What Young People Want

by Sara Chu
April 28, 2010

This spring I circulated a short questionnaire to a small group of young people who either are currently attending St John's or have done so in the past. The purpose was to give them an anonymous and safe opportunity to tell us about their church experiences. Half of the questionnaires were never returned and in some instances it did seem that the parents of the potential respondents were much more interested in the process than were their children. We can only surmise what the reasons are for the lack of response. Nevertheless, there were nine replies, all of them interesting. They are collated here. The respondents included four young children, one teen, and four adults aged thirty to thirty-three. Only one of the adults attends church at present and only sporadically.

1. During your years at church up to now, have you learned anything that you think is important for your life?
• The young children mostly answered “yes” but said they were too tired to think specifically. One mentioned the ten commandments. In general the youngsters were positive but vague toward this question.
• Answers from the older youth and young adults were quite passionate. Two spoke of learning the importance of community, both physical and spiritual. They liked making friends in the congregation. One person mentioned learning to help younger children. Two respondents valued learning about Bible stories and Christianity and one went on to say that this enhanced her understanding of the cultural background of Western literature and art in a way that her non-churched peers lacked. Two spoke of acquiring a sense of morality and one described the importance of “spiritual communion” which she named as God. One person learned that “you don't need religion to be spiritual”.
2. Up to now has there been anything in church that you especially enjoyed?
• The children mentioned Easter egg hunts, pageants, skits, and food such as Divine Brunch. All of the adult respondents repeatedly mentioned the social aspects of congregational life as enjoyable. We hear again the importance to them of a sense of community. One person pointed out that church was a diverse community unlike other groups in her life such as school or sports teams. Two respondents mentioned such things as being a server, church camp, drama, music, and helping to cook for various projects. They liked these things because they were opportunities to participate. I think the choices of the younger children also reflect the importance of participation.
3. What things have been difficult for you at church?
• The young children said “yes” to this question but couldn't expand further. A few mentioned specific tasks, such as making palm crosses, as being difficult.
• Although the word “culture” came up in a positive sense in answers to the first question, in this third section “culture” referred not to Western culture in general but to perceived Anglican Church culture and it was described very negatively by two of the young adults. They described the rituals, services, prayers and hymns as “foreign”or “boring”. The Anglican Church was seen as having a repugnant power structure. The Church both historically and at present, was described as “intolerant, closed minded, parochial, evangelical, and missionary”. It is interesting that the last two words in this list, “evangelical” and “missionary” were seen as negative but they are buzz words for our Diocese's future directions. Three adults felt that the Christian church as a whole did not practice what it preached. One of the adults felt that all Christian churches had the same general negative stereotype. One adult felt that the United Church had a more positive structure and culture of inclusivity and openness.
• Two of the adults felt strongly that in their time at St John's there had been no venue to explore their deep questions about spiritual beliefs in a non-judgmental setting. The creeds were a problem but belief was assumed. When her peers all became confirmed,one person felt alienated and that was very difficult as a teen. Three of the adults felt that our liturgy, prayers, services, sermons and Bible readings painted a picture of God as a capricious and sometimes cruel old man and this picture made no sense to them. The one adult respondent who still attends church occasionally found it hard to fit church into her schedule and hard to accept being part of a community without agreeing with all of its practices.
4. Can you imagine a future church that you would really like to belong to? Please let your imagination run wild. What would such a church be like? How would it be different? Any thoughts you may have are okay. Have you got any advice for older members?
• The children wanted vending machines, hockey rinks, games, picnics, toys, an all-you-can-eat buffet during the service, rock music, a building made of Lego, and lots more colour. This list says to me that they want Church to be fun and to meet their real needs. They want it to be meaningful. They didn't comment on our current liturgy.
• The three adults who are no longer in church wanted a God who is much wider than the Church. They wanted to respect all faiths and they found spiritual solace possible in any place of worship. One person said Church could be in any hall or field. One wanted the Church to focus on God as loving energy. One person said he didn't think church would ever be relevant to him and certainly not if it denied science. Like the other respondents, he might possibly be interested in a place to discuss spiritual questions without prerequisite beliefs and without judgment. These adults wanted a Church that truly lives the teachings of Jesus, is truly inclusive, and cares for the wider community rather than just the Church itself. They wanted Bible stories to be taught as illustrations of principles or meanings, but not as being literally true. They wanted no part of what they perceived as the Anglican Church's authority structure.
• By contrast, the fourth adult highly valued our traditional liturgy and hymns. While appreciating modern forms, she felt the traditional gave a unique sense of the sacred and provided a change of pace from the rest of life. It would appear that there is not consensus about our music and liturgy among young adults. There is, however, a general cry for authenticity and openness and meeting of their real needs for spiritual questioning, respect, participation, community, physical and spiritual nourishment, and time.