Who'd a thunk it?
Our church is wonderful. Intimate, friendly, pleasant. This group of people is concerned with several things that are extremely important - making people feel as comfortable in worship as possible, encouraging everyone in our congregation to find and express their own voice, and making room for people who are looking for a place to worship.We had a little business meeting last night - our's are never like the business meetings you've been to in other Baptist churches - anyway, we had felt a need for some time to reorganize ourselves a bit - the same people had been serving on the same teams for more than several years. So, we mixed things up a bit - and one of the things we did was take a look at how we can develop a ministry link in cyberspace. So, as far as I know, we are the only church in town who has a "cyberspace" team.
Now, I'm going to ask for some audience participation. One of the reasons we did this was because we realize that much of the traffic in cyberspace comes from voices and keyboards of people who, on average, are much younger than we are. We were younger 7 years ago when we started, but . . . Anyway, we are coming to realize that we want to minister with younger generations, and, well, quite frankly, we don't know their language very well. There is something about our church that has not proven to be attractive to very many who are under 35. We don't want our church to be a one generational congregation, and so, we are going to start listening to younger voices in an effort to determine how we can minister to their needs and create a place where they can minister out of their gifts.
So, I'm asking - if you have input, I'd love to hear it.
posted by the sojourning pilgrim @ 3:36 PM
3 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Not that I'm a younger voice, I'm probably older than you, but I would suggest you find someone who's humorous, hip and connected to the younger generation. Put them in charge of a sub-30, college-aged ministry. Make it a ministry/get-together, so as not to just minister the Word but to provide an atmosphere of fun and companionship, one they'll LOVE to attend. Do various activities, from going to movies to having a game night at the church or at someone's house, progressive dinners, all sort of social interactions. Maybe start a Sunday school class for this group, if you don't have one already.
To get the word out, have the appointed leader (make sure they have a sense of humor...humor attracts people and puts them at ease most of the time) speak to the church about the new ministry, get them excited, and they'll in turn pass the word on and promote the church/new ministry to the people around them that they do life with, thereby, bringing in younger people. Bring the leader up periodically to help with the service~like speaking before the offering or something. In my church the youth pastor is in charge of speaking before the offering and he always tells a cute or funny story. Sometimes the stories are gross and you wouldn't expect them to be told in church but it attracts the younger folks and everyone laughs and feel way more at ease with him when he talks on their level about everyday stuff he encounters.
Then of course, once you get someone in charge of the ministry, there's always media advertising.
Just my thoughts...
Cindy
Good Morning, Doc. Being one of those under 35 people that you're specifically talking about I feel that you desire my input. Bare in mind, that I am not the norm. I grew up long before others that are my age and am very comfortable mingling with "older" people.
These people, under 35 are actually two groups. The first is the college age who are not married nor do they have children. The second group is usually married and parents of small to middle age children or are starting to think about family. Both of these groups are making financial decisions that effect the next 30+ years (credit cards, mortgages, and student loans).
I agree with Cindy, in that humor attracts people. It gives all of us a break from the seriousness of everyday life. I also like the idea of getting together for coffee, meals, and movies. An accountability group could also be benificial where small groups (2-4 people) hold each other accountable to spend time with God and in the Word.
Here are my thoughts for you to ponder on.
Post a Comment
<< Home