How to Attract Young Adults to Church (Without Chasing Trends)

Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
Jul 30
8 min read

Young adults are famously known as 'the missing generation' for being M.I.A. in church pews nowadays. Yet I believe our concern over the fact that they left should not overshadow the elephant in the room: What young adults are really looking for in a church.

This article summarizes my Master's thesis in Theology, where I asked exactly that question and found their answers confirmed my suspicions: Young adults are yearning for churches that are spiritual, international, intergenerational, missional, hospitable, and multicultural.

What follows is not another doom-and-gloom prophecy about the state of young people and their flimsy faith, but a testimony of witness that God is doing something fresh among this generation, and an invitation for you to partner with what He is already doing.

This article is part of a series on helping churches disciple young adults: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Church: 7 Reasons and What We Can Do

May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.

Lone person stands on a sand dune beside a sparse tree, with footprints trailing across the orange desert under a pale sky.

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Who is the missing generation and why are they missing?

Internationally, Christian churches have noted a decline in membership of a specific age group - young adults. For some mysterious reason, from the age of 18 and onwards, young people fall through the cracks or slowly drift away from the churches they grew up in. This international phenomenon became known as 'the missing generation'.

I spent the past five years as a student of Practical Theology, someone working for a church, and eventually as a researcher for my Thesis looking for the answer to one question: Where did they go?

In my opinion, while becoming missing is not always a malicious decision or a planned-out event (like walking away from home), it can happen in the heat of a moment or it can start with a simple yearning...

"We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done." - Psalm 78:4

What young adults want in a church

The goal is not to make church endlessly “likable” to every generation, but to help every generation find its place in the body of Christ. The church is like a family where each person has a seat at the dining table, regardless of their age.

With that in mind, the way to figure out how to attract young adults to church is simple.

A s k t h e m!

I did exactly that in my Masters' research project where I interviewed young adults and asked open questions about their relationship to church and what they wish they saw more of. What they said is that they desire the church to be spiritual, international, intergenerational, missional, hospitable, and multicultural.

6 things that attract young adults to church

Spiritual

Young adults today are more 'spiritual' - now, what that term means to them might be a bit different from what it means to you, but it indicates a need they have. While older generations might relate better to God the Father and children prefer Jesus; the young adult might show a particular interest in the Holy Spirit as a person in the Trinity.

As a young adult moves from faith that was handed down to making it their own - spiritual experience and encounters with God can be foundational. The Holy Spirit is the Helper after all, helping make faith tangible and real for young adults.

Young adult quote from the research:

“The Holy Spirit hasn't left...”

Ask the right question:

Which part of the Trinity do you relate to the most?

(Follow up: Do you have any questions about the Holy Spirit?)

Take a step:

Filter your sermon through the Trinity and learn how to incorporate the Holy Spirit more in how you speak about God-with-us and the Helper He gave us.

International/global-minded

With the world at their fingertips, young adults are more connected than any generation before them. The churches they flood to are often international - indicating that this generation cares about being part of something bigger than themselves. They have the need to see how the church cares for the world and fits into a larger move of God.

This characteristic also mirrors the Early Church in Acts and how the Gospel spread to the ends of the earth. Young adults are often focused on looking outwards and connecting with what is going on outside the church.

Young adult quote from the research:

"I think like, as a generation, we’re a lot more clued up because we're on social media, we're, like, woke."

Ask the right question:

What nation can we pray for today?

(Follow up: Will you join me and pray that God will give us a heart for the lost?)

Take a step:

Plan a mission trip to a neighboring country. Make it a family trip and always speak about it in specific terms that young adults and students are welcome.

Intergenerational

Having intergenerational relationships is extremely important to young adults - they need mentors in terms of romantic relationships, entering the world of work, and even with studies. A young adult is also a great volunteer for ministries with younger kids like a teenager ministry for youth or even Sunday school. It helps them see they belong in the family.

Intergenerational ministry is about seeing each age group as a valuable part of the church and inviting them to practice their shared faith together. We need to invite young adults to share their voices, concerns, testimonies and struggles.

Young adult quote from the research:

"As a young person and a young believer, I sort of have to have a closer relationship with them (older people) in order to glean as much wisdom as possible and in order to walk this life out with Jesus in a way that’s very fruitful and as healthy as possible.”

Ask the right question:

Where do you want to serve?

(Follow up: Is there a grown up who you admire or look up to in church?

Take a step:

Spend some time making a chart or organogram of your church members. Identify people who can take a young adult under their wing and invite them to become a mentor (discipler).

Missional

Young adults care a lot for the world around them. They are constantly faced with fear-mongering messages about the state of the earth, the poor, and the injustices facing others. When you teach about the Missio Dei and help them understand their role in it, the church can help them overcome feelings of overwhelm and step into agency instead.

Studies have found that emerging adults desire to propel the church outwards. The missional impulses of this generation are often mislabelled as “woke” ideas by church elders, who then use the label to silence the ideas of putting in an effort to care for the world.

Young adult quote from the research:

"I'm happy that people care about social justice, and it's good that it's important to people, and it's it just shouldn't be just intellectually or up here important (points to head), but it should be in here important (points to heart), and it should flow out in actions."

Ask the right question:

Is there a cause you care about that the church can support? (Follow up: Did you know that the church is called to be salt and light in the world?)

Take a step:

Identify one need in your local community and plan a short Saturday morning outreach to help out. Invite the church to participate and once you find the right cause, make it a monthly event.

Hospitable

The mindset of young adults is one of inclusion. While lots of advice about getting young adults to church is centered around coffee, music, and lights - the real important factor is how welcome someone feels when they walk through the church doors. The church needs to practice what it preaches and be a place of refuge for any person that walks in.

Another aspect of being hospitable is being accessible - Can the young adult feel like they are connected to the church even after they missed 2 Sundays in a row? A major element of keeping the conversation going is when a church has an online presence.

Young adult quote from the research:

Describing a church they liked: "And they had coffee afterwards and everyone was chatting. And I feel like people were very warm and like trying to include new people.”

Ask the right question:

What can we do to make church feel more inviting? (Follow up: Can you describe a place that makes you feel safe and like you can come as you are?)

Take a step:

Put together a team who's job it is on a Sunday morning to identify visitors, have conversations with them, and invite them to coffee in the week as a follow-up.

Multicultural

Surprisingly, church is one of the most segregated gatherings we see in our daily lives as young adults. Even schools and neighborhoods and the mall is not as racially divided, gendered, and xenophobic as the space of church can be (or feel). Consider Jesus, who would often spend time with people pushed to the outskirts of society and call them His friends.

Bridging this divide needs to happen from the top down - think about who is holding the mic on a Sunday, are they all white? Are they all one nationality? Are they all men? In all these subtle decisions, the church is sending a message of who they exist for.

Young adult quote from the research:

Describing a church they liked: "It's a very diverse group of people from different economic standings, different social upbringings and stuff like that.”

Ask the right question:

Do you feel comfortable inviting friends from different cultural backgrounds to our church? (Follow up: What could we do to make our church feel more welcoming?)

Take a step:

Print out a poster of your church and put it up in a nearby shop in your community that serves other clientele than the people going to your church.

Recap & summary

These six actionable points make it easy to identify ways that your church can be more appealing to young generations. It's not about coffee stations and better lighting; it's about the DNA of your church family and the places you offer where they can slot in. The ideal solutions for improving young adult ministry are not expensive, complex, or new – but based almost completely on relationship and connection.

Before you go, can you choose 1 area that your church can take a step towards this week?

Young adults are looking for...	Why it matters	One practical step
Spiritual depth	They want faith to be experienced, not just inherited.	Teach about the Holy Spirit and create space for encountering God.
Global vision	They want to be part of God's work beyond their local church.	Pray for other nations and participate in mission.
Intergenerational relationships	They need mentors, belonging, and opportunities to contribute.	Connect young adults with older believers and meaningful service.
A missional lifestyle	They long to make a difference in the world.	Organize regular community outreach opportunities.
Hospitality	Feeling known matters more than impressive facilities.	Build intentional systems for welcoming and following up with newcomers.
Multicultural community	They want the church to reflect God's diverse Kingdom.	Evaluate whether leadership and church life reflect the whole community.

Your heart is in the right place and you're asking the right questions. Now it's time to partner with God and build a church that is welcoming to each generation... Let's start by pulling up a chair to the table and asking the right questions of the young adults in your community.

"Impress [My commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." - Deuteronomy 6:7

Where to next?

If you've read this post and feel a beckoning within to go even deeper, you might be interested in the following resources about making disciples of younger generations: