Geelong, Australia
A “coherency of faith” that involves life within both the home and the church is key to the successful retention of young people in churches as they enter adult life, new research has found.
The research, which combined select findings about church attendance from NCLS Research as well as results gleaned from Anglican organisation Youthworks’ Effective Ministry Tool – a survey for Anglican church ministry leaders which was completed by leaders in 90 churches in the Sydney area, looked at the characteristics of Sydney Anglican churches.
Research shows, with some caveats, that about 65 per cent of children who grew up in Anglican churches in the approximately 250 parishes in the Sydney region continue to attend church into adulthood.
PICTURE: Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn/iStockphoto
Rev Al James, a youth ministry adviser for Western Sydney with Youthworks, conducted the research. Noting that previous research has shown that children are more likely to retain their faith into adulthood if religion is talked about and practiced at home, he said the new research confirmed that and pointed to what he called a “coherency of faith” as being key.
“So, they’re not just going to church on Sunday but they’re able to talk about it in the home,” he said. “They’re not just hearing about things but are able to engage deeply in the Christian faith and able to wrestle with doubts and questions and those kinds of things as well.
“So the overall picture, I guess, is kind of an integrated faith – a faith that works in the world; that’s robust enough to deal with the challenges that the world throws up. It’s liveable, in a sense – they’re able to go ‘How do I deal with these questions or these things that the world demands of me?’ – [and their] faith is able to answer that.”
Participating in evangelistic activity was also important.
“The highest correlation [between behaviour and the retention of young people in the church] that we saw was in the area of evangelism…” James told Sight. “Seventy-five per cent of churches in the higher retention category [that is, churches that had a higher retention of young people as they entered adulthood] had some or a few young people that had led someone to Christ.”
Al James. PICTURE: Courtesy of Youthworks
Another of the strongest correlations centred on the idea of using the Bible to make decisions. Twice as many churches with a high retention rate of young people reported most young people doing this compared with medium-retention churches.
There was also a key correlation between the retention of young people and the process of discipleship.
“I would really encourage youth and children’s ministry to engage in participative discipleship; that is, that young people not only receive instruction in faith but also that they’re given the opportunity to express their faith in meaningful participation…” James said. “So, don’t just talk at kids but allow them to put the Gospel on their own lips…
He said that based on the findings, he would also encourage ministry leaders to nurture a “theologically rich faith”.
“Invite young people into a substantial faith community where they’re wrestling with doubts [and] they’re wrestling with questions; they’re seeking to kind of really make sense of the faith that they’re part of.”
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James added that partnerships with parents are important.
“We don’t want to silo parents from youth and children’s ministries, we want to see it as a partnership and also we want to do what we can to encourage parents to talk about faith at home in ad hoc and impromptu ways. To take the opportunity to talk about faith in the everyday and not just in those particularly formal moments.”
Based on the findings of the research, James said he’s also encourage churches to involve young people in serving others.
“Give young people the credit that they do have the capacity to make a meaningful contribution to the Body of Christ,” James said. “And absolutely engage in inter-generational discipleship…We want to see intermingling of young people and other generations because that again is an opportunity for an integrated faith and a substantial faith.”
