Last week, I kicked off our journey of vibrancy and vitality as we celebrate 185 years as a church by exploring two of the six strategies from Growing Young: prioritizing young people everywhere and practicing empathy. These strategies remind us that young people are not just the future of the church but an integral part of our community right now. As we continue this series, I want to dive into the next two strategies: fostering a warm community and taking Jesus’ message seriously.
These strategies, like the first two, challenge us to reflect on our current practices and culture at UMCG and ask how we can better position ourselves to grow younger and more vital as a church family. They also remind us that transformation is not just about programs or events but about how we live out our faith and relationships every day – in essence, who we are, as Christians.
Fostering a Warm Community
One of the most surprising findings from the research in Growing Young is that young people are not looking for the flashiest worship services or the most cutting-edge technology. Instead, they crave something much more fundamental: warmth. “When we asked young people what made them feel connected to a church, the number one answer wasn’t style, music, or even the teaching. It was how warm and welcoming the church felt,” the authors explain.
This means that fostering a warm community is critical for a church’s vitality and ability to engage younger generations. It’s not just about having a friendly greeter at the door or a good follow up system (though those help!)—it’s about building a culture of genuine connection where people of all ages feel like they truly belong.
The warmth factor isn’t just about surface-level friendliness. The authors of Growing Young found that churches growing younger are places where people go deep with one another, where intergenerational friendships flourish, and where authenticity is valued over performance. Young people are especially sensitive to inauthenticity, and they are drawn to churches where they feel accepted just as they are. When I read this, I can’t help but think of all the 185th interviews that talked about the Couples Club from 40 years ago being this warm place of belonging!
This invites us to reflect on our own community here at UMCG today: How warm are we? Do people—especially young people—feel that they belong here? Are we creating spaces where deep and meaningful relationships can flourish? And how can we ensure that warmth extends beyond Sunday mornings into all aspects of church life?
Creating a warm community is a shared responsibility. It’s something we all contribute to, whether through a smile and conversation after service or by inviting others into our homes and lives. It’s about being a church where people experience the love of Christ through the way we love one another. I think we have some good experience of being in warm community, but we’re struggling how to create it and share it for those new to UMCG.
Taking Jesus’ Message Seriously
The fourth strategy in Growing Young is taking Jesus’ message seriously. This might seem obvious, but the research revealed that one of the main reasons young people disengage from church is that they perceive churches as being more focused on tradition, politics, or institutional survival than on living out the radical teachings of Jesus.
Young people are looking for churches that challenge them to follow Jesus in real, tangible ways. They don’t just want to talk about faith; they want to see it in action. As the authors note, “Churches growing young take Jesus’ message seriously, not just as a set of beliefs, but as a call to a lifestyle of love, grace, and justice.”
Taking Jesus’ message seriously means that we as a church must continually ask ourselves: How are we living out the Gospel in our daily lives? Are we known for embodying the radical love of Jesus? Are we engaging with the issues of justice and mercy that matter to young people today? Are we inspiring people to take up their cross and follow Jesus—not just in words but in deeds?
This strategy also challenges us to make sure that our teaching, preaching, and discipleship programs are focused on helping people (of all ages) understand and apply Jesus’ teachings in their everyday lives. It’s not enough to offer head knowledge or intellectual assent; we must call people into the kind of transformational discipleship that changes hearts and minds and leads to a life that looks more and more like Jesus.
At UMCG, we have a long tradition of serious engagement with Scripture and a strong commitment to mission and outreach. As we move forward, let’s continue to build on that foundation, finding new ways to inspire people to follow Jesus passionately and wholeheartedly. Let’s make sure that everything we do—whether it’s worship, small groups, or outreach—is grounded in the teachings of Jesus and designed to help people live them out in the real world. I hope my 2025 preaching plan that centers on Jesus can be helpful in this regard.
As we continue this series of articles, I encourage us to reflect on how we as a church can foster a warm, welcoming community and take Jesus’ message seriously in deeper ways. How can we build a culture of belonging where people of all ages feel connected? And how can we make sure that we are truly living out the radical teachings of Jesus in our church and in our own lives?
Next week, we’ll wrap up this series by exploring the final two strategies: engaging with families and empowering leaders of all generations. But for now, I invite you to consider how these strategies might challenge and inspire you in your walk with Christ.
Thank you again for your continued support as we seek to grow younger, more vital, and more faithful to the call of Jesus.
