By Jim Coggins

"OVER the last 20 years, more and more young people think the church is irrelevant, out of touch and narrow-minded," said Paul Robertson of Youth Unlimited of Toronto.

Last fall, Robertson and Colin McCartney, founder of UrbanPromise Toronto, presented a series of seminars across Canada explaining to church leaders why so many of the under 35 generation are missing from the church.

Many church leaders already know it is a problem. The strategic plan produced in 2009 by the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster revealed not only that many Anglican parishes are shrinking but also that they are getting older. The report stated: "When compared with community demographics, we are vastly under-represented by people under 44 years of age, and vastly over-represented by people over 65 years of age."

Does this mean the local church is doomed, destined to disappear, once the older people who now occupy the pews pass away?

Not necessarily. Sociologist Reginald Bibby's most recent study of teens (The Emerging Millennials, 2009) showed that since 1984, the proportion of teens who never attend church has risen from 28 percent to 47 percent. However, the study also showed that the percentage of teens who attend church monthly has increased slightly from 32 percent in 1992 to 33 percent in 2008.

This means that while some local churches are losing large numbers of younger attenders, others are holding their own, and some are even growing.

Some of the growing churches are ones which deliberately target the young. For instance, those who attend the five Youth Churches in the greater Vancouver area are almost all teens and young adults -- as are the church leaders.

This is one aspect of the trend to more diversity among local churches, what some have called "boutique churches" -- each designed to reach an identifiable social group, such as a specific ethnic group, a particular socio-economic group, seniors or young adults.

Churches that focus on seniors will likely die eventually. Does that mean youth churches will be the church of the future?

Again, not necessarily. The Youth Churches have now been going about eight years and are continuing to reach succeeding generations. Lewis Chifan, pastor of Vancouver Youth Church, noted that the young are "very comfortable with change and trying new things," and that the Youth Churches strive to be "always reaching for the next generation."

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But Chifan is aware that, at 24, he is already "more stuck in my ways than I was four years ago." What will happen to the Youth Churches in 10 to 20 years? If they continue to reach the younger generation, will they lose their ability to reach their current members, who will then be approaching middle age? Will they stay the same and become middle-aged churches, creating the need for new youth churches? Or will they transition to multi-generational churches? Chifan said the Youth Church leaders "understand they will have to deal with" the issue eventually, but they are comfortable with "not having the answer yet."

While acknowledging that some churches are absolutely failing to reach the younger generation, and that it is commendable some churches are doing so, Marv Penner, director of Youth Specialties Canada, suggested the youth church model is "probably the poorest model" in terms of "developing a long-term sustainable faith."

Youth churches are not the only churches reaching the young. There are a number of churches -- particularly (but not only) larger churches -- that are multi-generational.

Jeff Bucknam is the new senior pastor of Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C., which attracts significant numbers of young people and young adults, as well as older people. Bucknam, who is 37 and was recently promoted from young adult pastor, said it doesn't hurt that he is young enough to be able to "speak to the hopes and dreams" of the younger generation.

However, he added that this does not mean a 55 year old pastor cannot reach the young. "Any church that is committed to listening to and knowing young adults, and having them involved, will have young adults."

Bucknam noted that being multi-generational is a core value of Northview, rather than following the 'homogeneous unit principle' that "caters to a target demographic." This is because the multi-generational church best demonstrates the kingdom of God that Jesus is building, Bucknam said. "I need the idealism of the 20 year old telling me that church has to be better" -- but "young couples need older couples" to show them what good parenting is.

Bucknam said there is also something healthy about the various generations learning to give and take, in areas such as preferences for different styles of music. "Discipleship and community happen when I give up something for you. Christian faith is educating people that it's not all about them. Culture said it's all about you, but Christian faith is laying down your life for a friend."

Bucknam added that "most young people have got a very sensitive cheese metre, and can tell when someone is trying too hard." For this reason, having the latest technology, music and video clips are not as important as being authentic. He noted that there is a huge technological and worldview gap "between a 70-year-old and a 15-year-old." However, "the core issues are the same, have always been the same . . . We all have idols that need to be challenged. We all have sin that needs to be exposed. We all need the grace of Christ."

April 21/2010