To ask how to encourage younger people to join in church

[Ihatecocomelon]

Just that really. I'm not entering debate about what exists etc.

What would draw your children or teenagers into going to church regularly?

Our church has plenty of the older generation but only a couple of younger children and maybe 2 young couples with babies.

Thank you 😊

Our church has plenty of the older generation but only a couple of younger children and maybe 2 young couples with babies.

Maybe that should tell you something.

I was one of the younger couples with a baby.

@mnhq please remove this thread, it seems a few posters think I'm trying to recruit and brainwash kids. This wasn't my intention at all. I merely wanted to know how to encourage others my age and younger to join.

I'd like to thank you all for your posts detailing your reasons why you don't attend and potential ways to create a bigger community spirit amongst all ages.

I have autism so sometimes I'm not as well worded as other posters.

Free childcare? My daughter went to an after school thing at church for a while years ago. Oddly, most weeks she returned with cardboard 'Jesus sandals ' made from cereal box cardboard. Still an atheist however.

This sums up how I feel. I am on the fence about whether I believe in God but I absolutely cannot get on board with a religion that simply hasn't evolved with society. The Church's views on many subjects are a real turn off to many in modern society and the fact that they flatly refuse to modernise will seal their own ultimate fate. These issues are even more important to kids and teenagers than they are to people of my age (40s) so you've got no hope of getting them to Church, I'm afraid.

So many churches are grappling with this issue. Challenges include competing with things like rugby or football club on a Sunday morning - so could churches do family services at a different time? Sunday school at my church is rubbish, and parents have to go to it with kids, so that means I always miss the sermon, which is my favourite bit - could churches make sure they have trained and DBS checked group leaders so parents could feel happy leaving their kids there?

People are too busy for set time services - so drop in mornings/afternoons?
Most religions aren’t liberal enough - could you advertise liberal beliefs if the church has them
most importantly I think young people would need to see how religion is relevant to them- and in the majority of cases it isn’t. Perhaps choose one facet of Christianity e.g. charity and push this via the church with no brainwashing involved? Seek volunteers for food banks, mention how it could help ucas applications, making new friends, contributing to the community. Make use of Tik tok or insta to reach out

Haven’t read the full thread so apologies if someone has said this already. I have a friend in her mid 30s, now married with a toddler but for 15 years she has been saying she’d like to go to church more regularly but a major struggle is the timing. Sunday morning really breaks up the weekend - no good after a night out, can’t go away for the weekend, now eats in to a precious weekend lie in!! I know Sunday is ‘gods day’ and all that but she always said she’d go more if it was Sunday evening, or Saturday morning. The church needs to modernise if it wants to survive, as in 20 years the majority of todays congregation won’t be there any more and there aren’t many new ones coming in.

This is really useful thank you 😊

This is useful too. Thank you 😊

@Thatboymum yeah, you could just show up. Ask around for recommendations. Many churches will be kind and welcoming and guide you through the service. If they are not try another one. There are loads of different styles of church and church services.

It doesn't have to be cool. Brownies guides scouts boys brigade Sunday school and so on might not be cool but you said young people, not cool people.

Not all young people are cool.

Lots of yp like doing these activities. Al of these are over subscribed.

Why do you want more young people to got to church?

My children love:
Messy Church
Craft sessions e.g. who can build an ark that floats? Good quality colouring in such as printouts from twinkl and nice felt tips or gel pens.
Nativity Service and Christingle at Christmas.
Could perhaps do Movie afternoon - Nativity springs to mind at Christmas.
Community activities such as bulb planting, baking competitions etc.
Stronger links with scouting organisations.
Toddler hour, some toys followed by a story and a coffee for parents.

However a lot depends on timings: Sunday mornings are impossible due to sporting commitments, which, rightly or wrongly, take precedent.

Anything straight after school may work with primary age children. Especially if the church has links. I also think it helps if hymns are upbeat and hymns that at least the parents know. Too often the selected hymns may have meaning but perhaps not suitable for the audience?

Not much help with teenagers.

I think there's a bit of an uptick towards nostalgia and cheaper activities like scouts and guides.

One of the reasons there are less young people at church is that more families are doing activities, Sunday mornings are for rugby training in our house. They used to be for swimming or galas. There are alot more opportunities for children who have parents that can afford it I think and a lot less of the cheap or free ones like the ones that I attended as a child for those that can't.

What is that you want Op ,is it that you want to attend church with younger more likely minded people?
Some churches are very popular ,in areas that are multiracial ,and from what I have seen the attendees seem to be all ages ?

Get a good social media presence with pictures of the church, the people, the singing etc so people won't be nervous to turn up for the first time. Use this to post clear messages about services and events.

Make services modern and relative to what is happening. My church obviously has Bible readings and prayers but the sermon is usually quite funny, light-hearted and relevant to what has happened in the media. It doesn't make it long and arduous to sit there.

Move from all the traditional hymns that many people don't know to more modern gospel music. We have a band and modern music (with the odd traditional hymn thrown in) which my DCs love as they can hear the songs on YouTube, sing along in the car, know the words and see the bands/artists on Instagram too. Think Maverick City, Rend Collective, Elevation Worship....

Lots of community events, e.g. family fun day, school holiday camps, bingo night etc. Our church charges for things like bingo to cover costs of snacks and drinks but people come because it's fun. Nothing religious about it but it can spark conversations or just help people to make new friends.

OP I think your fundamental problem is that however lovely, welcoming and open-minded you and your colleagues might be, the values of the Church no longer fit with the world we live in. You have an Archbishop of Canterbury who has capitulated to the African wing of the Anglican church and is still taking an homophobic stance on who can be a minister . In the States women are being denied abortions because the cult of 'Christianity' has bought places on the Supreme Court. The more you educate people, the more they see the folly and hypocrisy of religion.
I used to take my kids to an absolutely lovely baby and toddler group run at a church. The young parents with kids just a bit older were very welcoming and reassuring, and there were quite a few older women who just liked being around babies, who would hold your baby so you could have a coffee. I loved that group. Not once did anyone try to recruit me. But if I weren't such a hardened old cynic I might have been tempted...

I was brought up going to Sunday school weekly and church for family service once a month.

I don’t go anymore. Lots of reasons really, but (in no particular order):

The Sunday service is such a dry and unwelcoming experience. All of the regular churchgoers have their own spot in the pews and when they arrive, pray, look to the front and wait for the service. There is very little welcome and this is the same at the end of the service. Chatting amongst themselves in quite a clique-y way. It is a closed group.

It is freezing there in winter. I appreciate that hearing costs a fortune, but it is absolutely freezing.

Children making any noise whatsoever (I am talking a few whispers, not shouting or anything) is not at tolerated at all. It makes taking children very difficult and awkward.

Services where children do seem to be welcomed eg Christmas Eve, are unnecessarily long and become boring to children so they don’t want to go back.

The minister didn’t make any attempt to further my interest or commitment. For example I asked a few times how I could go about being confirmed (I was christened as a 6yo but nothing further) and was told that there would be classes but heard nothing back.

There seems to be countless requests for money. Normal collection, request for covenant, Christian aid, roof repairs collection etc.

Incorrect wording from me thanks to autism.
Because I was one of the younger people there is all.

Short services with a sermon no more than 3mins, and lots of uplifting hymns...no one was to be lectured on a Sunday morning!

Maybe.its the church that you're attending ,if you value church community etc ,maybe a different church ,perhaps a different Christian denomination, might suit yoy better?

People won't take their children to church if they don't believe themselves and there's nothing you can really do to change that.

OP I am a Christian. The main way to get more people into church is to hold more non religious events to engage with the community.Try it out. Do a Halloween night and invite all the kids. Provide sweets and puzzles.
Next you could do hotdogs and sparklers nightThen do a Christmas craft day. For children. But don't preach about Mary and Jospeh. Just focus on the fun.Leave the religion out.. your priorities need to be this
be fun
be a friend
relax and they'll come

This sounds as if you are trying to lure people in under false pretences. People aren't daft and if they don't believe , a few sparklers and hotdogs won't change their minds.

People don't want to engage with The Church any more. Most people don't believe in God and aren't interested in the scriptures.

We have become a secular society and we don't want to have God and The Bible thrust down our throats.

I'm not sure how you can entice people back to Church.

I went to a wonderful baby/toddler group held at the local Church . But I and most parents cringed at the closing prayer.

Colouring in /art activities seemed to always be based on religious themes.
I didn't like that as I'd have to explain to my children about what they'd glued or coloured in.
This would be about themes that neither my husband nor I believed in.

It's a really difficult area. You basically want to find a way of enticing people back to believing in an unproven deity and to sing old hymns or embarrassing happy clappy tunes.
I don't think it's going to happen.

Our local church has hardly any congregation and has resorted to a time share with a church in another area .

Sorry OP.

At risk of stating the obvious - find a really great Children and Youth Minister who's dedicated to you programming. Despite the general fall in family attendance in my Anglican denomination, our church is thriving. Our church prioritized our youth ministry. We have children's chapel during the service, Sunday school afterwards. Youth group does both fun activities as well as service projects. Our older youth (including my daughter) are going on a two-week pilgrimage to Greece next year!

One "quick win" you could do: our music minister and his wife lead two children's choirs - age 3-5 and 6-9. They "rehearse" every Wednesday and while rehearsal is on, volunteers serve the families dinner. So parents know there is one meal a week where you can just sit, eat, connect with other parents while the kids are entertained. When one group is rehearsing, the other is doing crafts and games with another volunteer.

My kids have "aged out" of children's choir and we still miss those Wednesday night dinners! The friendships have endured and it was a wonderful way to make people feel welcomed. I used to pass over my baby to a random church granny and eat my dinner in peace ❤️