They're very intent on improving their lives and improving their world, rather than coming at it as a religious obligation. Many mainline churches, too, understand the need to address societal changes. Young adults are more likely nowadays to postpone marriage and children, another factor that can keep them away from worship services. Rabbi Joshua Taub at Temple B'nai Jehudah in Kansas City said religious participation in our culture, as in many, is largely a family-oriented practice. Young adults, especially singles, sometimes feel uncomfortable in congregational life, he said.
Families are everywhere.
Congregations are trying to pull in this group with social activities and new ways of worship, including nontraditional music. Bruce Merrick, professor of Christian education at Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, said churches need to pay attention to the research on Generation Xers. The worry for churches is that this generation's exploration will take them far afield of religious institutions, Merrick said. Churches would do well to heed market research, too, that shows brand loyalty for consumer goods is often established at age 19, he said. The church had its roots in cultural relevancy, Merrick said, and modern churches that lapse in that realization are in danger of allowing this group to slip away.