Is your church struggling to attract the younger generations? Make these changes

For those of us who did not grow up having the internet, we tend to have lower standards when it comes to the visual appearance of a website. We just want something that works – we’re content with having moved on from dial-up internet (or not having internet at all) and the really awful websites that were commonplace before the advent of newer internet features. “Back in my day” for Baby Boomers meant IBM green screen computers that were more expensive than a car.

A website that merely “just works” is not enough for those that grew up with the internet. They have higher standards, because the bar was set higher during their formative years. Imagine if you grew up with black and white television – it wouldn’t be a big deal for you to have to watch things in black and white – it would bring back memories of your childhood. But to someone that grew up with color TV, anything produced in black and white wasn’t just old, it was ancient – a relic of a past generation.

Today’s youth and young adults experience life largely through the internet. Gen-Z and Millennials shop almost exclusively online – shopping malls, for instance, are becoming scarce. They primarily socialize – to their detriment, of course – through the internet.

The first interaction someone will have with your parish is almost certainly either through social media, or your website. First impressions matter.

Your 20 year old website doesn’t just look out of date – it says “wow, this website is older than I am” to these younger folks. It says, “This church must not have anyone my age around.” And they’re probably right.

 

These younger generations, as you all know, are having a crisis of faith. They are crippled with depression. They need someone that cares about them, because at their age, it is very difficult to make friends in the real world. So when they search for answers, and they stumble upon your website, what will they think? If you don’t care about your website, the first place anyone is introduced to your parish, how can they believe that you’ll care about them?

Of course, you do care – your website is neglected because priests live such busy lives – but that isn’t how they see it.

They will wonder, what are your beliefs? Why do you believe these things? If your website doesn’t have those answers, they will move on to a church that does. Gen Z and Millennials like to find the answers to their questions on their own – a search engine will never judge you, embarrass you, or make you feel dumb for asking. Your church needs to be able to answer those questions, and have those resources in a place that is easy for them to find.

Catholics have been losing the information war for a long time. Most Protestants have no idea what we believe, and have bought into a lot of myths. Most Catholics don’t even know what we believe! We need to fix this.

Your website needs to answer questions about the faith, and explain why we believe those things, or they will find answers – often wrong answers – somewhere else.

 

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel – there are plenty of excellent resources out there, such as Bishop Robert Barron’s excellent YouTube videos. But keep in mind – a lot of Protestants are used to each church having its own beliefs, even in the same denomination. The idea of one Catholic church having the same beliefs as another may be a foreign thing to them. There is also a greater level of trust that has been established between you and your congregation, so the catechetical content on your website will have greater weight.

Social media is a great way to draw people to your catechetical resources. And for a generation that lives through social media, it’s also your biggest opportunity to help Gen Z find your parish.

You must invest in your social media presence, or young adults will not be drawn to your parish.

 

Now, why is Gen Z particularly important for parish growth? It is because they are young, and seeking a purpose in the world. Young people are most able to answer the call to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. Jesus called the apostles when they were young, and many of them did not have the responsibility of raising a family. Gen Z and Millennials are also incredibly hungry to learn about the faith. If you call them to evangelize, they have the greatest potential to bring people to your parish. Many of them are also experts with social media, and you will often find people spreading the gospel on places like TikTok.

In the business world, there is a term, “Total Accessible Market.”  In essence, this is the amount of business that you could bring in if you achieved 100% market share. Many Gen Z and Millennials are atheists – in other words, potential new customers (converts). The generations before them are more religious, by percentage of those that attend church and believe in God, so there are fewer potential converts among those groups. You will get the greatest return on your time and online investment by focusing your evangelization efforts on young adults.

Focusing on young adults will result in a snowball effect. If you recruit them, catechize them, and give them a young adult ministry to belong to, they will grow your parish by themselves.

 
So, what do you need to do?

    • Have a modern website – Gen Z is especially turned off by websites that look older than them
    • Utilize your website as a means of teaching the faith
    • Invest in your social media presence
    • Provide them with a young adult ministry, and encourage them to recruit their friends

If you make these changes, you will grow your parish in no time.

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