.
• Are not a simple or homogeneous group but come from a variety of ages and stages in life, from those entering college to those who are starting careers and families.
• Feel misunderstood and/or ignored when they hear older adults being critical of their generation.

For MVLC, these conclusions may be helpful insights for future ministry, as the congregation seeks ways and means of reaching out and retaining this younger generation.  On January 20, Rev. Timothy Anderson, a member of the millennial generation,  will be installed as Associate Pastor, which could be a first step in this direction.

 To read the news release cited above, see reporter.lcms.org.