By Eugene J. Nicodemus

I recently read an article in Christian Ministry magazine about a new study that shows that only 33 percent of Catholics born after 1961 attend mass regularly, compared with 64 percent of those born before 1961. A stunning decrease!

From what I see in many churches of all denominations that I visit, I suspect that we Protestants are doing no better in holding our young. I recently read that the average age of Methodists in church is 55 years old and rising rapidly.

Our Sunday schools, which have traditionally been the place where the youth and young adults come together for learning, fellowship, etc., are also losing the young. Most of our churches have many classes for those over 40 and those under 15. However, classes for those between 15 and 40 are conspicuous by their absence. I sometimes wonder if we have no classes because we have no people or do we have no people because we have no classes?

What’s going on here? Why are our youth staying away? I’m not sure I know, but I have some suspicions.

There is no doubt that dramatic changes occurred in our society back in the 1960‘s. In great numbers people turned off and dropped out of the institutional church. The children of the 60’s dropouts have never been a part of the church because their dropout parents never brought them.

Our churches have changed greatly since the 60’s and those who dropped out have not been there to see the change.

Studies show that our young are as spiritual (religious) as ever. In some ways they are more spiritual than we were at a similar age, even though we may have been in church while they were not. We went to church because it was expected in our community. Church attendance is no longer required for one to be seen as a good citizen.

We must gain the opportunity to show that today’s church can meet the needs of today’s spiritual person; that we are a loving, caring institution.

We will only gain this opportunity by going out to those places where young people are present. Meet and talk to them in a non-threatening way. Then invite them to come to church. We can no longer wait for people to come to us.

(This article appeared in the "Spring, 1997" issue of "The Herald.")