Some 20 years ago, a few people in the church started saying "Have you noticed that there is a gap in the under 30s in our churches?" "Well, that's the younger generation for you," others said, "never staying still, never making the commitment to a local church. They will come back when they get older and settle down".
And most of the church carried on as it always had.
Some 10 years ago, a few more people in the church started saying "Have you noticed that we seem to have very few under 40s in our churches these days?" "That's true. I wonder how that happened? But we mainly used them for looking after the children's work, and we don't seem to have much of that either, do we?" And the people who always did things continued to always do them.
And most of the church carried on as it always had. Although some parts did try doing different things to attract younger people into church.
Today, quite a few people are saying "Have you noticed that the under 50s are unrepresented in our churches today?" This becomes very worrying now, so the churches respond by doing the same things they have always done, only more so. And wearing jeans.
And more and more parts of the church have to give up doing what they have always done, because they are now too old.
And some people have noticed that, with the church population aging, the church income follows the same sort of pattern as peoples income. It starts low, and is supported by the previous generation. It rises so that the previous generations help is needed less and less. Then it plateaus. And finally, at retirement - whenever that is - it drops sharply.
But the real tragedy is that the churches have had 20 years to make changes, to address the problems, to prepare for a new form of society. And most of that time, they have done nothing about it - ignored the problem I the hope that it will go away. There has always been that assumption that people will come back to the church at some point. But they don't. Not because people today are any less spiritual than previous generations - far from it. But because they don't see the church as having a place in their personal spiritual development.
I wonder why that is?
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Yup.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that it'll take another 20 years before the Church admits it might be an issue that can't be argued away simply by blaming those who 'stay away'
The relative 'success' of the few larger churches, and of initiatives like 'Back To Church Sunday' give those in the church hope/an excuse, but (imo) encourage a more general tendency to stick the head further into the sand and/or fingers in the ears accompanied by loud and persistent singing of "la la la" (Wesley or Hughes' version, depending on tradition of the church in question).
Absolutely - as long as the church can point to "positive signs", it makes it easy to ignore the more general trends.
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