I have followed Jesus for over a decade since my college years. My mother significantly influenced my faith in the Lord. Initially compelled by her, my church attendance eventually became a willing choice.
I have previously attended two churches but now prefer my current congregation, where the pastor preaches faithfully from the Bible and the sermons are clear and easily understood. The believers get along well with each other. I have been a member for nine years, and the congregation remains the same crowd, comprising half young and half elderly members.
From my perspective, the youthfulness of a church's congregation is related to the pastor's age and the proportion of young believers. For example, in my church, the pastors are from the 1980s, and the serving staff are all young Christians, which helps to attract new seekers or believers.
Conversely, one of the reasons why young people may not attend church is that pastors are quite old, whose sermons fail to appeal to the young, lacking an understanding of their challenges and preferences. Additionally, if the congregants are generally older, they may have few acquaintances with young people, let alone inviting them to church.
The reasons mentioned above are mainly objective, while the major subjective factors fall to the great pressure the young people face in their daily lives, less desire to participate in church gatherings and the prevalence of otaku culture.
One Christian man of my acquaintances, who used to serve in the choir, stopped joining church gatherings after getting married and becoming a father. With a monthly mortgage of 20,000 yuan to repay, he had no choice but to dedicate most of his time to earning a living.
As the economy continues to decline, numerous young people have lost their jobs and are facing challenging living conditions. Therefore, they are more inclined to spend time keeping their jobs rather than listening to sermons at church.
Fear has captured young people, diminishing their inner peace and driving them toward the online world, where they lose themselves in false pleasures. This pursuit has reduced their limited spare time, making them less inclined to join church gatherings.
Like a snail carrying a heavy shell, those young people find self-satisfaction in the virtual world and barely leave their house in the real world. Their wariness of exploring the outside world hinders their enthusiasm for church gatherings.
I attend services not because my family is well-off or due to my self-discipline. On the contrary, we live quite a frugal life as a family of four supported by my husband’s modest salary. Perhaps this lack drives me to hold on to God’s promises as tightly as possible.
Furthermore, I believe that a person's faithfulness is not determined by age or experience, but by their relationship with God. An elderly who has been a lukewarm believer throughout his or her life may not live a life of faithfulness. In contrast, an innocent child who willingly offers five loaves and two fish to God upon believing Him sets a devout example for us all.
In summary, if the church aims to attract more young people, it should gradually adapt the pastor’s sermons and service groups to a younger style or age. Additionally, the church should pay more attention to the young people’s economic pressure, providing work assistance, care, and prayers for their lives, which makes them desire to seek love and warmth in church. Finally, organizing more group activities can help alleviate the pressures of marriage and relationships for young individuals.
About the author: A 34-year-old full-time mother with two children holds an undergraduate degree in marketing and having experience as a reporter, editor, copywriter, and in new media and publicity.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a Christian in Hainan Province.)
- Edited and Translated by Poppy Chan
