I hadn't planned to make this a two part post (see part one) but upon further reflection I wasn't done talking yet :)
My previous post was in response to a well written blog by a student at one of our sister ELCA Colleges. This particular blog calls on the Church to begin paying attention to issues of importance to young adults, particularly welcoming people of all sexual orientations into the Church.
I agree with the sentiments expressed in this blog and encourage you to read it. But it occurred to me that one might be left with the impression that acceptance of GLBT persons is merely another strategy for stemming the tide of young adults leaving the Church. So let me be clear...becoming a LGBT friendly Church is not going to suddenly correct the absence of young adults in your pews. Neither is changing the music, meeting in a bar, or any other "strategy" to make Church more appealing to younger generations.
In truth I don't know what, if anything, can reverse these trends. I think there are certain things like full inclusion of LGBT Christians that might make the Church a more welcoming environment for young adults but there are no silver bullets. The current absence of young adults in the life of the Church is a result of many cultural and social factors. Social stability for today's young adults is more elusive than it was for their parents who tended to get married and "settle down" much sooner. Unfortunately for the Church social stability is one of the driving factors for institutional commitment.
My appeal to Churches that care about young adults is to approach the issue of sexuality with an authentic openness to change. If you're going to support the inclusion of LGBT individuals in your Church do it because it's the right thing to do, not to be relevant. More than likely changing your Church's stance on this issue isn't going to make much difference in the number of young adults in your pews on Sunday mornings. But then again...neither will keeping the doors closed.
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