Reaching Younger Generations








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Reaching Younger Generations Self-Assessment

Instructions
Use this generational assessment tool to measure the sensitivity and openness of your congregation to younger generations. In each box below, rate your congregation's generational ministry on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high). Review your learning's with an eye to what might be relevant and possible within your own context and setting.

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Praising God: Worship/Evangelism with Younger Generations

Schedule/Generational Participation:

We have one worship service in our regular schedule which is purposely seeker-friendly in style, leadership and music–OR–Our congregation provides at least two (or more) different styles of worship in our weekly worship schedule. We have at least one service based on a model of "teaching" worship to encourage Biblical literacy or one service targeted to reach a population of 1st or 2nd generation immigrants in our neighborhood or one service targeted to Baby boomers or post-modern generations.

Children and youth regularly serve in worship leadership roles in our church as: assisting ministers (acolytes, lector, ushers, greeters) and as musicians (Children’s choir/s, vocalists and instrumentalists) etc.

Many younger lay leaders are involved in our worship services; we deliberately balance the recruitment of women and men for a variety of leadership roles.

Music, Arts and Message:

Our worship services are diverse in format and music style. We regularly vary the songs sung in the service, including contemporary Christian songs and music from a variety of cultures.

Drama, dance, and other visual arts are woven into the worship schedule or our congregation.

We use a variety of media in our worship services; occasionally presenting the message or motivational mission opportunities through video presentations and/or computer projection.

Members of the congregation have opportunities to share their faith during worship.

The sermons regularly help worshipers connect Bible stories with everyday life. Sermons are practical and motivational in content and delivery.

Facilities and Friendliness:

Our nursery is clean and well staffed. It has age-appropriate toys in well-maintained condition.

Our cry room provides a peaceful and hospitable environment for parents who want to worship with their infants.

Newcomers are greeted in the parking lot or by the time they reach the front door of the church building.

Signs in the church building clearly direct guests to the restrooms, nursery, Sunday school rooms, and worship area. We avoid archaic language (e.g. narthex, sanctuary) that may be meaningless to those without a church background.

Making Disciples: Education and Evangelism with Younger Generations

Children’s and Youth Ministries:

Our congregation reaches out to families with children by offering an after-school program for elementary school-aged children or junior-high youth.

We house a congregational or social-service agency sponsored pre-school or day care center in our church building.

Our Christian education curriculum reflects in stories and illustrations the racial and cultural experiences of the children in our congregation and community.

We use video support and as much multi-media presentation as possible to teach the Bible to children and youth; funding in our Christian education budget goes toward rental or purchase of video Bible resources for Sunday School Confirmation.

We teach children and youth how to share their faith with others through Sunday school, faith–sharing training, etc.

Children and youth are included in adult–led efforts at door-to-door or community–wide activities to publicize our congregation in our community.

Parents/youth and children are encouraged to serve as a "team" responding to first-time worship guests.

As often as possible, we plan "fun" community–building activities that will minister across generations.

We provide service and volunteer opportunities in which entire families may participate together. Often, meals or teaching opportunities are woven into these service/volunteer events.

Adult Enrichment:

Several times each year, we sponsor parenting classes to the members of our congregation and parents in the community.

We provide Bible studies and support groups on a number of topics related to the real life issues of young adults: divorce, step–parenting, financial planning, self–esteem, abuse–survival, chemical dependency, domestic violence, etc.

Our congregation offers short–term seminars on "The Basics of Christianity."

The small group ministry in our congregation helps people form relationships and friendships with one another.

Single people are actively involved in the ministries of our congregation.

We provide a variety of opportunities for members to be involved in prayer ministries in our church.

Men’s ministries provides opportunities for men to form friendships together.

Young adults new to the Christian faith may choose a mentoring option or classes for instruction in discipleship.

We teach adults, teens and children how to share their faith with others through seminars/classes.

We offer childcare as an on–going ministry at most congregational events.

Our congregation encourages the development of age–specific or interest–specific groups to promote community among members (ex. Teenage computer club, working parents support group, Habitat for Humanity builders, singles ministry, etc.)

We place high priority on relationships between members through a regular system of telephone or in–person lay–calling on all households in the congregation.

Serving Christ: Social Ministry and Stewardship with Younger Generations

Stewardship:

Our congregation has an active ministry related to the care of the earth. We are regularly involved in a community clean-up, tree-planting, neighborhood gardening plots, Earth Day activities Adopt–A–Highway programs or other environmental activities.

Children and youth are taught about stewardship of our bodies and our relationships as a part of Sunday School, Confirmation, after–school or pre–school curriculum.

Youth and young adults are given opportunities to witness in church communications and worship about why giving to the church is important to them.

We actively teach Biblical stewardship to our children and youth.

Members are given a variety of ways to offer financial support to the various ministries of the congregation.

Social Ministry/Missions:

We are involved in active outreach in our neighborhood through ministries addressing the real problems and needs of people (housing, abuse, jobs, hunger, day care, aging, etc.).

We regularly pray for missionaries in the United States, Puerto Rico and across the globe. Opportunities for service and support for missions is an integral part of our church communications, worship and evangelism ministry efforts.

We often provide practical workshops on improving communication skills and seeking non-violent resolution to problems as a part of our education to engaged couples, families, children and youth.

Building Up the Body of Christ: Leadership with Younger Generations

The generational make–up of our Church Council and our committees reflects the generational balance of the population in our neighborhood.

We value diversity in gender and race in all levels of our congregations power structure; church staff, committee and program leaders are representative of the diversity of those created by God.

Younger generations in leadership positions are not expected to "do things the way they have always been done"; those who retire from leadership graciously support new ideas of younger members in the congregation.

Writers: Marta Poling-Goldenne, Produced by the Division for Congregational Ministries, ELCA.

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