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Our generational series continues today as we discuss the struggles and opportunities churches face when reaching younger families.
Episode Highlights:
- To reach younger kids and grow a kids’ ministry, you first have to reach their parents. Third graders can’t drive.
- Outside of prayer, the first thing ew need to do in revitalization is stop blaming others and accept responsibility.
- If there are only a few young families in the church, don’t treat them as a separate class of people in the church.
- Churches must give up the idols of personal preference and comfort.
The eight keys for reaching younger generations we discuss are:
- Abandon the fleeting hope of the silver bullet pastor.
- Abandon the fleeting hope of the silver bullet children or student minister.
- Stop the blame game.
- Connect with the Millennial parents.
- Many Millennials have a missional mindset.
- Seek a short-term transplant from another church.
- Give up the idols of tradition and personal preference.
- Pray. Pray. Then pray again.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
- No Silver Bullets
- Reaching Millennials
- Autopsy of a Deceased Church
- Autopsy Video Study Guide
- RevitalizeBundle.com
- ChurchAnswers.com
- Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
One reality that will be facing more churches is that because of falling birthrates over the last 30 years, there will be fewer families to go around. School districts are facing this reality right now.
We’ve taken much of this kind of advice, and our church restart has many kids and is located in a town with many kids. Families tell us they feel valued and welcome. But other towns around us are shifting demographically–the only growing population is 55 years+. And I’m concerned that many churches and leaders only have a paradigm for growth that focused on families.
Thom, maybe you could address that topic sometime in a post or podcast. What does ministry in 10 years look like in the wake of falling birthrates?
I think these questions are very vital. Our church is in the process to “hire” an Associate Pastor for Family ministry with the intend minister to the parents. Having just a “children ministry” will not cut it
I am interested in this topic but would like to have a hardcopy of the book.
How can I order it?
Our small church membership consists of mostly older people. There is only one young family with 2 small boys ages 2 and 4. We have been learning much from your podcasts. We are in process of updating our website to make it more “modern” and mobile friendly. We would like to learn more about reaching millennials, but can’t the cost. Are there any books you would recommend?
@vicki Dr. Rainer wrote a book entitled ” The Millennials”. It’s excellent on this topic.
Millennials are old enough to be parents. I’m the mother of a millennial! He’s out of college and in the work force a good six years. I’ve done my part in getting him to church.
If there was a “like” button I would click it.
It used to be that young adults were presumed to have children, but that’s not the case these days. Childless marriages (even platonic marriages) are becoming the norm, as Joe points out above me. MGTOW and other social movements are keeping many successful young adults away from marriage altogether. Very soon, there will indeed not be enough children to go around, and then churches will pivot their marketing (always running behind) to see white-collar bachelors with a lot of extra cash as the new area for growth.
When is there going to be a discussion of getting people under 40 to join a church regardless of marital or parental status? Married people and families with kids have always been revered in church. Others are in the list of undesirables which Dr. Rainer did put on his blog recently.
This is by far the biggest “idol” in the modern church. You watch a church spend a million dollars to renovate its youth center, then it half-heartedly sets up a home group or two for childless adults, and somehow this is supposed to be fair. Youth pastors are explicitly compensated based on attendance. But those kids are nearly unanimous in their disappearance after high school. All that money down the drain for members who quit when they’re 18. Leaving the adults to pay the tab. When you have no kids in the system, the whole thing does start to look like a big waste of money.