RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Kids and families are attending church less frequently.  Families used to consider themselves regular attendees if they came 3-4 times a month.  Recent stats now show that families who attend once every 4-6 weeks consider themselves regular attendees.

51% of Americans say church is not that important or not important at all.  And the younger the person, the less important it is.  Only 20% of adults under 30 say church attendance is important.

What is causing this decline?  A big factor is generational characteristics.

Senior adults were shaped by events like World War II and are very loyal to the institutions they fought to protect, including the churches they attend.

Middle-aged adults were shaped by events Vietnam, Woodstock, and Watergate and learned to challenge authority.  They are consumers, attending church for what it has to offer them.

Young adults have been shaped by postmodernism, which promotes tolerance and the denial of absolute truth.  59% who grew up in church have dropped out.

They say the church is irrelevant and hypocritical.  One-third have left the church because of it's "anti-gay" stance which they see as intolerance.

These are the young parents and families who are only attending your church once every 4 to 6 weeks...if they attend at all.

In spite of this, I am encouraged.  There are many churches that are growing and reaching kids and families.

In fact, right now, Jesus is building some of the greatest churches in the history of our nation.  Thousands of kids and families are being brought into the kingdom by the Spirit of God.

But even for churches that are growing and reaching kids and families, the question remains...how do we encourage families to be faithful instead of sporadic in their church attendance?

I believe there are 6 keys.

#1 - We must be RELEVANT.  A big reason kids and families are not attending as frequently is because what they experience and hear at church is not relevant to their everyday life.

If we are going to be relevant to people's lives, we must teach beyond the facts.  I talk more about this here.

#2 - We must be RELATIONAL.  Kids and families want to be known, loved, and cared for.  Relationships is the glue that will help them be faithful.  They'll be consistent when they know they'll be missed by someone if they're absent.

#3 - We must RECRUIT people to serve.  When people serve in community, they will be motivated to be consistent in their attendance.

I am convinced more than ever, that serving is a key part of discipleship and faithfulness.  Someone who is only attending once every 4-6 weeks is probably not serving.  Think about it.  Those who ARE consistent in their attendance...your core...are those who are engaged in serving.

Build a culture of serving and you will see kids and families begin to attend more consistently.

#4 - We must REVERBERATE a mission.  People long to be part of something significant...something bigger than themselves.  And when they find it...they will consistently give themselves to it.

Do families know the mission of your church?  Is it clearly defined?  Is it easy to remember?  Is it something worthy of their time, talent, and treasure?

#5 - We must REMIND families of the importance of consistent church attendance.  By reminding, I am not referring to taking them on a guilt trip.  But rather, sharing with them the essential role church plays in the life of a believer.  And showing parents how church attendance is vital in laying a spiritual foundation for their children.

#6 - We must be about REDEMPTION.  Why is the church seen as intolerant?  Perhaps it's because we're known more for what we are AGAINST than what we are FOR.

We must speak the truth in LOVE...not compromising God's Word...but at the same time be known first and foremost as a place that loves people...no matter where they are in life...and offers them hope, healing, and forgiveness through Christ.

Jesus was the friend of sinners...not the foe of sinners. 

Have you found these percentages to be true in your church? 

How often do families attend? (not the committed core, but your average family)

What are you doing to encourage families to be more consistent in their attendance? 

The floor is yours. Share your ideas in the comment section below.  We really want to hear them.

A recent Gallup poll says over three-quarters of Americans (77%) believe religion is losing its influence on American life, while 20% say religion's influence is increasing.

These represent Americans' most negative evaluations of the impact of religion since 1970, although similar to the views measured in recent years.


Americans over the years have generally been more likely to say religion is losing rather than increasing its influence in American life.

In addition to the previous peak in views that religion was losing its influence measured in 1969 and 1970, at least 60% of Americans thought religion was losing its influence in 1991-1994, in 1997 and 1999, in 2003, and from 2007 to the present.

Americans were more likely to say religion was increasing rather than decreasing its influence when the question was first asked in 1957, in 1962, at a few points in the 1980s during the Reagan administration, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in late 2001 and early 2002, and in 2005.  The high point for Americans' belief that religion is increasing its influence, 71%, came in December 2001.

These perceptions of religion's influence in American society are not related to Americans' personal
religiosity, as measured by church attendance or the self-reported importance of religion in one's life.

In general, highly religious Americans are neither more nor less likely to say religion is losing its influence than those who are not religious.

There is, however, a modest relationship between Americans' ideology as well as partisanship and their views of the influence of religion, with liberals and Democrats more likely than conservatives and Republicans to say religion's influence is increasing in American society.


Most Americans Also Say U.S. Would Be Better Off if More Americans Were Religious
A separate question found much more positive views of the potential for religion to have an impact on the country, with 75% of Americans saying they think it would be positive for American society if more Americans were religious.
 

Americans who attend church regularly and who say religion is important in their own lives are far more likely than others to say it would be positive for American society if more Americans were religious.

Even so, over half of those who seldom or never attend and close to one in three Americans who say religion is not important to them personally still say it would be positive for society if more Americans were religious.


Implications
The view most Americans hold -- that religion is losing its influence on American life -- does not appear to reflect personal religiousness, but rather appears to reflect widely shared judgments on factors relating to the course of events in the U.S.

In 1969 and 1970, with the Vietnam War raging in controversial fashion and with the cultural and sexual revolutions underway, and to a lesser degree at times in the 1990s, Americans held negative views similar to those they hold today.

The degree to which these views changed during the Reagan years, and after 9/11, suggest that they could change again in the years ahead.

The fact that most Americans think the country would be better off if more Americans were religious shows that many of those who believe religion is losing its influence may think this is a negative state of affairs.