In 2020, Lifeway Research revealed that the biggest concern among evangelical pastors wasn’t budgets, programming, or even attendance—it was the challenge of reaching a younger audience.  In this episode, we’re diving into the challenge of getting younger: what the church often misunderstands about younger members/attendees, and how churches can bridge the gap.

Congregations don’t age overnight, but they do age more quickly than you imagine

• Average age of a congregation typically ranges from 10 years younger to 10 years older than the age of lead pastor.
• Some early warning signs of an aging congregation:
  • Shrinking of elementary, junior high and senior high students.
  • Large percentage of guests are middle-aged or older.
  • 70% of giving comes from those 60+.

Tackling the challenge of getting younger:

• Understand generational nuance:
  • Boomers: often motivated by duty, loyalty, and responsibility.
  • Gen Z: tends to be motivated by purpose, authenticity, and impact.
    • Meaningful engagement.
    • Authenticity and transparency.
    • Social impact — Causes.
    • Belonging and identity.
    • Practical usefulness.
    • Flexibility and creativity.
  • Take a hard look at the organization – what age demographic is it designed to reach?
  • Number of younger leaders on our teams?
  • Do we know what’s on the mind of younger members and attendees?

Getting younger requires energy, vision, and intentionality. It means stretching ourselves – when we stop stretching, we stop growing.