This is a book review from Mark Anderson, Assistant to the Bishop.
Book Review
After The Baby Boomers: How Twenty-and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion by Robert Wuthnow, published by Princeton University Press in 2007. $28.00 at Amazon - See page.
Wuthnow begins by asserting his dislike for material based on anecdotes or interviews and not on scientific research. He follows through by making 80% of his work read like a dissertation with references to hundreds of studies complete with charts and graphs. If you like this kind of detailed analysis the middle of the book is for you. Otherwise the first and last chapter contain the material which is urgent to the Christian Church.
Even on page 1 we are shocked when Wuthnow states that "Babyboomers are no longer the future of American religion, As they grow older, they are rapidly becoming its past." He looks to the Baby Boomers as becoming "high-maintenance members" while resisting chance and lamenting that the church is not as good as it used to be. In the day of the Baby Boomers young people stayed in their town or neighborhood, married their high school sweetheart, by age 21 they had already started their careers had their first of several children. In this paradigm it made sense to have confirmation at age 16, youth group until high school graduation and expect young adults to fall into women's groups, men's groups, join choirs, and teach Sunday School.
In the 21st Century, young adults, between the ages of 21-45, make up not the future but are already a significant part of the population at over 100 million members. However, many will not start their careers until they are 28, will not marry until they are 26. In fact, many people are not settled down into a home, marriage and family until much later in life. This has created a group of "young adults" who single, have no children, are facing economic uncertainty, live far away from their families and are often lonely. So when the congregation is putting most of its efforts into children and elderly it is oblivious to the large numbers of absent young adults.
After 200 pages of reviewing the latest facts and figures the author gets around the answering the question how to make a congregation attractive to young adults? First, what does not work: 1) a lively high school group does not mean the congregation will have a lively young adult ministry; 2) contemporary worship and projection is the preference of 40-45 year olds but 21-29 think "church should feel like church" or as Wuthnow puts it "the "so-called seeker services that were geared toward people who disliked church are not passe;" and 3) megechurches do NOT draw young people more than mini- churches.
On the other hand, congregations which have at least 35% of worshippers who are between the ages of 21-35 have these characteristics in common:
There are young adults in the population of the community
There are other young adults in the congregation. Note that one pastor commented "What young people at my church dislike more than anything else is sitting alone."
Worship includes a choir, silent prayer of meditation, and a time for people to meet and greet each other, and there was a written order of service or program
The congregation would also welcome concerts, art festivals, poetry readings, and opportunities to discuss literature, music, and art.
Classes in Bible study but also parenting, financial management, and groups for single adults
Service projects and mission trips
In short, this book points out that congregations offer a surround-sound of ministries for people ages 0-21 and then nothing until they are shut-ins. "Yet nearly all the major decision a person has to make about marriage, child rearing, and work happen after the support systems have ceased to function.
-Mark A. Anderson
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Mark,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this book review -- had seen the book, but not read it yet. The concept of "boomers" being the past, and those who are "high maintenence, reisiting change, etc.," is already very true. If you read other things re: generational studies, it seems to be true that most generations, as they hit the family nesting - post-family nesting ages become those who want/demand the most services and who most vocally and financially support the status quo - whatever that status quo might be. If we pay attention to that type of trend, we're not surprised that the generation of the social revolution is now rapidly becoming the generation seeking social stability.
Such generational studies also indicate that those (of most generations) who are in what are now referred to (in developmental psychology circles) as the "young adult years" -- 25-40 give or take (when life is often very tumultuous with new careers, new relationship commitments, birth of children, etc.) -- also note that this is the stage (either generationally speaking, or developmentally speaking) when we most desire those things (like choirs and a bulletin in church on Sunday) that signal stabilty, comfort and a tradition that provide a sense of security in disconcerting times.
I find it interesting that -- at least according to your review -- Wuthnow's research supports these two emerging fields of study (generational studies and developmental psychology) and their focus on the trends of the generations.
Carolyn Pflibsen