Sustaining Church Membership: A Youth Focus

Introduction

In modern times, churches are facing the question of how they are going to sustain membership for the future of the church. When families join the church, it is a symbol of growth (Alexander 2017). This is because when families join, they include parents and children. Ideally, it is the children within the family that go on to become members of the church. The children will grow up within the church, and they will be reared in the principles that will help in guiding the church in later times. At times, the number of families joining the church is not enough for growth purposes. In such instances, churches tend to invest heavily in physical and financial resources so that they can attract new members to the congregation (Alexander 2017). Alexander (2017) continues to note that the amount of financial investments into Christian materials that would be used to attract new members was roughly four billion dollars as of 1996. This shows that a lot of physical and financial resources are dedicated to attracting and retaining members within the church organization. In modern times, there is also a very heavy investment in attracting and retaining new members within the church. The group that is most targeted is young adults. Attracting and retaining young adults helps lay the ground for future sustainability for the church and as with any organization, having a trained group that will succeed the ones that currently head various facets of the organization. For the overall health of any organization, it is important that all groups are addressed. If and when any group is not addressed, it puts the future of the organization in jeopardy (Black 2008). That is true of religious organizations, specifically churches, as well. Churches have to ensure that the needs of every group within the congregation are met and that will help solidify their future prospects. The focus of this study will be on the retention and attraction of young adults within the church. For the purposes of this study, the term “young adults” will include individuals who have graduated from high school and are attending college or university, or any group that has entered the workforce. The specific age group may be between 18 years and 30 years of age. In modern times, the church is competing for the attention of young adults in the midst of a myriad of distractions. The distractions intensified with the dawning of social media which has made social networking to be very easy, the distraction of entertainment, the ease through which young adults can locate drugs and many more distractions ((Alexander 2017). Moreover, there is an increasing dislike for the term “religion” with individuals preferring to refer to themselves as being “spiritual.” Being spiritual gives individuals the luxury of believing in a higher power while at the same time, not being bound by any specific creed or religion. It is not uncommon to hear an individual state, “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” In the midst of all these distractions and a declining affinity for religion, the church has to battle to make the church attractive to young adults and at the same time retain them when they attract them to church. At the same time, older adults in the church are concerned about the young adults not attending church due to the various advantages that it brings. Church is pertinent for spiritual development which has been shown to have positive effects for individuals such as during the 9/11 attacks in the United States where many people sought refuge in the church ((Alexander 2017); helps high risk youth and young adults whose upbringing increases the probability that they may have mental issues and become addicted to drugs (Sinha, Cnaan, & Gelles 2007) and also as a means through which they can mentor such young people and help them navigate the various pitfalls of life.

While there are many organizations or groups that would help young adults in their various facets of life, the church has been shown to have unprecedented success in helping them as compared to other organizations or religious groups. Washington (2005) notes that the church tends to have a greater impact than community programs when they actively reach out to individuals within the community. The key factor that improved the church’s efficacy is that of active engagement and outreach. In the same manner, for the church to attract and retain young adults, they have to be active. It is not only physical and financial resources that must be invested towards that end, but a lot of time and energy will be required in the pursuit of that end. This paper will review the retention and attraction strategy to be used in Ghanaian Churches in Australia, North America, and the United Kingdom. Ghana embraced Christianity with a fervor that put the country at the center of global Christianity. The country has more than 26 million Christians, which as of 2017 comprised 70% of their national population. As such, it is not surprising that wherever Ghanaians go, they are bound to become part of a church. The issue lies in attracting young adults and retaining them within the church. The research shall revolve around Australia, North America, and the United Kingdom. No official figures have been given in relation to the number of Ghanaian churches within Australia, North America, and the United Kingdom. However, the biggest Ghanaian church in Australia is The Ghana Presbyterian Church in Sidney Australia (Sannah 2013); in North America, specifically the US, there is no single big church, but there are a number of Ghanaian Presbyterian churches; in the UK the Ghanaian Presbyterian churches are also the biggest. No official figures have been given as to the number of congregants present within the churches.

Chapter 1 will include a review of the study, which will revolve around the statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, the research questions, and the aims and research objectives. Chapter 2 will cover the literature review, which will be a synthesis of relevant literature that will serve as the conceptual background to the specific objectives that guide the study. It shall also cover the theoretical and conceptual frameworks, which are the principal theories upon which the research project will be constructed. Chapter 3 will revolve around the research methodology, research design, target population, data collection methods, analysis of the data, the scope of the study, and ethical considerations.

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Background of the Problem

A lot of negative things have been said about religion and how it is used as justification for many atrocities committed in the world. It seems that people never commit atrocious acts so completely and cheerfully as when they are supported by religion. While there is some merit to that, research also shows that young adults who are religious have relatively better experiences than their counterparts who are not religious. A research carried out by the Pew Research Center (2016), showed that individuals who are religious tend to spend more time with their families and volunteer more. Those who are defined as being religious tend to gather with their families at least once or twice a month, while those who are not religious tend to spend less time with their families, extended or otherwise (Pew Research Center 2016). Moreover, 65% of those who attended church regularly stated that they donate of their physical, financial and time resources at least once a month as compared to 41% of individuals who are not religious (Pew Research Center 2016). The research surmised that individuals who are more religious tend to have and to live more fulfilled lives as compared to individuals who are not as religious. Alexander (2017) showed that young adults who are religious tend to have more positive moral outcomes when they are making key decisions in their lives. The researchers surmised that the reason for that is that religion gives the opportunity to build and develop significant and more trusting relationships upon which sound moral principles rest (Alexander 2017). Therefore, interactions within a religious environment lead to more positive outcomes morally, physically, mentally, emotionally, and in life as a whole. Despite the research showing that being religious leads to better and more positive outcomes in life, the number of young adults attending church has reduced over the years in the UK, US, and Australia. Sherwood (2018) notes that there is a generational catastrophe in the UK with only 2% of young adults identifying as Christian and 7 out of 10 individuals under the age of 24 stating that they do not subscribe to any religion. Of the young adults that identify as Christian or as religious, only 1 in 5 of them stated that they had attended church within the past month (Sherwood 2018). Thus, even though some identify as religious, or in this context as Christian, that does not translate into church attendance. The situation is the same in the US and North America in general. Jackson (2019) notes that in the US, 66% of young adults between the ages of 23 and 30 years old stated that they stopped attending church. The key transition period was when young adults left high school, and they were transitioning into college. That was when the majority of them stated that they stopped regularly attending church. Jackson (2019) stated that the top five reasons why young adults in North American stopped attending church in no apparent order are: moving to college which causes them to stop attending church; feeling judged at church and that the church members are more hypocritical; lack of a connection within the church; disagreeing with the church on political and social issues; work responsibilities preventing them from attending church. The situation is also the same in Australia, where the number of young adults attending church has drastically reduced over the years. According to Christian Research Association (2019), only 8% of young adults in Australia attend church. The retention rates of young adults in Australia, North America, and the UK is very low and seems to be decreasing over the years. Therefore, this study is necessary to aid church leaders to understand the retention and attraction strategies that they can employ to increase the retention rates of young adults in the church.

Statement of the Problem

The church, just like any organization, must care about the next generation for the purposes of longevity. In this context, the next generation refers to young adults in the church. However, retention rates of young adults in the church seem to be at an all-time low (Burke 2014). Young adults seem to have developed other identities that do not revolve around the church or anything religious. The Social Identity Theory argues that a portion of one’s understanding of the self depends on the importance and relevance that is placed upon group membership to which an individual belongs (McKinley, Mastro and Warber 2014). The theory further posits that individuals are more inclined to seek a positive identity and esteem associations between the social comparisons that they make. Using the social identity theory as a basis, one would expect that young adults would be more inclined to stick with the church since they grew up in church and a part of their social identity is inextricably woven into the fabric of the church. However, it seems that young adults have developed other social identities that have contributed to them having less interest in the church. As such, it is important to understand what the other identities are and their effect on reducing the retention rates of young adults in the church. This study will assess the retention rates of young adults in Ghanaian churches in Australia, North America, and the UK. It is important to retain young adults in church since research shows that it is better for their sense of self as well as improving their coping strategies in a world that is increasingly more challenging to live in (Alexander 2017). The research hopes to help the church recognize that it is for the well being and the future of the church that they must focus on the needs of young adults since that will help in increasing the retention rates. Moreover, the church must come up with better strategies than ones that it has historically utilized to help in attracting and retaining young adults in the church. Additionally, it is important to examine the roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church. Perhaps, if and when the church leadership understands the important roles that young adults play within the church, they will be more inclined to come up with novel strategies or apply true and tested strategies that will increase the attraction and retention rates of young adults within the church. As it stands, the roles that young adults play within the church may not be clearly defined since the majority of those roles may currently be filled by older adults within the church. However, it is important to understand that there will be a need for the transition between older adults and young adults in the church. If church attendance amongst young adults continues to decrease, it shall affect the transition period in the church by making the transitioning more challenging or reducing transitioning altogether which means that older adults will need to continue serving for a relatively long time. So, if church attendance amongst young adults falls, the roles and the responsibilities that they play in the church will remain unfulfilled.

It is important to assess the factors that lead to young adults drifting away from the church. Jackson (2019) notes that there are five key factors that lead to young adults drifting away from the church. The key factor identified was the transition into college (Jackson 2019). When young adults are transitioning into college or university, they tend to lose ties with their home church, which may explain the reason why their church attendance rates tend to decrease. Other factors relate to work obligations, disagreeing on the church on fundamental social and political issues, feeling judged and feeling that people within the church are hypocrites and a lack of connection with members of the church. Understanding the factors that cause young adults to drift away from church is very important since it will have a bearing on the attraction and retention strategies that the church employs to attract and retain young adults. Research on the attendance rates of young adults in the church is readily available. Research on the attendance rates of young adults in relation to Ghanaian churches is not available. Therefore, the research in relation to churches, in general, shall be applied to Ghanaian churches since it is assumed that the reviewed research relates to all churches in general. The research shall focus specifically on the retention and attraction strategies that Ghanaian churches can employ in relation to North America, Australia, and the UK.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study will be to explore young adults retention and attraction strategies in Ghanaian churches in North America, Australia, and the UK. The study will examine the roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church, the factors that cause young adults to avoid church, the attraction strategies that churches can apply and the effects that those strategies will have on the attraction and retention rates of young adults within Ghanaian churches. The research is worth doing since it focuses solely on Ghanaian churches and not on churches in general. It is expected that the results of the study will have implications for the church in general. The practical implications are that church leadership will be aware of the factors that cause young adults to avoid church. Being aware of the factors that lead young adults to avoid church will be important because awareness will help the church know how they can combat those factors. Moreover, the church will have a general understanding of attraction and retention strategies that they can employ to increase the number of young adults attending church. Therefore, the practical implication is that it will lead to an increase in knowledge in relation to retention and attraction strategies that can be applied to attract more young adults to the church. The theoretical significance is that it is expected that the application of the attraction and retention strategies will lead to the longevity of the church. It is expected that as the number of young adults increases in the church, the transition process between older adults relinquishing their roles and responsibilities to young adults will be made easier. In general, it is expected that the results of the study will lead to the overall improvement of the church and its understanding of young adults.

Research Questions

A number of research questions were generated based on the literature review that was carried out as well as based on social identity theory and systems theory, which will be the theoretical basis of the paper.

Research Question 1: What are the roles and responsibilities that young adults play in church?

H01: The roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church have a bearing on their decision to be active members of the church.

Ha1: The roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church do not have a bearing on their decision to be active church members in the church.

Research Question 2: What are the factors influencing young adults drifting in the Church?

Research Question 3: What are the factors that attract young adults to church, and how can they be utilized as attraction and retention strategies?

Research Question 4: How are attraction strategies utilized in relation to young adults utilized within the church, and are they working?

Research Question 5: What are the mentoring strategies utilized in relation to young adults in the church?

H02: Mentoring strategies utilized in relation to young adults within the church have a positive correlation with attracting and retaining young adults.

Ha2: Mentoring strategies utilized in relation to young adults within the church do not have a bearing in attracting and retaining young adults.

Research Question 6: To what extent do recognition and relationships relate to young adult retention rates within the church?

H03: The is a positive correlation between recognition and relationships in increasing young adult retention rates within the church.

Ha3: Recognition and relationships have no bearing on young adult retention rates within the church.

Aim and Research Objectives of the Study

Overall Aim

The overall aim of the study is to explore young adults attraction and retention strategies in Ghanaian churches in Australia, North America, and the UK. Ghanaian churches were selected to increase the specificity of the research aim and guide the study within a more specific and narrower paradigm. Australia, North America, and the UK were selected because outside of Ghana, they have a relatively big Ghanaian community which has led to the springing up of Ghanaian churches with many of them being under the Presbyterian umbrella.

Research Objectives

There are four key research objectives, and they are:

To examine the roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church.

To assess the factors that cause young adults to drift away from the church.

To explore the strategies that can be employed to increase attraction and retention rates of young adults within the church.

To assess the effects that attraction strategies have on young adult retention rates within the church.

Examining the roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church is important since it will show their importance within the church environment. Moreover, understanding the roles and responsibilities that young adults play in the church will show how important they are to the continued growth of the church as well as their importance for the longevity of the church. Assessing the factors that cause young adults to drift away from the church will help the church understand whether the factors are external or internal. If the factors are internal, then the church can find ways of changing the factors so that they cease to cause young adults to drift away from the church. For external factors, the church can find ways in which they can reduce or mitigate the effects of external factors. After the factors that cause young adults to drift away, it will be important to assess the strategies that can be employed to increase the attraction and retention rates of young adults within the church. Once the attraction and retention rates have been explored, it will be important to assess the effects of the strategies and explore the efficacy of the attraction strategies.

Literature Review

The Literature Review will provide a synthesis and critical evaluation of the relevant literature, and that will serve as a conceptual background to the specific objectives as well as the research question that guides the study. The literature review will be divided into four subtopics in relation to the four key research objectives. Each subtopic shall seek to explore and synthesize literature revolving around each research objective. The search was carried out on electronic databases. Google was the key search engine that was employed to search for given literature. The inclusion criteria basically revolved around credible research from various journals, peer-reviewed articles or journals, accredited websites, and various research by companies such as PEW Research Center. The body of research was drawn from psychology, social work, education, and various other disciplines that fit the inclusion criteria. Additionally, only studies written in the English language were selected for the purposes of understanding the content. No specific date in relation to the literature that will be used was not selected because it was determined after evaluation of various literature that they all could contribute to the research. The keywords that were used in evaluating literature were: young adults, youth, church, retention rates, Ghanaian churches, role and responsibilities, church membership, systems theory, social identity theory, factors that lead to drifting away from the church, attraction strategies, and retention strategies. In terms or exclusion strategy, Wikipedia and other unaccredited websites were not used and studies not written in the English language. The literature review begins by exploring the different roles and responsibilities that young adults play in in church and how that is important in understanding the modern young adult. Following is a review of the various factors that cause young adults to drift away from the church and how some of those factors can be changed, mitigated, or addressed. Also included are the various strategies that have been employed over the years and how they have influenced the attraction and retention of young adults for better or for worse. The section ends by exploring the efficacy of the various attraction and retention strategies on young adult retention rates within the church. Many of the young adults that the church would aim to attract and retain are classified as millennials. In that case, there is a lot of research showing that of all the generations that have existed thus far, millennials comprise the generation that least attends church. For the purposes of the literature review section, millennial(s) and young adult(s) shall be used interchangeably.

Roles and Responsibilities of Young Adults in Church

Every member of the church plays different roles, and so do young adults. Young adults play different roles in relation to ministry, family community, church community, organizational community, and various other roles. A key role that young adults play relates to ministry. According to Ragira, Wepukhulu, and Angeline (2017) note that young adults play a very important role in ministry through volunteering in various facets of ministry. As it stands, the church cannot hire individuals to fill every vacant position more so the active positions that are seen during communal worship such as the choir/worship team and teaching Sunday School. As such, the church tends to rely on volunteers, and key amongst them are young adults. While it is not expected, but having young adult volunteers in various facets is a great advantage for the church given that they bring their energy and versatile ideas to the fold. Nielson (2016) notes that through playing an active role in ministry, young adults and youth, in general, get first-hand experience on the life and the mission of the church. Plus, while volunteering in active ministry contributes to the growth of the church, it has greater benefits for the individual that is volunteering since it makes them become regular church attendees. Research shows that individuals who regularly attend church tend to experience greater life satisfaction when compared to individuals who do not regularly attend church. According to the Pew Research Center(b) (2019), individuals who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier when compared to individuals who do not actively attend church or have no religious affiliations. The research showed that individuals who regularly attend church tend to smoke and drink less as well as tend to live longer (Idler et al. 2017). Therefore, in being more active in ministry, young adults are not only contributing to the overall growth of the church, but they are also contributing to their overall wellbeing too.

Another role that young adults play relates to their role in relation to the church community. Active participation in the church community may include volunteer roles and/or simply being part of any suggested church activities. Ragira, Wepukhulu, and Angeline (2017) note that youth involvement in the church community leads to the overall growth of the church. According to Ross (2017), a key role that young adults play relates to service and leadership in the church. There are some churches that have been known to have young adults sitting on their leadership teams since some of them are full-time ministers. However, the majority of the young adults in church are not full-time ministers, but some of them are in active ministry, which requires leadership. The key area of leadership that the majority of young adults serve revolve around youth leadership in the church. Majority of churches tend to have a full-time youth minister. However, on top of the full-time youth minister, there are young adults who volunteer and form a committee that will focus on the young adult’s portion of the ministry. The volunteers help in making suggestions that guide the youth ministry and at the same time, increase the role that young adults play in church. Usually, individuals who volunteer to form the leadership of young adults also come with activities that will attract other young adults to the church. The best people to ask about how to attract other young adults to the church are other young adults. They are the ones that understand the various factors that may affect church attendance amongst their fellow young adults and the means through which they can attract and retain them in church.

Young adults also play an organizational role in the church. According to Ragira, Wepukhulu, and Angeline (2017), young adults play a very important organizational role in the church more so because they tend to have more energy and more time on their hands as compared to the older adults in the church. Young adults are more readily available to volunteer in church in various capacities; in the case where there is a mission to reach the community or in a relatively far off place, it is young adults who are readily available to act; if volunteers are needed for an outside project spearheaded by the church it is young adults who are more readily available to volunteer and serve in various capacities. Nielson (2016) also notes that while full-time ministers contribute to the overall holistic and spiritual growth of young adults; ultimately, it is young adults who contribute to each other’s holistic growth. This is seen in the form of the bible studies that are formed within young adult’s where there is no presence of a youth pastor or any other full-time minister. In such a case, it is the meeting together of young adults to study the Bible and to do other activities that leads to their spiritual growth. All in all, young adults have various roles and responsibilities within the church, and each one of those responsibilities contributes to the overall growth of the church.

Factors that Cause Young Adults to Drift Away from the Church

An interesting discovery from the literature is the fact that some millennials do not attend church due to a lack of awareness. According to Grey Matter Research and Consulting (2010), millennials have a relatively low religious experience which has made them less aware and knowledgeable of religion which has led to a cultivation of a sense of apathy as it relates to religion. Many millennials in the West tended to grow up in households that are not as religious as previous generations. In some instances, their interactions with religion have been very negative, and that has further cultivated their sense of apathy towards religion. The issue of negative interactions with religion shall be expounded in a later paragraph. As such, young adults are less likely to attend church simply because they are not aware of the religious practice of congregating together in communal worship or they do not understand its significance. A key factor that has been noted to influence young adults drifting away from church is the lack of spiritual authenticity in older adults. There have been a number of blog articles written where individuals, usually millennials, state that they do not go to church simply because there are high levels of hypocrisy in the church. A key vice that all people seem to hold against the church is the issue of hypocrisy. People tend to have grave concerns in relation to the hypocrisy in the church, and that is part of the reason why they choose not to attend church. Ellis (2019) notes that within the millennial generation, there is a deep-seated need for authenticity and “being real.” The need to be authentic and real has increased in the backdrop of increasing awareness of mental health. Counted (2016) observes that amongst millennials, being authentic is the new image. The millennial generation places a premium on authenticity during relational interactions. As such, when they note that there is a lack of authenticity in any given relational interaction, they are more inclined to avoid the area where they perceived inauthenticity, which in this context is the church. According to McFarland (2017), the youth have little to no exposure to adult role models who know what they believe, why they believe and are committed to living out what they believe. The Christian Faith is not only about saying the right things but living out the things that have been said as it was modeled by Jesus Christ. Therefore, to some extent, young adults tend to expect more from older adults with the church. They expect them to not only speak the truth but also to live out that truth as they emulate Jesus Christ. However, in living out the words that they say, older adults must take care to be authentic. What is expected is not perfection, but an authentic life which will undoubtedly be peppered with flaws. If and when young adults have such strong and emulable older adults in church, they are more inclined to live to be active attendees of the church. However, the lack of authenticity and hypocrisy inherent in the church is a factor that has caused young adults to drift away from the church. Jackson (2019) notes that 32% of young adults state that they do not attend church or they dropped out of church due to the hypocrisy and judgmental attitudes that they perceived in church. In relation to judgmental attitudes, McFarland (2017) states that there has been a rise in tolerance amongst young adults. Tolerance essentially means, “Because my truth is, well, my truth, no one may ever question any behavior or belief that I hold” (McFarland 2017). The need to be tolerant has been so far ingrained into the young adult’s psyche that any individual that challenges that view is considered to be bigoted. The church is seen to be bigoted because its stance on various issues such as sexuality and abortion are considered to be anti-tolerant. Due to that, some young adults choose not to attend church because they believe that it is a judgmental place.

Another key reason why some young adults stop attending church revolves around going to college and having various work engagements that make it challenging for them to attend church regularly. According to Earls (2019), 34% of young adults state that when they move to college, they stop attending church. The shifting roles that are expected of them in the college play a big role in influencing them to stop attending church. Coupled with attending college, not feeling connected to individuals in the church was also considered to be a defining factor that led many individuals to decide not to attend church. 29% of youth in the church stated that they did not feel connected to individuals in their church, and that is why they stopped attending church (Earls 2019). That point can be connected with that of attending college. When a young adult moves to go attend college or university, they leave the comfort of their home church where they know many people and where they have cultivated relationships with pastors and fellow young adults. In college, they do not know any people at the church that they may seek to attend, and the lack of connection and relationships with the individuals at church causes young adults to choose to avoid church. 24% of young adults stated that they have work responsibilities which prevent them from being regular attendees of church services (Earls 2019). Basically, shifting personal priorities and a change in the personal habits of young adults causes some of them to avoid church. According to Outsight Network (2015), another key reason why young adults tend to avoid Christianity and religion as a whole is that they believe it is out of touch with the modern world. Many young adults are experientialists. That means that their lives are guided by a constant desire to experience various things in life (Outsight Network 2015). They avoid Christianity and by extension, some religions because they believe that the religions keep them from living their lives to the fullest because of forbidding some things such as pre-marital sex. Therefore, while there are extrinsic factors that cause young adults to avoid church and other factors are intrinsic in that they relate to the individual and have nothing to do with the church. While the church can do nothing about an individual’s intrinsic factors, they can make some changes in the extrinsic factors which will make the church more appealing to young adults.

Strategies Employed to Increase Attraction and Retention Rates of Young Adults within the Church

Many church leaders agree that they have to find ways through which they can attract millennials back to church. It has been acknowledged that millennials not attending church is an issue that must be addressed promptly for the greater good of the church as well as its longevity. That realization has made churches, and church elders start thinking of ways through which they can attract young adults back to church. There are various strategies that can be employed to increase attraction and retention rates of young adults within the church. The number of strategies that can be employed would require research of their own, which means that they will not be thoroughly exhausted. Only a number of key strategies that may work in the majority of churches regardless of the denomination will be explored. First and foremost, it is important for churches and church leaders to recognize that the modern young adult is different from the previous generations. The reason for that is partly because they have been raised up in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity and an era of great technological advances. As such, it is important to realize that while the message of the gospel remains unchanged, its delivery may be adjusted a little to focus on young adults within the congregation. A key means through which the church can attract more young adults to the congregation is by promoting young adult’s ministry. According to Briggs (2013), a church that focuses on promoting young adult ministry is more likely to attract young men and women to their congregation. Promoting young adult ministry is attractive to young adults since it shows them that the church recognizes and is willing to meet their spiritual needs. Promoting young adult ministry shows that the church is intentional about engaging young adults more so engaging them in a manner that young adults will respond to. Moreover, it simply shows that the church cares enough to seek out young adults and to encourage activities that will attract them in the form of promoting young adult’s ministry with the church. The other strategy that was employed to attract more millennials to church revolves around the cultivation of relationships. Connor (2019) notes that millennials and young adults want to be mentored rather than being preached at. In terms of preaching, millennials can access any preaching that they desired at the click of a button in the form of podcasts, YouTube videos, and on various other websites. Therefore, the issue is not that millennials do not have access to preaching but that they do not have access to proper mentorship, which makes it what they seek in church. McFarland (2017) observes that young adults do not have many emulable older adults in their lives thus when they come to church what they seek is an older adult that will guide them as they continue to walk down the path of life. As such, young adults value relationships and if and when they find a church in which they can access mentorship in one form or another they are more inclined to be attracted and to remain in that church. Connor (2019) observes that the desire for mentorship above being preached to lies in the fact that the millennial generation is the generation that has the highest percentage of fatherless homes. Previous generations tended to come from a two-parent household since that was the norm. If one came from a single-parent household, it would be because something tragic happened to one of the parents and not that the parents willingly chose to live apart. Over the years, single-parent households have been normalized; therefore, it is not out of the norm to hear that a young adult comes from a home with one parent; usually, it is the mother. Therefore, there is a big desire from young adults from mentorship since the majority of them did not receive it at home. Connor (2019) notes that to bridge the millennials desire for mentorship, the church should create a database of adult mentors and young adults for them to have someone walk with them. The older adults in the church should be encouraged to be more intentional about building relationships with the millennial generation, and that will help in attracting them and retaining.

The only caveat is that seeking to build relationships with millennials should not only be done as an attraction strategy, but it should come from a place of authenticity. As Counted (2016) noted, young adults place a high premium on authenticity and if and/or when they perceive a level of inauthenticity, they are more inclined to cut off connections with the church. Earls (2019) noted that 32% of young adults state that they stopped attending church because they felt that the church was hypocritical and highly judgmental. According to the Outsight Network (2015), millennials can spot a fake a mile away. While they may have a desire for mentorship from older adults within the church, they are more inclined to gravitate towards individuals that they perceive to be authentic, which moves beyond the simple desire of mentorship. However, it should be noted that what they seek is not perfection but rather a desire for their mentor to express themselves in an authentic manner regardless of their imperfections. Therefore, in the pursuit of cultivating relationships and mentorships with young adults, older adults must strive to be authentic. Another caveat that should be noted is that since it is the church, cultivation of relationships with younger adults should not be done at the expense of the gospel. In the long run, the church’s mandate is to preach the Gospel of Christ, which means that nothing should rise above mandate. Cultivation of relationships and preaching the gospel should go hand in hand. Moreover, cultivating relationships with young adults is expected to increase the retention rates within the church since individuals are more inclined to remain in areas or organizations where they have cultivated relationships. Other strategies that have been argued relate to the atmosphere within the church more so in relation to praise and worship. Briggs (2013) states that for churches to attract young adults into the congregation, then they should introduce the electric guitar into worship services. The statement referred to an actual electric guitar, but it also related to the overall praise and worship experience. Briggs (2013) argues that the more contemporary the church makes it music by introducing vibrant instruments and music, then they are more likely to attract and retain young adults. The young adults will be drawn to the church due to the music, but they are more inclined to stay if they feel that they are receiving spiritual growth and if they form relationships within the church. Therefore, while the “cool” music will attract young adults, the church must invest in them in the form of encouraging older adults to form relationships with them and mentor them too. Additionally, Dixit, Dixit, and Stlemsma (2014) note that young adults are more passionate about actively contributing actively in the community. They are more inclined to fight for social justice issues because they believe that what they are doing matters. As such, the church can attract young adults to the church by giving them opportunities to contribute in a way that matters. For different churches, it means different things, but it may include but is not limited to running social justice campaigns, volunteering to help the less fortunate and many other things. All in all, the retention and attraction strategies that the church can apply are very many. It is up to a given church to decide which strategy or strategies work for them and then apply those strategies.

Effects that Attraction Strategies have on Young Adult Retention Rates within the Church

The reviewed literature did not state the effects that attraction strategies will have on young adult retention rates within the church. The research simply showed the intended effects and the various strategies that the church can employ so that they can attract and retain young adults within the church. However, the research did show the various advantages of attending church and why young adults would benefit from regular attendance of church. While the church will benefit immensely from increased numbers, young adults also stand to gain a lot. Pew Research Center (2016) shows that individuals who attend church regularly spend more time with their family, tend to volunteer more, they are more altruistic, they make better moral decisions, and in general, they are a lot happier than individuals who do not attend church service. Therefore, while research about how the attraction strategies affect young adult retention rates within the church is not conclusive, the research shows that young adults would stand to gain through increased church attendance levels.

Theoretical Frameworks

There are two theoretical frameworks that will be applied, and that is the social identity theory and the systems theory. The theories were selected because one of them focuses on the individual, and the other focuses on the external factors that influence the individual.

Social Identity Theory

Social identity theory refers to how individuals view themselves within the context of a group or compare themselves to individuals that are in another group (Alexander 2017). An individual will derive their sense of identity-based on their sense of belonging or the manner through which they interact within the group as well as interact with individuals within the group. The interactions within the group will not only define an individual’s sense of self, but they will also establish the foundation upon which people will form a judgment about individuals who are not part of the groups that they belong to. Based on this theory, young adults who have previous interactions with the church where, for some portion of their lives, it was one of the key defining features, are more inclined to return to church. That means that young adults who grew up in the church are more inclined to return back to church. Moreover, it also means that young adults who spend time with individuals who go to church are more inclined to start attending church since their social group goes to church. That has implications for the attraction strategies that churches will employ to attract and retain young adults since it shows that the people who can get young adults to attend church are young adults themselves. Therefore, the point about the church encouraging young adult ministry within the church bears merit as supported by the social identity theory. Moreover, the theory also lends credence to the attraction strategy of forming authentic relationships between young adults and older adults within the church as a means of retaining young adults in the church. It shows that a key basis of forming an attraction and retention strategy will revolve around the perception of the young adult’s sense of self within the group. If and when, the association is positive, the efficacy of the attraction and retention strategy is expected to be positive.

Systems Theory

The other theoretical framework that will be applied is systems theory. Healy (2014) notes that systems do not operate in isolation, but they are part of more critical systems and networks. The theory argues that for changes to occur, one does not simply change one variable, but it will require a transformation of the whole system. That means that even changing one variable will have ripple effects throughout the whole systems. Therefore, if the change is positive, it is expected that the ripple effects within the system will be positive. The theory focuses on extrinsic factors within the environment since the environment is more flexible and receptive when compared to individuals who may be hard and unyielding (Healy 2014). This theory focuses on patterns rather than causal relationships. However, the focus on patterns rather than causal relationships is a key issue in the theory since some factors will be based on causal relationships. As dictated by theory, the church is the system which includes but is not limited to church leadership, music, demographics within the church, relationships within the church, the vibrancy of the young adult’s ministry in the church and various other factors that make up the system. It will be quite challenging to make changes to every factor within the system more so when all variables may not be obvious. As such, as per the systems theory, changes need only be made in a few variables within the system, and that will have positive ripple effects in the form of increasing the attraction and retention rates of young adults within the church.

Methodology

The purpose of the study is to explore the various young adult retention and attraction strategies that Ghanaian churches in Australia, North America, and the UK can apply. In modern times churches are facing declining numbers in church attendance as more and more young adults opt to stop attending church due to various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Therefore, the question that is at the forefront of many church leaders in the various strategies that they can employ to attract and retain young adults within their congregations. Moreover, attracting and retaining young adults within the church is important for the longevity and the continued growth of the church as well as its longevity. This chapter will revolve around the design of the study. It will also explain the process through which data will be collected in relation to church attendance and various strategies that churches have applied so as to increase the number of young people attending church. The chapter will also describe the sample population, the instrumentation utilized, the process for data collection, data analysis strategy, the scope of the study, and the ethical considerations.

Research Design and Approach

This study examined the various reasons that young adults are avoiding church when they go to college or when they transition into the workplace and the various retention and attraction strategies that Ghanaian churches can apply to attract more young adults into the congregation. The selected design of the study was quantitative and is comprised of various correlation measurements due to the absence of variables that can be manipulated. The survey included questions that were measured by the Lasting Faith scale which assessed the level of commitment to one’s faith development as well as questions that sought to measure the level of young adults’ attendance within the church. Demographic variables that were correlated with the Lasting Faith scale included social participation, reasons why young adults choose to attend church or to avoid church as well as questions on various spiritual attitudes. Sirles (2009) notes that The Lasting Faith Scale was specifically designed for teens and the young adult population with the recognition of how much various factors have an innate contribution on their attendance of church or whether they choose to leave the church. A key factor that The Lasting Faith Scale tends to place a premium on relates to an individual’s family which will also have a bearing on the study since they will show how family contributes to a young adult’s church attendance. The scale also has questions that move beyond the scope of this study but which can be used in various future studies.

Population

The target population for this study was generally young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 who have had various church attendance levels from their childhood to their current young adulthood levels. The key young adults relevant for this study are those that attend church actively, those that attend church intermittently and those that do not attend church at all. These three types of young adults were selected due to the realization that church attendance levels embody a spectrum and it is important to try and cover every level of the spectrum for a greater and broader understanding of the issue. Regular church attendance is considered to be at least two times a month, intermittent attendance means that they have attended church over the past month but not more than once or not more than twice, and those that do not attend church may be at least once annually or not attending at all. An online survey within the three mentioned countries will be carried out since it will be easier to access individuals within the required demographic. Survey Monkey was the tool that was selected to host the questionnaire. It allows a researcher to create their own surveys and customize them as per their need.

Sampling and Sampling Procedures

The participant was selected as dictated by the demographic details required by the study. The key demographic variable was that participants be aged between 18-30 years with some of them being regular church attendees, some of them intermittent attendees and the rest not attending church. Additionally, the participants must come from North America, the UK, and Australia to ensure the diversity of data. The information was provided to Survey Monkey. Survey Monkey is a tool that is based on the internet will deploy a survey to a large population as informed by the delineations that have been requested by the user in relation to their specific study. A key advantage of the tool is that it gives the option of including the informed consent form as well as the survey. All the information provided is expected to be time-stamped, and each respondent will be given the option of withdrawing from the study when they so desire. In relation to data security, the site has measures in place that protect the data of participants as well as the researcher’s data. The data will be transferred directly from Survey Monkey onto a database. Only the outcomes of the survey will be collected; there is no need for the participant’s IP addresses or encryption of the data. Individuals who fit the set demographic will be invited through an email that is sent via Survey Monkey, and it will include a summary of the study. If for any reason, the participant does not complete the survey, they will be sent a follow-up email requesting them to continue their participation in the study. If the participant chooses to ignore the email or state that they have pulled out of the study, then it is within their right to do so, and no follow-up emails shall be sent. The email that is sent will include an electronic version of the informed consent form. The participants will be informed that they will remain anonymous and that the only data that will be required will revolve around their age and gender only. Before participation, the participants will require to sign an informed consent form that will detail the purpose of the study, their right to terminate participation in the study, and any risks that will be involved in the study. Once they have signed the informed consent form, they will be directed to the survey. It is expected that the survey will not take more than 25 minutes for individuals who can read above the eighth-grade level.

Data Collection and Analysis

Data Collection

The data will be collected from Survey Monkey, which is an online resource tool that aids in administering surveys to a relatively broad population. The participants who fit within the requested demographic variables will receive an email that informs them of the purpose and the requirements of the study. After the informed consent factors have been, the participant will be directed to the survey. The survey questionnaire will revolve around 40 questions. Questions about the participant's age are placed at the beginning of the study to ensure that the participants lie within the required demographic. At the end of the questionnaire, there are five questions that revolve around current church attendance rates, and the various suggestions that the participants can make to help in improving the retention and attraction strategies within the church.

Analysis Plan

Descriptive statistics will be calculated for all the variables of the study, and it will revolve around means, standard deviations, and frequencies and as well as percentages in relation to a variable such as gender. Distributions of the continuous variables will be explored to see if the assumed assumptions have been met. Additionally, it is expected that there will be outliers in the data, and they will also be investigated for technical and clerical errors. Preliminary analysis will be carried out to establish the simple relationships such as which variables are independent, and which ones are dependent. Moreover, based on the data, it may also be analyzed using SPSS 22.0 with an alpha level of 0.5 to determine significance levels. Frequencies will be run to get means, standard deviations, and mean in relation to various demographic items. Spearman’s two-tailed correlation will be run to obtain correlations between the Lasting Faith Scale and church attendance. Additionally, Spearman’s two-tailed correlation will be run to obtain correlations between dependent variables and the demographic factors.

Instrumentation

The key instrumentation that will be utilized in The Lasting Faith Scale (LFS), and it mainly revolves around self-reported faith since it is expected to be the key independent variable. The Lasting Faith Scale was developed by Wesley Black in 2008. Black was studying the likelihood of 400 young adults remaining in church after they graduated from high school (Black 2008). The Lasting Faith Scale is made up of 30 questions, which are presented on a 6-point Likert scale with 1=NO! I strongly disagree, or this is not true for me at all to 6=YES! I strongly agree, or this is true for me all the time. Some examples of the things that are measured by the scale include I did not think much about God outside the youth group; I do not have any real friends at church. According to Black (2008), the instrument shows the test-retest reliability of .85 over an x-week period. The LFS is considered to be valid due to its relatively high test-retest reliability. The instrument has been used for a while. Thus it has been streamlined. Key studies by Alexander (2017) and Black (2008) have utilized the LFS, and the LFS help them gather the data that they required. The validity has also been proven due to the relatively high sample groups used by Black (121) and Alexander (114). Thus, the LFS will enable in acquiring the needed data for the study.

Scope of the Study

The study is linked to the related project as outlined in the background of the study, and population discussed in the methodology section, therefore, the scope will be limited to Ghanaian churches in North America, the UK, and Australia. The delimitations and scope of the study determine the scientific application of the results and will be applicable to Ghanaian churches in North America, the UK, and Australia. However, given the relative wide topic of retention and attraction strategies, it is expected that the results will also be applicable to other churches in other countries and denominations.

Ethical Considerations

Since the study involves human beings, the four basic ethical issues have to be taken into account, namely the protection from harm, informed consent, the right to privacy, and honesty with professional colleagues. Research activities will begin after ethical clearance by the school’s internal review board. The study intends to address the various strategies of retaining and attracting young adults to Ghanaian churches in the UK, North America, and Australia. The participants were accessed from Survey Monkey. It will be important that all participants understand that the data that has been collected is confidential and shall not be shared with anyone else apart from other researchers. Additionally, the participants will be made to understand that the collected data will be published. Since Survey Monkey does not provide the personal details of participants, no identifying information will be released. The survey results will only be available to the researcher and no one else; except those to whom the researcher will give their password. The informed consent letter will be available at the beginning of the survey, and it will describe the purpose of the study, and also reassert that participation is voluntary. Still in relation to voluntary participation, if and when a participant chooses that they want to withdraw from the study, they may do so without fear of any repercussions.

Summary

The purpose of the study is to explore young adults’ attraction and retention strategies in Ghanaian churches in the UK, Australia, and North America. The study was selected because the church, just like any organization, needs to invest in its young generation to ensure the continued longevity of the church. The issue lies in the fact that the number of young adults attending church has been declining over the years. As such, the church must concentrate on attracting and retaining young adults. The literature review shows that there are various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that cause young adults to drift away from church such as inauthenticity, going to college, and lack of relationships in the church. They play various key roles and perform various responsibilities in the church which makes them invaluable to the church such as serving in the young adult’s ministry, volunteering to teach Sunday School, and various other roles. The literature shows that strategies such as supporting young adult’s ministry, focusing on building relationships, and giving them purpose in the church will attract and retain young adults in the church. In relation to methodology, a quantitative approach was selected. The data will be collected by the use of surveys posted on Survey Monkey, which is an online tool where surveys are administered to a large population following the delineated demographic variables. The key instrumentation that will be utilized is The Lasting Faith Scale (LFS), and it mainly revolves around self-reported faith since it is expected to be the key independent variable. There will be an informed consent form which will have details concerning the purpose of the study and also state that the information given will be kept will be confidential, and that participation in the study is voluntary.

References

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McKinley J, C., Mastro, D. & Warber M, K., 2014. Social identity theory as a framework for understanding the effects of exposure to positive media images of self and other intergroup outcomes. International Journal of Communication, vol. 8, pp. 1049-1068.

Nielson, J., 2016. Faith that lasts: Raising kids that don't leave the church. Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications.

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