RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

The Millennials, born between 1981 and 1997, are the next generation of parents.

As they have children, many of them will walk into the doors of our churches looking for spiritual guidance for themselves and their children.

The big question...how can you keep them connected?

Recent research by Barna says Millennials are looking for 5 key things.  Focus on these and you'll see them connecting to your church.

1. RELATIONSHIPS
Millennials are twice as likely to stay at a church if they have a close personal relationship with someone in the church.  When they do not develop relationships in the church, they drop out.  Studies show 7 out of 10 Millennials who drop out of church did not have a close friendship.

If you want to keep young families connected to your church, be intentional about providing ways for them to get relationally connected with others. 

 2. TEACH CULTURAL DISCERNMENT
Pop culture is a driving force for Millennials.  Bringing their faith in Jesus to problems they encounter in the culture is a powerful motivator for these young parents.

Millennials want their faith to move beyond just Sunday worship.  Studies show that Millennials who stay connected to church have been taught how to effectively navigate the culture.  This does not mean inundating them with overprotective impulses that are driven by fear of the culture.  That approach will turn them off.  Instead, we must help them engage the culture from a Christian perspective.   

3. REVERSE MENTORING
Millennials want to make a difference...now.  From their perspective, institutional church life is too hierarchical.  They are not interested in "earning" their way to the top so much as they want to put their gifts and skills to work now.

Reverse mentoring means giving these young parents opportunities to lead and serve, instead of asking them to "wait" their turn.  An example is in the area of technology, where they can teach older generations.

When Millennials are given opportunities to serve, they are twice as likely to stay connected to church.   

4. VOCATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
A fourth way churches can deepen their connection with young families is to teach them a theology of vocation or calling.  When Millennials view their gifts and passions as part of God's calling, they are three times more likely to stay connected.

This means helping them see how the Bible applies to their field or career interests.  Many churches only dive into this with young adults who show interest in traditional church-based ministry and in doing so miss the majority of Millennials.  Vocational discipleship is connecting Millennials to the history of Christianity through the unique work God has called them to.

5. CONNECTION WITH JESUS
Millennials who remain active in church are much more likely to say Jesus speaks to them personally in a way that is real and relevant.  They find a sense of authority in the Bible and in their experience with God.

A key is helping Millennials see that their connection with Jesus must be wholly integrated into all areas of their life and not compartmentalized.

Here's some questions to discuss with your team...
How are we helping young families build relationships with each other?  What are some ways we can improve in this area?

Do we teach young families to engage the culture or to hide from the culture?  What are some steps we can take to help them be better equipped to engage the culture?

Are we giving young parents the opportunity to lead and serve?  What are some ways we can do this more effectively? 

Are we helping young parents see their vocation as their ministry?  Are we equipping them to make a  difference for Christ with their job? 

Are young parents encountering God's presence in a real and personal way in our services?  Are we  giving them the tools they need to connect with God during the week? 

Our church is in the process of purchasing another property.  It's a 100,000 sq. foot building that was previously owned by a film animation company.

It's located in a city about an hour north of our original campus.  Easter 2016, we will launch another campus in this building.

That will be campus #9.  And it won't be the last.  I don't think we'll ever stop adding more campuses.

Why you might ask?  Isn't 9 campuses enough?  No.  And here's why.  We still have tons of people in our area who are far from God.  We still have hundreds of thousands of families who don't have a relationship with Jesus.  We still have multitudes of kids and parents who need Jesus.

In fact, a report just came out from Barna that lists the top "churchless" cities in America.  Here they are.  The ones in bold are where our church has campuses now.

1. San Francisco, CA 61%
2. Burlington, VT 55%
3. Boston, MA 53%
4. Portland, ME 52%
5. Chico, CA 52%
6. Las Vegas, NV 51%
7. Seattle, WA 50%
8. Albany, NY 50%
9. Phoenix, AZ 49%
10. New York, NY 48%
11. West Palm Beach, FL 48%

The same report listed the top "never churched" cities.

1. West Palm Beach, FL (17%)
2. Santa Barbara, CA (16%)
3. New York, NY (15%)
4. McAllen, TX (15%)
5. Chico, CA (15%)

This is why we must continue to start campuses.  This is why we cannot kick back and put it in neutral.  

The issue is not how many people are attending your church and mine.  The issue is how many people in our cities are not attending church anywhere.  That is the number that should keep us up at night.

Has your ministry lost its passion for people without God?  Have you decided to "hold on til Jesus comes back?"  Have you grown content and decided to coast for awhile?

May God stir up a fresh fire in my heart and your heart for the kids and families in our communities.  We must keep starting campuses....we must keep planting churches...we must keep reaching people.  Eternity is at stake.

A recent report from Barna research says there are over 156 million people in America who do not attend church including over 42 million children and teenagers.

In the last 10 years, the number of adults who do not attend church has increased by 30%.  This is an increase of 38 million people who are now unchurched.

Here are some characteristics of the unchurched...

They probably used to attend church.  Only about 24% have never attended church at any time in their life.  76% have firsthand experience with one or more churches and have decided they can better use their time in other ways.

There's a good chance they're cohabitating.  Unchurched adults are four times more likely to be cohabitating.

They are likely to be Gen X-ers (ages 34 to 49) or Boomers (ages 50 to 68).  Gen X-er's make up 33% of the unchurched and Boomers make up 35%.  This group is comprised of many families who have kids and grandkids.

They would probably consider themselves a "Christian."  Though they do not attend church, 62% consider themselves "Christians."  Many are still culturally tied to Christianity and are still interested in it.  34% would describe themselves as "deeply spiritual" and 41% say their faith is very important in their life.  33% say they have an active relationship with God that influences their life. 

As I read these stats, these thoughts are upon my heart...

Who wants to attend a dead church?   
76% have been to church and that's why they are not attending.  If a church is spiritually dead and not relevant to your life, why would you want to spend your Sundays there when you could be at the lake?

More than ever, our country needs churches that are thriving!  You see, where there is life, there is growth.  Where there is life, new families are being reached.  Where there is life, the baptism waters are being stirred.

Where does life come from?  The Spirit of God.  When the Holy Spirit is moving with power in a church, people will be drawn to it.

Churches must be a hospital instead of a museum. 
Our churches must be spiritual hospitals where people who are hurting and damaged by sin are welcomed with open arms and can find healing, forgiveness and love.

I wonder how many unchurched families have walked into a "museum" where they were snubbed by perfect Christians who were on display?

Could a family who is cohabitating walk into your church and feel accepted?  Before you get upset, notice I said accepted...not approved.   There is a difference between acceptance and approval.  No, we do not approve of the lifestyle, but yes, we can love them and accept them just as they are.  If we can allow them to belong before they believe, we can reach them.  Remember, Jesus cleans his fish after He catches them.

Churches must make children's ministry and reaching kids a top priority.  
The stats show that the biggest percentage of the unchurched are families with kids.  I believe the key to reaching the biggest majority of unchurched families is by reaching their kids.  I have personally seen it happen again and again.  God can use a child to bring their parents to Christ.

As you look across the country, you will find that churches that are growing and reaching people have dynamic children's ministries.

When you take a child by the hand...you take a parent by the heart. 

Churches must help people see it's about relationship instead of religion.
As you look at the stats, you can see that a big percentage of the unchurched are simply tired of "religion."  We must emphasize by word and deed that Jesus is the missing relationship that they are searching for. 

I sat yesterday with 4 of our new volunteers.  They all had some things in common.  Until recently, they were part of the unchurched percentage.  They had been raised in churches where it was all about tradition, rules, chanting meaningless prayers and kneeling at the appropriate time.  And as soon as the decision was theirs, they ran from it.

Over time, their journeys had led them to our church.  Some came by the invitation of a friend, some came when they were going through a hard time and realized they were missing something and some came because a co-worker invited them.

They had then discovered a true relationship with Jesus and their lives had been transformed.  They found a church family where they could grow, learn and serve.  They are now out of the "unchurched" category and part of our church...ready to serve and reach others with the love and message of Jesus Christ.

These are some of the things it will take to reach the unchurched family in your neighborhood.

The floor is yours.  What else will it take to reach the unchurched in our neighborhoods?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Barna recently reported on 3 trends that are redefining the information age we are living in.

These have big implications on how we communicate with kids and parents.

1. People feel modern life is accelerating and becoming more complex.
In children and family ministry, I see this reflected in families' life rhythm.  Because of their busy, hectic lives, families attend church less frequently.  In many congregations, the average family attends 1-2 times a month.

Effective children's ministries will find ways to...

• minister to families who attend less frequently
• help families move from hectic to balanced
• move families back into a healthy rythm of church attendance

2. People want to stay informed, but due to so much information, they skim content.
Families want to be informed and there is clearly plenty of information available.  Every year, there is more and more content being thrown at them.  In fact, there is so much information that families feel overwhelmed and limited in how much they can intake. 

Get used to hearing those words - "It's too long."  Parents want short, concise information.

As you communicate with kids and families, remember to...

• Say it short
• Show it short
• Communicate it short
• Teach it short.

The more compact and precise your information, the better your chance of it getting read and remembered.

3. People want more than mere facts and information.  They want to integrate their faith into everyday life.
Effective children and family ministries must teach not just information, but life application. Teaching must move beyond just the facts to challenging kids and families to live out the truth in their everyday lives.

Head knowledge simply isn't enough.  Helping kids and families to not compartmentalize their lives is a must.