Most Young People Don't Like Church Because of These 6 Reasons
Most of the youth in today's time don't like attending church. Or at least they do, but they find it boring. Why is it so?
Where does the problem lie, then? Is it on the youth themselves considering their cultures, personalities, preferences, biases, and interests? Or, is it in the strategies and programs of the church itself?
Let us determine the five reasons why.
What Is a Church?
We often think of the church as the building or structure wherein people gather to worship. Well, that's right! However, in the Christian context, it means more than that.
Specifically, the church refers to the group or body of believers. In other words, it is the family of worshippers with a specific purpose.
The Purpose
Primarily, God established the church for worship. Specifically, it is a sanctuary where its members sing, pray, and study about God. They also fellowship with one another.
However, the ultimate purpose of the church is evangelism. That is, it aims to spread the gospel of Christ into all the world. It comes in the form of preaching, healing, and other ministries.
For instance, it goes into the community to share God's Word. Also, it performs medical missions, giving free medical consultations for the needy.
The Key Elements
Prayer – an essential form of communication with God and surrendering of oneself
Worship – giving of praise and thanksgiving to God through music, prayer, and the like
Fellowship – spending time with and developing a bond with fellow believers
Teaching – educating its members with the Word of God
Leadership – effective management and organization of the church congregation
Discipleship – training and mentoring of people for evangelism
Mind for Mission – passion for service and ministry
6 Reasons Why Most Young People Don't Like Church
They say that church is boring.
Though it sounds alarming, most of our youth find church boring. They usually can't endure long sermons, singing, and other religious activities. Hence, they steal some time playing with their favorite Bible games, chitchatting with their friends, and the like. Do you agree?
Little do they realize that they can benefit a lot from the church. By patiently and attentively listening to sermons, they will know more about God. With this, they can learn the Bible's moral lessons that can enrich their character and faith. Also, by actively engaging in ministries, they gain new friends and experiences.
They have this "Perfect Christian Syndrome."
Most young people think that being a Christian means being perfect. Do you also have the same mindset? As such, they say that going to the church requires one to be pure and blameless.
However, the truth is that the church is for everyone. As a hospital for the sick, it is open to all sinners who need healing. It is there for individuals to seek God and His righteousness. It exists for people to come into humble confession and repentance.
Now, come to think of it. If members are holy and perfect anyway, why then will they need to go to church? What will motivate them to seek and learn of God, after all? Does it make sense?
As a fact, the Lord is inviting us in Matthew 11:28. He says, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest." Hence, He doesn't need perfect worshippers. Instead, all He asks is our willingness to surrender everything to Him.
They view the church as an exclusive environment.
It is common for the youth to perceive the church as an exclusive community. That is, it accepts some and rejects the rest. For instance, the church does not accommodate the unbelievers. It is unfriendly to those who doubt God. Meanwhile, it nurtures the faithful ones.
On this note, there is even a notion that the church is overprotective. It gives an impression of encouraging its believers to stay away from bad influences. Hence, its doctrines and practices may not be relevant to most people. Is it so?
No! The church accepts all kinds of people. While it caters to the development of its believers, it also welcomes the truth seekers.
More importantly, it extends its service and evangelism outside the four corners of the building. That is, it reaches out to the community of those who don't know God yet.
Do you witness mobile evangelists preaching on the street, bus, and anywhere? They are so eager to preach God's Word that they know no borders. Yes, indeed! With this, how can we say that the church is exclusive and unaccommodating?
They think of the church as judgmental and antagonistic.
Most of the young worshippers today think that the church is a police or military. That is, it condemns and punishes those who do evil. It is also like a fault finder waiting for people to commit mistakes worthy of judgment and discipline.
Because of this, they find the church antagonistic. That is, it kills joy, depriving them of happiness and freedom.
However, it is not the case. The church accepts people no matter how sinful they are. The thing is that it teaches them what is right. It shows them the way to Christ.
Through His righteousness, they realize their filthiness. It results in sincere confession and repentance. Eventually, they get to the point of making a voluntary decision to follow God.
As a result, they obtain freedom from sin and condemnation. They now enjoy living a life of maturity with God. In turn, they look forward to attending church regularly, something they have not done much before.
They think that they still have much to experience in life.
Young as the youth are, they think that their experiences are yet shallow. They still have a lot to go through in life.
In the context of Christian life, they need a more profound encounter with God for them to mature. In other words, their spirituality is not yet mature as they claim.
The truth is, age does not necessarily matter. Though young, the youth can experience God in the most personal way.
True enough, God can touch their lives even in the simplest way they know. He can work through them, transforming their character into His ideals.
For instance, they can test His providence in dealing with their studies. May it be academic struggles or financial constraints, they can discover who God is. Hence, they will have a personal story to tell the church and their circle of influence.
Half-hearted worshippers mislead and discourage them.
"One foot in, one foot out" is an expression that denotes half-hearted commitment. Specifically, your foot forward stands for what you claim to be. It is what you show the public. Meanwhile, the other foot represents your natural tendencies and selfish desires. It is what you often try to conceal.
For instance, you profess to be a faithful Christian per se. You show it in the way you dress and interact with fellow church members and believers. However, outside the church, you engage in vain, worldly pleasures that do not glorify God.
Accept it or not, the pressure is more on the older generation in the church. In particular, they are the ones who should set a good example for the younger ones.
Having one foot forward and the other out confuses the youth who are yet learning about God. Indeed, it is one of the reasons why church-going becomes a burden instead of a blessing.
What Can We Do?
Given the reasons why the youth don't like the church that much, it means two appeals. One is for the parents, and the other is for the church.
Appeal for the Parents
Parents must remember that they play a significant role in developing children's love for the church. It entails modeling the Christian life, especially engagement in church service and ministry.
Appeal for the Church
The church should devise creative strategies to make the worship experience more engaging. In this modern digital time, there are several ways to integrate technology into our programs.
Since most people nowadays are into mobile phones, the church can take advantage of them. For instance, it can launch online Bible quizzes as a form of Bible study.
Also, investing in better technical equipment enhances the overall worship experience. Lastly, making a social media presence heightens the engagement level.
With these plans, the youth gets more involved in the services and ministry of the church. Indeed, it just takes some awareness and conscious effort to improve things for the better.
Last Words
Remember that the youth is the hope of the future. They will be the future leaders of the church. As such, we need to invest in their time and skills.
When they grow old, they will pass on that same culture to their young. After all, this is all for God's evangelism to continue and reach the entire world.
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