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Young Adults and the Church Survey Results

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DisclaimerThis survey does not conform to strict standards of polling or research. Respondents were not chosen randomly; rather, they were friends or acquaintances of the survey creator. This sampling is not meant to be representative of the entire demographic of young adults in the U.S. It simply offers a window into the experiences of a handful of young adults, age 22-40. This survey was intended to target young adults who are currently active in a church community; who had, at some point in their lives, been involved in a church community; or who might potentially be interested in becoming involved in a church community. In other words, the survey creator sent the survey primarily to people familiar with the Christian tradition. This focus explains why 96% of respondents self-identified as Christians, among a generation which increasingly identifies as non-religious.

To contact the survey creator, email Alex Easley at alexeasley@me.com

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Survey Respondents

Number of Respondents: 141

Age: 18-22: 4%

23-25: 47%

26-30: 24%

31-35: 22%

36-40: 2%

41+: >1%

Marital Status: 35% Single

30% In a Relationship

35% Married

Children: 20% Yes

80% No

Location: 27% Austin

70% Texas

Employment Status: 74% Working Professional 10% Graduate Student 8% Stay-at-home Parent 5% College Student 4% Unemployed/Job

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Identify as a Christian: 96% Yes 4% No

Denominational Affiliation: 42% Episcopalian 12%

Catholic 12% Non-

denominational/Bible/Free Evangelical 10%

Presbyterian 9%

Methodist 7% None 4%

Baptist 4% Other

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Q: Do you consider yourself a member of a particular local church community?Answered: 141 Skipped: 0

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Q: How often do you go to Sunday church worship services?Answered: 141 Skipped: 0

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Q10: How often do you go to Church for something other than a Sunday service? (e.g. a Wednesday night program)

Answered: 141 Skipped: 0

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What do you look for in a church community? What is important to you? Please rank the following options, with 1 being the factor most important to you:

Respondents’ answers, in order of preference: 1. A strong sense of community2. An enjoyable Sunday worship service3. Friends, or opportunities to make friends4. Theological and Biblical formation and instruction5. Opportunities to serve the local community6. A close relationship with my pastor7. Diversity of the congregation8. The church’s political slant9. A strong children’s ministry10. LGBT-friendliness11. Opportunities for weddings, funerals, and baptisms for my own family

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What do you look for most in a Sunday worship service? Please rank the following in order of importance, with 1 indicating the most important factor.

Respondents’ answers, in order of preference: 1. Preaching/Sermon2. Music3. Liturgical Style 4. People present who are my own age5. Diversity of the congregation6. Kid-friendliness 7. Sunday School options8. A community meal following the service

N.B. 61% of respondents said that Preaching/Sermon was the most important factor in a Sunday service.

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Which church activity would you be most interested in participating in? Please rank the following in order of preference, with 1 being most preferred.

Respondents’ answers, in order of preference: 1. Bible study2. Service project3. Dinner group 4. Book study5. Discussion of theology at a local pub6. Outdoor activity (frisbee golf, rock climbing, kayaking, etc.)7. Yoga and/or Meditation8. Morning Prayer before the work day begins9. Helping with the church youth group10. Marriage enrichment class11. Children’s playgroup

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What kind of outreach opportunities would you be most interested in participating in?

Respondents’ answers, in order of preference: 1. Habitat for Humanity build2. Soup kitchen for the homeless3. Overseas mission trips4. After-school programs for kids5. Working with recent immigrants6. Environmental clean-up7. Yoga and/or Meditation8. Prison ministry9. Working with the mentally disabled10. Hospice care11. Political activism

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Q15: If you were to attend a Sunday church service, which time would be ideal?

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Q16: What kind of music do you prefer in a church service?Answered: 140 Skipped: 2

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Q17: Would you be interested in attending a bilingual service?

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Free Response Question: If you visited a new church on a Sunday morning, what is one thing that could happen that would make you say, "I am NOT coming back to this church again"?

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Free Response Question: If you visited a new church on a Sunday morning, what is one thing that could happen that would make you say, "I am NOT coming back to this church again?”

Trend in Responses: Politics

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Free Response Question: If you visited a new church on a Sunday morning, what is one thing that could happen that would make you say, "I am NOT coming back to this church again?”

Trend in Responses: Bad Sermons

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Free Response Question: If you visited a new church on a Sunday morning, what is one thing that could happen that would make you say, "I am NOT coming back to this church again?”

Trend in Responses: Judgment and Exclusivity

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Free Response Question: If you visited a new church on a Sunday morning, what is one thing that could happen that would make you say, "I am NOT coming back to this church again?”

Trend in Responses: Not feeling welcomed

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Free Response Question: What has been your experience in searching for a church home?  How have congregations responded to you when you visit? If you have found a church home, what drew you in?  If you have not found a church home, what are you still looking for that you have not found yet? What has disappointed you?

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Free Response Question: What has been your experience in searching for a church home? If you have not found a church home, what are you still looking for that you have not found yet?

Trend in Responses: Beyond Sundays - Welcoming YA’s into the life of the church

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Free Response Question: What has been your experience in searching for a church home? If you have not found a church home, what are you still looking for that you have not found yet?

Trend in Responses: Absence of Peers

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Free Response Question: What has been your experience in searching for a church home? If you have not found a church home, what are you still looking for that you have not found yet?

Trend in Responses: Feeling “Over-welcomed”

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Free Response Question: Please share anything else, as you feel comfortable. For example, what is most important to you in a church community? What are you hungering for in your life? What is being done really well by churches you know? What is being done very poorly?

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Free Response Question: What are you hungering for?

Trend in Responses: Hungering for Community

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Free Response Question: What are you hungering for?

Trend in Responses: Hungering for Community (Continued)

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Free Response Question: What are you hungering for?

Trend in Responses: Spiritual Formation

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Free Response Question: When do you feel closest to God?

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Free Response Question: When do you feel closest to God?

Trend in Responses: Outdoors/Nature35 respondents said that they feel closest to God when they are outdoors or in nature.

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Free Response Question: When do you feel closest to God?

Trend in Responses: Church

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Comparison:

Young Adults With Children and Without Children

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Have Children Do Not Have ChildrenDo you consider yourself a member of a particular church community?

Yes: 77% No: 3%Sort of: 18%

Yes: 27% No: 35%Sort of: 38%

How often do you go to Sunday church worship services?

Every Sunday: 33% Once/Twice a month: 37%Once every few months: 22% For big holidays: 7%Never/almost never: 0%

Every Sunday: 24% Once/Twice a month: 32%Once every few months: 28% For big holidays: 13%Never/almost never: 3%

How often do you go to church for something other than a Sunday service?

Almost every week: 15% Occasionally: 56%Never: 30%

Almost every week: 15% Occasionally: 38%Never: 47%

If you were to attend a Sunday service, which time would be ideal?

Early morning (9:00 am): 48% Late morning (11:00 am): 22%Afternoon (3:00 pm): 4% Evening (6:30 pm): 26%

Early morning (9:00 am): 22% Late morning (11:00 am): 54%Afternoon (3:00 pm): 3% Evening (6:30 pm): 22%

What kind of music do you prefer in a church service?

Very traditional: 15% A blend of traditional and contemporary: 63%Contemporary: 0% Folk: 15%No preference: 7%

Very traditional: 19% A blend of traditional and contemporary: 51%Contemporary: 11% Folk: 15%No preference: 3%

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Conclusions Relevant to Parish Ministry

A majority of respondents with children preferred an early morning (e.g. 9:00 am) Sunday church service.

A majority of respondents without children preferred a late morning (e.g. 11:00 am) Sunday church service.

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Conclusions Relevant to Parish Ministry

A majority of respondents preferred a blend of traditional and contemporary music in a church service.

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Conclusions Relevant to Parish Ministry

A majority of respondents said that Preaching/Sermon was the most important factor in a Sunday worship service.

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Conclusions Relevant to Parish Ministry

Many respondents explained that they were turned off by: bad preaching, a church being too politically charged, judgment and exclusivity, not feeling welcomed by the congregation, feeling too aggressively welcomed, not being invited into full participation in church leadership, and an absence of people their same age.

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Conclusions Relevant to Parish Ministry

Many respondents explained that they were looking for the following in a church community: people their same age, a strong sense of community, and opportunities for meaningful spiritual formation.

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Conclusions Relevant to Parish Ministry

Many respondents reported that they felt closest to God in nature and in church.

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