However, Sam Rainer said congregations face an enormous challenge in retaining those who don’t see church as a necessary part of their lives.
"Seventy-eight percent (who stayed) said church was essential to their life," said the co-author of "Essential Church" at a recent conference in Elizabethtown, Ky. "But only 28 percent of those who dropped out said church was important. Numbers are just numbers but they do tell a story and the story is that church isn’t essential."
Based on research conducted by LifeWay Christian Resources, the nationwide survey of more than 1,000 young adults uncovered another ominous trend: fading percentages of church attendance among younger demographics.
From 50 percent among pre-World War II builders, the number sinks to 34 percent for "busters" born between 1964 and ’77; and 29 percent for "bridgers" (1977-94.)
"Those numbers have remained the same as each generation gets older," said the president of Rainer Research. "So we do have a little bit of a crisis. We’re losing our young adults."
Importance of small groups
One prescription the associate pastor of a Florida church outlined is small groups. Whether that means cell groups, Bible studies or Sunday school, he pointed out that 83 percent of those involved in a small group are still in church five years after joining. Among those who only attend Sunday services, the retention rate drops to 16 percent.
While "any day of the week" groups are popular among non-traditional churches, Rainer recommends connecting small groups to worship—going from a group meeting to a service.
"It’s surprising how ‘sticky’ it is and how it assimilates people," said Rainer, also an associate pastor of a church in Florida.
Why they leave
Deciding how to retain young adults starts with understanding why they leave. Among some of the leading reasons cited in the survey:
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They simply wanted a break from church."That breaks my heart," Rainer said. "The biggest reason why people were leaving is church was a chore. They weren’t necessarily mad at church; (they’re saying), ‘I just need another social venue that is more relevant to me than church.’"
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Left for college or had work responsibilities.Both reasons show that church wasn’t essential before they departed, Rainer said.
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Don’t feel connected to people there."You have got to build a sense of community in your church," he said. "You have got to connect with people relationally. If you don’t have a sense of community, people won’t feel connected and won’t be part of the process."
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They disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues.·
They decided to spend more time with friends outside the church.Rainer said this factor indicates a lack of community within the church, which leads young adults to place a higher value on places where they feel connected.
"With 97 percent—if you take all the categories and break it into big chunks—students cited a life change that pushed them away," he added. "What that means is the church was not the change agent in their life."
In addition to understanding why young adults leave, churches also need to pay attention to warning signs of decline.
The seven sins of a dying church that Rainer listed include 1) diluting doctrine, 2) loss of evangelistic passion, 3) failure to be relevant, 4) conflict over personal preferences, 5) putting priority on comfort, 6) biblical illiteracy, 7) few outwardly-focused ministries.
Referring to the latter, Rainer asked if church leaders in the audience knew their communities’ greatest needs and whether they had talked to community leaders to see if the church’s ministries matched those needs.
"If you don’t know what leaders of the community say the needs are, you aren’t in tune with the community," he said. "Have ministries focused toward the big needs of the community."
Start by simplifying
While addressing problems isn’t easy, Rainer said it starts with simplification. Referring to "Simple Church," the book his father, Thom, co-authored (a paperback version releases June 1), Rainer said its point is to simplify the path members can follow to discipleship.
He said that starts with a ministry blueprint that answers the question: what is your church going to do to help people become more like Christ?
"Your purpose must be clear," Rainer said. "The ‘what’ is also the ‘how.’ Your mission statement must be clear. It helps people understand…Make it clear and simple so everyone can memorize it and quote it."
Leaders must also remove congestion—those obstacles that prevent people from moving through discipleship, Rainer said. Other essentials he said are part of simplification:
* Alignment, or getting everyone on board with the same process.
While unity doesn’t mean blind conformity, a church that moves in unity is reflecting God’s character, he said.
* Focus, which means eliminating outdated committees and programs.
"(Learn) to say no," Rainer said. "Sometimes it’s best to allow sacred cows to die a natural death. It may not mean eliminating all programs, but eliminate the expectation that everyone needs to be there. You want to move from activity to essentials."
