This week’s Alban Institute e-news features an article on Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd by Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook. She writes:

“A November 2009 issue of The Week featured a story, "Losing our Religion," that focused on the rapidly growing numbers of the religiously unaffiliated in the United States, the so called Nones, and asked if organized religion is fading. Younger than the general population, many Nones believe in God yet are skeptical about organized religion. The article quotes recent statistics suggesting that if this trend continues, cohorts of nonreligious young people will replace older religious people and account for one-quarter of the American population. Another recent article in USA Today concluded that young adults born in the 1980s and 1990s, approximately 72 million people, want to make an impact and are socially-conscious yet do not relate to traditional institutional structures. A decreasing number of these young adults view churches as places to make a difference or to develop their leadership skills.

“The fact that nearly every major denomination is aging and losing members has been a concern for the last thirty years, yet institutional efforts to reverse these trends and to capture the religious imagination of young adults have been limited. Mainline denominations, historically and culturally self-conscious about evangelism, are further challenged to proclaim the good news in today's religiously pluralistic nation and world. What then is the role of evangelism with young adults today? What are some of the ways that the Christian church can better respond to the spiritual questions of young adults in a religiously pluralistic age? How might congregations better respond to the gifts and skills young adults have to offer?”

How you would respond to the author’s questions?

• What is the role of evangelism with young adults today?
• What are some of the ways that your church is responding to the spiritual questions of young adults in a religiously pluralistic age?
• How might your congregation better respond to the gifts and skills young adults have to offer?
• In addition, what is your congregation doing to intentionally engage those under the age of thirty in meaningful ministry?

To read the entire article or to subscribe to the Alban Weekly visit The Alban Institute website.

Amy Walter-Peterson
Director for Evangelical Mission/Assistant to the Bishop
Upstate New York Synod - ELCA

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If you would like to reply privately you may email Rev. Amy Walter-Peterson at awp@upstatenysynod.org.

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