Connecting With Younger Men: Changing Church Culture
Where have all the young men gone? The Our younger men from the ages of 18 to 35 are most often missing. Look around. In large measure they are gone. The church is increasingly aware of the absence of young adults, especially males. The largest gap between the general population and the demographics of the church is the ages between 18 and 35. In partnership with Lutheran Men in Mission, Vibrant Faith Ministries is networking with men’s groups and church structures across the United States to promote understanding and outreach to younger men.
Coming of Age: Exploring the Identity and Spirituality of Younger Men
Based on research funded by Lutheran Men in Mission, David Anderson, Paul Hill, and Roland Martinson wrote this book on the spiritual lives of younger men. The research was a qualitative study that included one hour interviews with 88 men from the ages of 18 to 35 and from six regions across the United States. The research was motivated by the awareness that this gender and age group represents the most absent population in the life of the church today. The young men represented a number of demographic categories including those who were part of the church and those who were not.
The data was studied by the authors and seven distinct areas emerged that helped understand the experiences and spiritual identities of these 88 men: relationships, nature and sports, life-defining experiences, crises, service, work and avocation, and spiritual hunger. These seven domains identify discrete ways of reaching out to these men and their need for spiritual grounding.
What became apparent to the authors was that it was not so much that young men have consciously walked away from the church but that the church has not provided meaningful avenues to connect with the life experiences of these men. The title “Coming of Age” reflects not only the personal and spiritual development of younger men but a call to the church to “come of age” by intentionally reaching out to young men in society. Three moves are recommended for the church: develop personal relationships between the generations, create programmatic opportunities that attract younger men, and, finally, promote a church culture that fosters “authentic, egalitarian, and mutual humanity” between men and women. The focus of the book is not simply on reaching young men but on healthy, meaningful, and faithful relationships in the church so that the church can “come of age” in the twenty-first century.
The Training
The Connecting with Younger Men: Changing Church Culture Training helps congregations learn about younger men and how to connect with them in their daily lives and faith journeys. These trainings combine keynote presentations on the major findings from the Coming of Age research, workshops that explore specific interactive strategies to connect with younger men in a meaningful way, and resources to help congregations, families, and individuals make a significant difference in the lives and faith of younger men.
Host site congregations will work in cooperation with Vibrant Faith Ministries and Lutheran Men in Mission to provide a valuable experience in connecting with, supporting, and influencing the life and faith experience of younger men. This web site identifies current conference sites as well as information on how to promote and offer a local Connecting with Younger Men: Changing Church Culture Training.
At a Connecting with Younger Men: Changing Church Culture Training participants will:
1. gain an understanding of the seven areas of younger men’s identity and spiritual lives identified in the Coming of Age research (primarily through keynotes).
2. identify resources to help them reach out to younger men in a meaningful and transformational way
3. learn strategies that will help mentors, family members, friends, and congregations engage younger men in a way that supports their character and faith formation
4. explore ways to reach out to younger men and women as vital to the future of the church and the needs of younger adults.
Coming of Age Milestones
The Coming of Age Milestones are a result of the Lutheran Men in Men sponsored research and the writing of the book based on the research, COMING OF AGE: EXPLORING THE IDENTITY AND SPIRITUALITY OF YOUNGER MEN. The introduction to Coming of Age Milestones gives the rationale and the general structure of a Coming of Age Milestone weekend. The theme for the Milestone for 9-10-year olds focuses on creation. The one for 12-14-year-olds focuses on relationships. The goal of these Coming of Age Milestones is to connect youth with their dads and/or other male mentors and to honor the men for their God-given abilities to care for and instruct the lives of boys as they come of age in the Christian faith.
