Rate Your Church's Young Adult Friendliness

Many North American congregations have far fewer young adult members than they want.  Some others find that the young adults they have as members are not heavily involved in congregational life.  How friendly and welcoming is the atmosphere in your church for young adults?  Churches which are successfully reaching young adults often check 13 or more of these items.

___ 1.  Our church has young adults on the board, council, or other  primary administrative body of the church, so that we remain sensitive to young adult issues.

___ 2.  Our church offers child care at any events at which we hope for young adult participation.

___ 3.  People in our church accept the fact that many young adults may only attend two or three times a month and don't make them feel guilty for not coming every Sunday.

___ 4.  People are welcome to dress informally for worship, and that is modeled by ushers and greeters.

___ 5.  If a single parent comes to our church, that person can go through an entire morning without being asked where his or her spouse is.

___ 6.  Our church can make decisions quickly and doesn't frustrate people with slowness to change.

___ 7.  Our church has a caregiver system so that there is quick follow-up when persons who have been regular in attendance stop coming.

___ 8.  Our worship services are child-friendly.

___ 9.  Our church programming doesn't constantly assume that everyone who might participate is married or part of a family.

___ 10. Our church recognizes in its programming that most young adults would rather DO something (feed the hungry; remodel a house for the poor; work with youth) than TALK about doing something in endless committee meetings.

___ 11. Our worship services move quickly and offer a healthy variety of activities.

___ 12. Our worship services offer contemporary music as well as traditional music.

___ 13. Our pastor(s) is(are) comfortable relating to young adults.

___ 14. Our church can truly welcome a couple who are living together but are not yet married,  feeling grateful that they want to be involved in the church.

___ 15. Older members of our church are comfortable reaching out to  young adults.

___ 16. Our church offers one or more class or group opportunities for young adults.

You are free to reproduce this questionnaire for use in your own congregation. Thank you for giving credit to New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org