Growing Young
The Church needs every generation, yet many churches are missing out on the gifts and perspectives of youth and young adults. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not that young people don’t care about faith anymore. Many of them do. But young people aren’t going to join church just to fill the seats on Sunday morning. They want more than a good sermon or a contemporary worship band. They are looking for an authentic community that embraces them and the gifts they bring to the body of Christ.
The Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) studied more than 250 leading congregations, and they discovered six essential strategies (unlocking keychain leadership, empathizing with today’s young people, taking the message of Jesus seriously, fueling a warm community, prioritizing young people, and being the best neighbor) any church can use to engage young people.
In 2017, Faith Church was invited by Fuller Youth Institute to participate in a cohort and create transformation within the people of Faith Church. It is our hope that we become a church that elevates our young people and youth and takes steps to create a church environment that inspires hope for generations to come.
Faith Church members completed a Growing Young survey in 2018. The following document shows us the realities of where we were as a church based on the 6 core commitments of Growing Young. Here is a link to the survey: Church-Assessment-Report-2018
The Six Core Commitments of Churches Growing Young
Unlock keychain leadership:
Instead of centralizing authority, empower others – especially young people.
Fuel a warm community:
Instead of focusing on cool worship or programs, aim for warmer peer and intergenerational friendships.
Empathize with today’s young people:
Instead of judging or criticizing, step into the shoes of this generation.
Take Jesus’ message seriously:
Instead of asserting formulaic gospel claims, welcome young people into a Jesus-centered way of life.
Prioritize young people (and families) everywhere:
Instead of giving lip service to how much young people matter, look for creative ways to tangibly support, resource, and involve then all facets of your congregation.
Be the best neighbors:
Instead of condemning the world outside your walls, enable young people to neighbor well locally and globally.
