Two Views . . .

Marketing Doesn’t Work for Youth

Spring 2007
Chimes, Magazine of San Francisco Theological Seminary

Mark Yaconelli, author of Contemplative Youth Ministry Practicing the Presence of Jesus, believes one of the greatest challenges in leading young people in church life is overcoming the “packaging of God” in today’s society. He contends that both the Christian culture and media culture of American society have classified God as among the wealthy, a cheerleader for the United States, and a member of political causes. “I find the kids who have a deep desire for truth, a deep desire for God, are often the same kids who see the Christian culture or even the church as kind of a flea market. The challenge is helping kids see that they are being manipulated by a very smart and spiritually savvy marketplace – and then helping them see that their desires to be free, to be more alive, to be open to other people are actually the Holy Spirit stirring within them.”

Marketing Can Work for Youth

April 20, 2007
United Methodist Reporter

Nothing will turn off a young person faster than someone telling them you have to believe in something. [But] if you can communicate that church is a place where we’re going to show you some ideas and give you space to discuss them, that’s a selling point…Marketing is not something to be afraid of. What sells people on products is always other people. Even marketers talk about creating product “evangelizers.” It’s through personal commitment that people start to “buy” the product of religion…There’s an increase in religious shopping. There are no social ties that “force” you to stay at the church or synagogue you grew up in. You’re going to have to let them know that you are going to provide the service they are looking for. – Mara Einstein, professor of media studies, City University of New York.

Young Adults Want More Walk Than Talk

July 27, 2007
United Methodist Reporter

Gregory Jones, dean of Duke Divinity School in North Carolina, noting that many young adults take an interest in mission and service projects like Habitat for Humanity but are not so much church goers, said in June: “Young people have seen far too much talk with a big gap in relations to the walk. How many congregations are little more than mirrors of the brokenness of the world rather than windows of imagination?” United Methodist Bishop William Willimon (North Alabama Area), former chaplain at Duke, has commented: “There is something about us that has turned away from a couple of generations of Christians…Our church doesn’t want young people as much as we say we do. One of my suspicions is we’ve excluded this group from our churches because they tell us more than we’d like to know about ourselves.” Willimon at lunch one day asked a young man what he thought about the debate over homosexuality in the church. “He looked at me and said, ‘I never think about that. What is it about you that makes you think that’s important?’ ”