How Young People Connect to Church

What are the things that help young people connect to church? I sometimes talk about why people leave the church, including that they find it unChristian. But what connects them?

David Kinnaman, author of You Lost Me (why young Christians are leaving church) also did some research into things churches can do to engage young adults.

The article goes into more detail. But it covers 3 main areas. 1. Connection to Jesus. 2. Connecting faith to real life. 3. Allowing meaningful relationships with other Christians.

The research interviewed young people still involved with church ("Active") and those not currently attending ("Dropout"). While I'm not a big fan of those terms, the difference in the two groups is stunning. There's a clear connection between experiencing these things at church, and staying connected to church.

Also, it turns out the 59% of young people leave the church in their 'first decade of adulthood'. That's a strong reason to consider addressing this issue.

More ideas can also be found in the book You Lost Me.

Article Link: 5 Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church
Barna Resource: The Barna Millenials Project

"Christian" principles

This cartoon sums up the exasperation of those who love the values of Christ - but not the "Christian values" (which are so often a completely different thing).

Thanks to James for showing me this cartoon.

[See the full version]

Why young people leave the church

I love reading Rachel Evans' article Why millennials are leaving the church, and I feel her pain when invited to describe it to church officials.

She relates how young adults find church "too exclusive, old-fashioned, unconcerned with social justice" and how young Christians feel forced to give up both intellect and compassion. Young people are looking for a safe place to ask tough questions, and wrestle with doubt. A place that's less about "sticking to a set of rules", and less obsessed with sex.

What happens when she presents all this to the church hierarchy?

Invariably, after I’ve finished my presentation and opened the floor to questions, a pastor raises his hand and says, "So what you’re saying is we need hipper worship bands..."

And I proceed to bang my head against the podium.

Her article goes on to say that this most-advertised-to generation has been somewhat innoculated to the whole consumer-church idea, and are craving authenticity more than coolness.

You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around. We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there.

It's the faithful that leave church

This quote really resonates with me. It's Carolyn Kitto, on ABC's Sunday Nights, in a discussion about changes in society, and churches who are aware of that:

You know, people are not necessarily leaving the church because they're losing their faith. They're actually leaving the church because they're wanting to express their faith in the rest of the world.

The host expanded on her thought by adding "- and they don't want to put up with having to give their lives to sustaining (what they consider) a boring waste of time on a Sunday morning."

Later on, Carolyn gave churches the tip:

Church needs to leave the building and be part of God's mission. Where churches are discovering that, they're discovering a different way of being. ... It's not a program of the church - it's a different way of being church. It's not for the sake of the church, it's for the sake of the mission of God.

In a way, it can sound like bad news for churches. People leaving, and the need for change aren't things churches usually like. But there's an tremendous opportunity if churches are willing. It's actually one of the things that keeps Carolyn hopeful for the future.

Another thing that's bringing me hope is the number of people who are leaving the church for the sake of their faith. Who are saying I've gotta figure out a way that my faith works in the rest of the world. And they're wanting to have those conversations with other Christians that are in that situation. But they're wanting to have that conversation with people who they are rubbing shoulders with every day, because the fundamentally believe they've found a framework that makes sense in this world, and a God who is the God of the universe.

Download the MP3

Blue Like Jazz - at your church

The Blue Like Jazz movie seems to have ended its run in cinemas, but from April 30 will be available for you to screen at your church.

I did short review in an earlier post, and a more in-depth review for Journey magazine - and I thoroughly recommend it for older teens and adults. It has the ability to particularly resonate with people at the beginning of adulthood, and trying to figure out how their faith connects with the world out there.


It's the kind of movie where you could invite people who aren't churchgoers, or that you could watch as a church or small group. To reflect on the themes in the movie, the website offers a bible study and various discussions guides.

Related links: Movie website and synopsis
Screen the movie at your church

A Challenge for the New Pope (and for us)

After the announcement of the Pope Francis, the ABC was interviewing veteran 'Vatican watcher' Father Thomas Reece, and asked about the "challenges for him (the pope) that he faces immediately".

Well of course the biggest challenge that the Pope and the Church faces is how to make the Gospel message attractive and understandable to people in the 21st Century.

I don't think we can continue to just quote theologians from the 13th Century and think that people in the 21st Century understand what we're saying. Pope Benedict actually put it quite well. He said that Christianity should not be presented as a series of "Nos", you know, like a nagging parent, "No, you can't do that, no," but should be presented as a "Yes", a yes to Jesus Christ, a yes to his gospel of love, a yes to compassion for the poor and to work together for justice.

This is an attractive message and I think often our churchiness gets in the way of this message of Jesus.

I particularly agree with the last bit. It's part of the reason i call this blog Sycamore-fig - after the tree Zaccheus had to climb when people got in the way of him seeing Jesus.

Blue Like Jazz - The Movie

(UPDATE: Blue Like Jazz is now available for churches to screen.)
Based on the best-selling book, Blue Like Jazz opens in selected Australian cinemas next weekend. I caught an advance screening, and thoroughly recommend it - with 2 exceptions.

1. If you're under 13, it's probably not for you yet. It's rated PG-13 for a reason. (M in Australia)

2. This is not your standard Christian movie. If you're looking for a basic plot of 'person has (G-rated) sinful life, person is evangelised, person's life becomes a bed of roses' - this is not that movie.

However, if you like a movie that's both edgy and realistic, do check this out.

It's the story of Donald, the Texas Baptist-boy who faces a whole new world when he enters college and has to figure out what life and faith are all about. What does he really believe - and what's just the baggage of the 'sub-culture' he came from?

Donald meets some diverse characters and makes a mistake or two along the way - but it's a compelling journey. The trailer is interesting, but the synopsis gave me a better idea of what the movie is about.


It's the kind of movie that a non-Christian can see, but if you choose to see it with your church group, there's a bible study and various discussions guides to help you reflect on the deeper aspects of the movie.

As an added bonus, the website has a $5 coupon - for a discount on the cinema price.

PS. This is the movie that almost didn't get made. For reasons like those i mentioned at the beginning, traditional Christian movie companies turned their back on it. The only reason it became a movie was because thousands of fans of the book chipped in to get the movie made.

Holy Tweets

Unless the Good News is made known also in the digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people

-Pope Benedict

The Pope practices what he preaches. He made this comment as he launched his own smartphone app. Describing online communication as "increasingly becoming part of the very fabric of society", he is also on twitter in several languanges - one account alone has 1.5 million followers.

Ten Christian Cliches

When Christian Piatt wrote his list of 10 cliches Christians should avoid, he obviously underestimated our tendency to fall back on these trite sayings.

He quickly had to add 10 more cliches and 9 final cliches. Each cliche comes with a quick explanation of why it is often precisely the wrong thing to say. They're a good read - especially if you've had some of them said to you.

There are ones that distort God (and aren't in the bible)

"Everything happens for a reason."
"The Bible clearly says..."
"The Lord never gives someone more than they can handle"

Ones that are insensitive

"Will all our visitors please stand" (in church)
"God needed another angel" (after someone has died)

and ones we use to sound judgemental

"Are you saved?"
"___ is an abomination"

Fortunately, he also provides a list of 10 antidotes, which mostly involving being less conceited, more loving and less like a Jesus-salesman.

Top 5 of 2012

As we ring in the new year, here are your most viewed items of 2012 here on the Sycamore-Fig.

5. The dodginess of soft music and candles theology - that infers Jesus' main task is to buy us flowers and take us out on a date, and how that might be slightly weird for men to hear.

4. The filter bubble. How Google hides stuff from us and thereby alters our perception of reality. And how church probably does the same.

3. Pagan Christianity. The book which details the non-Christian origins of our church practices - which probably explains why they often contradict Jesus.

2. Reverse Jesus. One example of how we do the opposite of Jesus - and a test to see if you remember what Jesus said.

1. Jesus > Religion. The title is about the differences between Jesus and Religion - and how in each case Jesus is much greater. Perhaps we should be talking Jesus more than talking church. (People are OK with Jesus)

Hopefully 2013 is a year of being less churchy and more Jesus-like.