Today I spoke with Pastor Becky Anderson and several elders at the Presbyterian churches in Greybull and Shell. Greybull has a population of about 1700 people. Shell, fifteen miles east, in the shadow of the Big Horn Mountains, has 84 people. Becky pastors both churches, conducting worship in each of them every Sunday, in addition to working as a substitute teacher and a staff member in an adolescent group home. She is one busy person.
Both churches are small. Both pride themselves on being family- like, with a strong sense of community. Both have excellent facilities, Both are worried about their aging congregations and the lack of young people and children.
Since this is a theme I have encountered often, I am posing the question, indeed, I am crowd sourcing the question, and I really encourage readers of my blog to post an answer in the comment section below. The question is: WHY DO SO FEW YOUNG PEOPLE ATTEND CHURCH? Please give me the benefit of your opinion.
Greybull, I am told, has the biggest bentonite mines in the world. I don't know what bentonite really is, but I am told it is very important and has lots of uses, among which are for drilling mud (???) and making walls. Someone also told me it is in chocolate.
I await your thoughtful answers.
Why do so few young people attend church (in America)? The sins of our ancestors has reaped a whirlwind of broken families, gross income inequality, unabashed hedonism, false prophets, secular society overreach, media bias, religious fanaticism/extremism, rapture-ready anti-ecumenicism, etc. We have become a stiff-necked people, our inability to empathize powerfully with others does not go unnoticed (imho). Colossian 3:21 seems apt here.
ReplyDeleteSome thoughts on the subject - though thoughts on this subject are not hard to find... http://tannerlectures.utah.edu/_documents/a-to-z/p/Putnam_10.pdf
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