Growing Young at Westminster
A Personal Story
- Why the emphasis on growing young?
- Because church attendance in America is declining
- Because congregations in America are aging
- What growing young does not mean? Ten Qualities Our Church Does Not Need in Order to
Grow Young.
- A precise size
- A trendy location or region
- An exact age
- A popular denomination….or lack of a denomination
- An off-the-charts cool quotient
- A big, modern building
- A big budget
- A “contemporary” worship service
- A watered-down teaching style
- A hyper-entertaining ministry program
III. What growing young does mean? Six Core Commitments that Our Church Needs to Grow Young.
- Unlock keychain leadership
- Empathize with today’s young people
- Take Jesus’ message seriously
- Fuel a warm community
- Be the best neighbors
- Prioritize young people (and families) everywhere
- Our Process
- A growing young cohort
- A sermon series
- A congregational assessment
- Some generational dialogue
- Our Goal – Understanding that leads to organizational transformation
- The Models for our Process
- A Son of Man – Mark and his Gospel
- The Son of Man – Jesus (Mark 10:35-45)
- What is my identity? Not a ruler, but a slave (vv. 41-44)
- Where do I belong? All those who need my life, my gifts, and my abilities (vv. 43, 45)
- What is my purpose? To serve and not be served (vv. 45)
Conclusion: Growing young takes everyone – Always