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Lifestyle Teen Reach For Church
I suddenly understood why so many of my friends were making promises to leave their respective
denominations. Like I did that day at church, they likely felt alienated from attending a service that is
supposed to instill hope.
First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem is em bracing tec h to engage their congregation.
From the standpoint of teens like me, many Christian denominations are too deeply rooted in tradition.
Whatever this “tradition” comes dressed as, we find it a turnoff. Because of this, church should offer more
open-ended resources to teens — such as meditation, discussion groups, and even nature walks. In other
words, the Christian church experience needs to start transcending the traditional and adapting to the
times. Only then can teens start finding meaning in church beyond traditional mass, and realizing they can
come to God in their own way without indoctrination or an intermediary.
However deep-rooted and unalterable these attitudes towards the church seem, there’s actually great
potential for inclusive policies to work. While only a slight minority of young adults claim they are still
searching for a religion, a substantial 29% are already spiritual but seeking an outlet to deepen their beliefs.
This means that if teen-centered programs are extended beyond, say, Bible camp, and are intentionally
depicted as nondenominational, more teens would treat church as a safe space for worship rather than a
convert-seeking institution. With flexibility in the “terms of worship” comes greater freedom, and with greater
freedom teens might feel more inclined to involve themselves with the church.
Yet, established churches could be hesitant about making major reforms, especially in a highly progressive
direction. Besides, it is tradition that gives many adherents purpose and a sense of identity with their faith.
But the church is also in great need of new participants: Gallup found that overall membership in th e United
States has plunged 20 percentage points in the last 20 years. People are dropping out, and the power to
change this narrative lies in engaging teens. I see this in my own traditional church in Northern Virginia. I
attend only bi-annually because of the strict standards and pompous preaching which relate to anything but
true spirituality. When I do go to church, I am among only two or three other teenagers in the room, which is
both saddening and alarming.
Even particular Christian denominations are trying this approa ch, like the famously progressive Unitarian
Universalists. A common program in their congregations is Neighboring Faiths, which takes teens to various
places of worship to encourage welcoming all ways of worship equally and even incorporating them
personally. If the more traditional Christian church is to have a solid following 10 to 20 years from now, it
needs to take a hint from these progressive movements, which are highly appreciated by many young
participants.
Embarking into spirituality is very much a choose-your-own-adventure, but interested youth cannot do it
alone. The Christian religious leadership should be a prime source of support, given its ample funds,
immense authority, and interest in increasing popular involvement. When teens see churches adopting a
welcoming presence, they might just take this as a sign to move beyond their own prejudices and explore
spiritually. Ultimately, young people like me just need to know that “God’s house” does not have to be a
room full of people shivering in slightly-too-cold pews.
Stacia Datskovska, 15, is a high school junior in Northern Virginia who hopes one day to be a foreign
correspondent.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Churches can grow if they become more welcoming to
young people