WHOOSH :: Thom Chu's blog on the UCC Youth and Young Adult Ministry Assessment

Learning How to "Do Faith" at Camp

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:29:12 GMT

This is a preview of a forthcoming post in my series. First, however, I want to thank everyone who posted comments here. I am deeply grateful for your honesty and your willingness to share your thoughts and feelings. It sounds like there is a lot of frustration and questioning out there.

I have just returned from a young adult retreat at the Minnesota Conference camp, Pilgrim Point, in Alexandria, MN. It was very centering and rejuvenating time. As it happened, our Saturday afternoon discussion evolved from a discussion about everyday spirituality (the theme of the retreat) to our experiences in the church. What strikes me from this group discussion (and from smaller discussions throughout the weekend) is that many of us learned to "do faith" at camp, and our attempts to meaningfully render that into our experiences at regular church have not been very successful. My next post will explore this. Look for it in early September.

In the meantime, there is one matter of urgency: Pilgrim Point has been a sacred and life-saving space for many many people in Minnesota for the last 50 years. Unfortunately, it may not survive past this year, and needs your help. Two campers made this video, and you can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFUq0lDdKjQ

We Live in a Postmodern World and the UCC Should Know Better: Young Adults and the Future of the Church

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:49:48 GMT

Guest Editorial by Rebecca Weaver
Rebecca grew up in the Pacific Northwest Conference and received her B.A. at Pacific University, a U.C.C. school in Forest Grove, Oregon. She earned an M.F.A. in Writing at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. in 2001 and is a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota. She sang in choir and was involved in worship in her local church as a child, went regularly to camps and retreats, was a member and chair of her conference’s Youth and Young Adult committee and served a term on the UCC’s national Y/YA council while in high school. As a member of a local UCC church (blended UCC/Presbyterian), Rebecca worked with youth. She is not currently affiliated with a local church, but joins in fellowship with the Twin Cities’ “20s and 30s” group.

Thom Chu and Rebecca began a discussion when she tried to fill out the Youth and Young Adult Survey in the Spring. Out of this discussion, Thom invited Rebecca to post an editorial here at WHOOSH.

In 1992, I sat in a meeting of what was then called the Council for Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the United Church of Christ. The discussion turned to how to keep young adults in the church, especially after college. Since I was only 16, I didn’t follow this part of the conversation that well. After all, it wouldn’t apply to me for a long time.

Seventeen years—a long time—later, the conversation does apply. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the survey responses that Thom has posted here, the UCC’s problem with attracting and retaining young adults still exists. The question now becomes: what can the church do to solve this problem, and why hasn’t the church done it?

Individual churches have tried a number of strategies aimed toward bringing young adults into the church (and keeping us there), such as providing stripped-down “chapel” services on in the evenings or early mornings, allowing us to carry coffee cups into the sanctuary, incorporating new music or art into services, and hosting potlucks. Yet sadly, the national church policy and approach lags behind individually stellar examples. I am not suggesting that the church should institute a nation-wide young adult activity spree. Instead, the change needs to be attitudinal.

The church needs to change its attitude and orientation toward a whole host of concerns important to young adults if it wants us to come—and stay—in. The exchange that prompted this series of guest editorials is a case in point. I am almost 34, and consider myself a young adult, based not on my age, but by my approach to the world, my engagement in youth culture, and my lifestyle. Yet the church draws the line firmly at 30. When I tried to fill out Thom’s survey this Spring, I truthfully stated my age, and the system would not let me fill it out. It assumed that because I was over 30 and am filling out the survey, I must be a minister or a youth worker. I tried and tried, but couldn’t fill out the survey and be honest at the same time. I didn’t want to lie. I emailed Thom, and our exchange was telling:

ME: I figured out the problem. I truthfully answered the age question (the first question); I am 33 and consider myself still YA. But apparently, if I'm 33, the survey thinks I must be a volunteer or minister! I then experimented by saying my age was 26, and got to the survey you were talking about. So, is this easily fixed, or should I lie about my age? Also, don't you think that says something about how the church sees its young people?

THOM: Thanks for your message. According to the UCC (and other church bodies, including the National Council of Churches) the answer is that you do not meet the definition of young adult, ages 18-30. It has been at times up to 35, but with age-inflation, we had 38 year-olds asking the question you are. The invitation and introduction texts are pretty clear on the definitions.

ME: hmm. So what does the church do with people like me, people under 40 (and sometimes over), without children, who see themselves as YA? This isn't a facetious question, as I served on the national youth and young adult council, and I left my previous church about 3 years ago because it didn't know what to do with its young single non- procreating people. I'm thinking I'll fill out the survey, but with a stated caveat about my age in a text box.

THOM: Thanks for the message--you're welcome to do exactly that, but the message is that at your age, you aren't considered young anymore. Your single status is a related issue, but not specifically a focus of the survey.

ME: this is fascinating, as the "20s and 30s" group here in the twin cities has been having this exact conversation! And my recently-turned 30 friends in Portland are having this same problem with their church. Very interesting. If I do end up doing the survey, I'll make sure to do it with the perspective that I had three years ago when I left the church where I was a member.

This is when Thom graciously invited me to post a few guest editorials here. I have spoken with a number of fellow young adults, many of whom feel fairly disenchanted with our experiences in UCC churches across the country. Our disenchantment springs from a number of different issues that we do not see the church addressing in meaningful ways, and we see this as a crisis, not only for our own spiritual lives, but for the life of the church itself, as we might be its future members. I’ll explore these in greater detail in future editorials, but I will list them here (not in any particular order of importance) now:

**worship service styles that feel archaic to young people and baffling     to new-comers
**old or stylistically stale music
**churches not knowing how to “plug-in” young adults without children     into the life of the church
**churches assuming that singles join churches to find marriage     partners
** a lack of programming or scheduling geared to fit youth lifestyles
**too much reliance on traditional family structures and life-paths
**a failure to use the arts as vital components of worship and     programming (rather than just as decoration)
**an inability to take advantage of our gifts, energy, experiences, world     views, and time
**a reluctance or refusal to take advantage of the strategies that     emergent churches, in their embodiments of our postmodern     realities, use to bring many young adults in (despite many emergent     churches’ conservative, superficial, or scary theology)
**an overly doctrinaire and hierarchical approach to policy and     decision-making

and lastly, the UCC’s failure to make use of its heritage of intellectual expansiveness, spiritual openness, political progressiveness, and commitment to social justice in presenting itself to the public and to potential new members (who share that expansiveness, openness, progressiveness, and commitment). This is a particularly sore point for many fellow young people I’ve spoken with. On the rare occasion advertising for a local UCC church appears (likely in traditional media), there’s usually a picture of a hundred-year old church building. What, exactly, is that supposed to say to us?

Over the next few months, I’ll be posting editorials that examine many of these issues in depth. In the meantime, your comments and questions are highly encouraged and welcomed!

Today's online survey response from a youth member of the UCC

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:44:12 GMT

Everybody would belong but everyone would know the boundaries of where they should belong. such as separate middle school and high school. it is very important to me that people respect each other and know that even though someone may laugh about something that they are sad later. something that would be good to focus on is to make sure that the youth are respected by the adults of the congregations. this does not happen much.

Bald-faced plug for the "Just Neighbors" curriculum

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:39:24 GMT

I'm thrilled that there was a mention of my presentation to Youth@Synod yesterday featuring "Just Neighbors," a 9-session video curriculum designed to help people to understand poverty and homelessness. The 200+ youth were very attentive even after a day of hands-on service and we were able to dig into some complex issues of poverty by doing a simulation of creating a family budget for a working-poor family trying to make ends meet. In the end, we realized that the lack of health insurance, sufficient food and housing supports, and a low minimum wage was trapping people into terrible circumstances. Amazing work!

If you are interested in finding out more about the curriculum, check out http://www.familypromise.org/program/just-neighbors

Today's online survey response from a young adult in the UCC

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:52:52 GMT

There needs to much more fellowship with Young Adults at the National level of the UCC on down to congregations. I am always disappointed that there is not anything planned for the General Synods like there are for the Youth. We need people in charge of organizing activities at the national level. Studies have shown that Young Adults want to feel like they belong in ther congregation and or church. When there is not a strong push for young adults to join and partipate in church, they wont most of the time. This mainly applies to the people who did not grow up in church, whereas the people who did grow up in church can go either way.

It would be great if the UCC had a National Young Adult Event like the youth have. I think we activites like that, the UCC will find they have more involvement from Young Adults. Additionally, this could mean more people joining the UCC, which is always great.

We advertise in media outlets with out Still Speaking Campaign, why not do this for Young Adults. We could advertise in media outlets that are frequented by or the main consumer group are young adults.
Young Adults should be defined as anyone over 18 who feels they are a young adult, up to what ever age that is for the individual. That way it is inclusive for anyone and not limiting people with a maximum age.

Today's online survey response from a pastor in the UCC

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:55:14 GMT

We definitely don't have enough for young adults - particularly single adults without children.

As a solo minister I have a hard time finding volunteers to help with a young adult ministry - but some young adults in the area recently started a ecumenical young adult group that has been really successful. Maybe emails about successful ministries - I would also love to get more young adults involved in the national gatherings - maybe someone who could speak to their experience visiting churches - I find face to face, personal, authentic sharing is the best way for people to get excited about something and choose to participate - generic flyers and announcements don't seem to cut it.

Today's online survey response from a youth member of the UCC

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:45:31 GMT

A "good" youth ministry would be exactly like the youth group at my church, the St Charles, IL, UCC. It's called GF, and it's a wonderful thing. Everyone, regardless of their differences, belongs -- people you would never have spoken to otherwise become your best friends. Although we don't participate in associational/conference/national youth meetings, at the congregational level, we often help out with worship services or raising money for things like One Great Hour of Sharing. We also have a volunteer work trip each spring break -- my freshman year, it was to West Virginia; my sophomore year, it was to Washington, D.C.; and this year, although I was unable to go due to being in the UK for the entire school-year, it was to Florida. Each trip has brought its own challenges and difficulties, but the simple act of working hard to improve other people's lives makes it worth it. At the end of a long, hard day, sitting down in a circle to share our experiences and pray is an amazing experience. The priorities of GF include volunteer work, friendship/a sense of community, personal/life issues facing teens (we've had meetings about things like the dangers of the internet, dating, etc.), and growing our individual faiths. I wish that we placed greater importance on discussing wider social issues such as poverty, war, genocide, etc. -- although they are difficult to deal with, and cannot be solved in a single day, they're issues that I personally spend a lot of time considering and trying to think of ways that I can help, even just the smallest amount.