Reach and Keep Young Adults

I’m excited to be a part of the Connect Conferences occurring this fall around the country. Jason Hayes, Ed Stetzer, my old man, and I will be speaking at the majority of the venues. Michael Kelley, Mark Batterson, and others will also join us at a few stops. The Connect Conferences provide an intimate opportunity for focused discussions about reaching and keeping young adults.

Click here to register or learn more about these events.

Atlanta, GA – August 13-14, 2009
Nashville, TN – August 20-21, 2009
Charleston, SC – August 27-28, 2009
Washington, DC – September 17-18, 2009
Shreveport, LA – September 24-25, 2009

College Majors and Church Attendance

The move to college has long been an exciting time for young adults, and one that is met with mixed emotions from parents. For families of faith, one of the biggest fears is how much negative influence the secular university will have on a young son or daughter.

Our research has debunked the myth that the influence of the secular university pushes young adults out of the church. No significant difference exists between the dropout rates of those who attend at least a year of college and those who do not. For those that attend college, 69% of active churchgoing youth stop attending church for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. Yet 71% of active youth who do not go to college stop attending church during the same period.

So overall, the college itself is not to blame for the dropout issue. What about analyzing different majors? New research from the University of Michigan reveals some surprising results on religiosity and the college major. They measure religiosity by religious attendance and how important students consider the importance of religion in their lives. Here are some highlights from the study:

• The odds of going to college increase for high school students who attend religious services more frequently or who view religion as more important in their lives.
• Being a humanities or a social science major has a statistically significant negative effect on religiosity.
• Students in education and business show an increase in religiosity over their time at college.
• Majoring in the biological or physical sciences does not affect religious attendance of students.

Clearly, we need strong believers in every field of study. So I don’t think it’s wise to shun certain majors (or schools) based simply upon this research. But what are your thoughts about these findings? Are there new reasons to fear the influence of the secular university?

The Five Stages to Failure

The Economist recently summarized management guru Jim Collins’ new book, How the Mighty Fail. In this research Collins examines some of the “great” companies highlighted in his previous works, Built to Last and Good to Great, that have since severely declined or failed entirely. Collins identifies five major stages in the process of decline.

Stage 1: Hubris born of success. Firms take on a sense of superiority and fail to question their relevance when conditions change.

Stage 2: Undisciplined pursuit of more. Firms overreach – they venture into areas where their original qualities of success do not apply.

Stage 3: Denial of risk and peril. Though signs of failure appear, previous success is enough to carry the firm. Leaders convince themselves that all is well. Problems are blamed on external factors.

Stage 4: Grasping for salvation. Problems can no longer be ignored. Instead of returning to the principles that got them to previous success, leaders take extreme risks and drastically change strategy.

Stage 5: Capitulation to irrelevance or death. The firm dies or is forgotten.

Church leaders must be careful in applying business research to their congregations, but I believe that leaders can glean some truth from these stages. I can see how any leader within a business, organization, or church can lead a group down this failure spiral. What are your thoughts? What are some other mistakes leaders make to take a church from good to great to gone?

Pastors: The Importance of Hanging Out

The Great Commission requires that we enter into the lives of people. Quality leadership means that you are among those who follow you. Pastors are shepherds that lead by example. These elements of church leadership involve approachability, transparency, and trust.

No pastor begins a ministry with several chips in the pockets. Pastors must earn the respect of the congregation. A healthy relationship between pastor and congregation forms over time and in many different ways. For instance, a string of solid decisions shows the church a pastor has talent and discernment. An archive of theologically sound sermons demonstrates a pastor can communicate God’s word. Years of service reveal to the church fruit of a long-term vision.

One uncomplicated leadership trait that is easy to neglect is simply hanging out with the people. While some pastors shirk their responsibilities by being with others too much, many of us pastors don’t take enough time to be with families and small groups of people. And perhaps more than any other trait, spending time with the body enhances approachability, transparency, and trust. Here’s a short list of the benefits of hanging out.

Leading by example in real time. It’s tough show people the right way if no one ever sees you do it. How does a pastor demonstrate living incarnationally? By being among the people.

Discovering opportunities to mix with people outside the church. One of the easiest things to omit as a pastor is leaving the church bubble. A pastor of any size church can fill years of service with just church members. One of the easiest solutions is to hang out with church members who are willing to introduce you to their unsaved and unchurched friends at a ballgame, dinner, or the park.

Balancing the second greatest commandment. We are called to love others as much as ourselves. If all a pastor does is hole up alone in the study, then the second greatest commandment is out of balance.

Enhancing the ability to make tough decisions. When you know people well, you understand better how to make difficult decisions that will affect them. When people know you well, they are more willing to let you make those decisions.

Giving people the correct perception of who you really are. You’re probably just a normal dude who got called into ministry. People need to see that. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me they had an entirely different perception of who I really am until they hung out with me.

Having fun. Really, it’s ok to say yes to a church member who wants to take you out on the boat, or give you tickets to the game, or make your family dinner. People are a lot of fun, so have a good time with them!

Feel free to add your story about hanging out with a church member or another leadership benefit of taking time to be with people.

Shifting Attitudes from Homogeneity to Heterogeneity

While researching for an article I am writing for Church Executive, I came across an interesting piece of data:

In part reflecting continued and diversifying immigration, America’s racial and ethnic minority populations continue to expand. Moreover, the younger age of immigrants and higher birth rates among racial and ethnic minorities contribute to a “bubbling up” of diversity from children to seniors. While the U.S. population is projected to turn “minority white” in 2042, its preschool population will cross this threshold in 2021. Thus, while America’s minority growth is already seen prominently in schools and other arenas involving teens and young adults, it will gradually spread across venues that permeate our entire society.

Diversity is spreading geographically, and it is becoming younger. Therefore, the younger generation, as a more ethnically diverse group, will not know homogeneity in the same way as previous generations. Many of the younger generation are third culture worlders – individually, they represent more than just one culture.

As the younger generation ages, they will not as easily recognize the homogeneous unit principal that was championed in the early years of the church growth movement. Basically, this principal states that people desire to worship and serve in church with other similar people, and the best way to reach people is with others who are similar. Clearly, people with common interests, characteristics, life stages, and languages will still gravitate towards each other. The difference with the youngest generation is that these divides will not be as distinct. And, in many ways, they will see heterogeneity as more normative and more relevant.

The church should not wait until 2021 to begin an attitudinal shift from homogeneity to heterogeneity. Indeed, many congregations have been championing this attitude for some time. Others are beginning to notice the changes to their communities and are taking positive steps forward. Especially with preschoolers and children, however, what are some ways that churches can prepare for these changing demographics?

Signs of a Struggling Local Church

The latest issue of Outreach has hit the stands. It features some good articles on small churches and bi-vocational pastors. You can subscribe to the print edition here. I write the Surprising Insights column in each issue. Here’s an excerpt from my article on the signs of a struggling local church.

Over 90% of churches are declining or growing less than the community around them. The national trends are not good. Before church leaders surrender to frustration and church members yield to apathy, our composite research shows there are signs along the way that suggest a church is becoming unhealthy. The following list is not exhaustive, but let’s see some key signals that an individual congregation is beginning to struggle.

We don’t emphasize Bible study anymore. When God’s Word is not the driving force of a church, people are bound to travel down the wrong road. Churches that do not elevate the proclamation and study of God’s Word veer off course. A lack of deep biblical teaching is one of the most glaring signs of a struggling church.

We cut our outreach budget. When we consult with churches and examine their budgets, a key health indicator is how much the church allocates to outwardly focused ministries. Struggling churches give less toward their mission each year—less money, less prayer and fewer people.

Our church doesn’t change with the community. Struggling churches are led by leaders with little to no understanding of their immediate context. As a result, their congregations either do not know about changes in the community’s demographics or they refuse to change with them. Every church leader must minister with the following question at the forefront: “What are the biggest needs in my community?

We don’t take risks. Unfortunately, many church leaders have been beat up or burned. As a result, they focus more on not getting in trouble with their congregation than turning the world upside down for Jesus. They lead churches to play it safe rather than taking risks to reach more people.

We don’t have a clear discipleship plan. A struggling church does not have an answer to the new believer or member who asks, “Now what?” These churches may have an abundance of programs and ministries, but they do not have an intentional plan to help believers become more like Christ. The absence of a discipleship plan leaves the back door wide open.

Any others that you would like to add?