Facing Reality: Aging Congregations

Last week, we named some of the most common hard realities churches today are facing: aging congregations, leadership gaps, volunteer decline, stalled outreach, blurry vision, and conflict. We said that acknowledging the hard realities your church is experiencing is the first step toward renewal.

• Beginning today, we want to offer ideas for how to meet each of these challenges, starting with the first, aging congregations. In many churches, the view from the pulpit has gotten grayer over the years. Teens graduate and disappear. Young families are scarce.

What do we do when we see our congregation aging? Here are several concrete ways to move toward a renewed sense of mission.

 Nine ways to renew an aging congregation

1. Honor older adults

• We often mourn the lack of young people, but let’s never forget to thank God for the gift of seasoned saints. They are spiritual mothers and fathers with a lifetime of wisdom to pass down. When they are valued, younger people will see a legacy worth inheriting. They will see maturity as part of the church’s mission and their own spiritual journey.

2. Foster intergenerational relationships

• Many churches silo almost every ministry by age. Seniors meet on Tuesdays, youth on Wednesdays, and young families on Thursdays. The real beauty is when the various generations learn from each other. Increasingly, younger people are especially hungry for this type of mentoring.

3. Listen to young people

• If you are trying to reach a generation you do not understand, a great place to start is simply by listening to them. When they offer feedback or ideas, take them seriously. Start conversations with young people — both inside your church and in the broader community.

4. Offer digital onramps

• Where are all the young people? Well, they live a lot of their lives online. If your church website does not have clear information about what to expect, good photos, a sermon archive, or has an outdated design, they will look elsewhere. Similarly, social media matters! These are the new front doors of the church — especially for young people.

5. Remove barriers to entry

• What keeps young people from visiting? What keeps them from sticking around after they visit? Ask them, and listen well (see above). Be brave enough to consider what stands in the way. Are there changes you are willing to make? If not, could it be that, no matter what you say, your “sacred cows” are actually more important than passing on the faith to the next generation?

6. Offer a way to make a difference

• As much as we bemoan the way church has become a spectator sport, younger people in particular want more than a show. They do not want to be passive observers. They long to make a difference in the world! Is your church making a tangible impact in the community? Does your church give more than lip service to fighting racism, poverty, and abuse? Young people will eagerly and passionately join your work.

7. Create deep connections

• Young people have grown up in an era of superficial digital “connections.” They are hungry for real relationships where they can be honest about anxiety, sin, doubts, and struggles. The loneliest generation is ready to go beyond surface-level relationships, and they will pick the church that offers meaningful community.

8. Don’t be afraid to go deep

• Preaching that touches on mental health, sexuality, doubt, science, vocation, and suffering will resonate with young people. They want more than a simplistic self-help message. They are bringing deep questions about the Bible with them to church, and they expect leaders to offer good answers that help them live in the real world.

9. Turn over the keys

• As you mentor young people, look for opportunities to empower them with leadership opportunities. Invite them to sit in on your council meetings, and pair potential future leaders with current elders and deacons for mentoring. Allow young people to make real decisions about the ministries they lead — even if it is not the way you would do it.

If younger people feel they genuinely belong, have growth opportunities, and can make a difference at your church, they will stick around. None of these shifts will happen overnight, though. They will not grow out of a one-time decision by a single key leader. They must be embraced broadly by a church that is ready to face reality and put the mission above personal preferences and comfort. My prayer is that you will take a key step on this journey of faith this week.