Most pastors dream of creating a warm, welcoming church environment that attracts people of all ages and stages of life. However, building a multigenerational congregation that appeals to all generations—from young children to retirees—is much more challenging than it might seem!
While those in the older generations have always been “reliable churchgoers,” finding ways to attract (and maintain!) the younger generation’s attention seems more difficult. Fortunately, with clever planning and creative church design—we’re confident your congregation can overcome this challenge.
Here are a few of our ideas for appealing to the younger generation in your church design!
Creative Ways to Help Your Church Appeal to the Younger Generation
Incorporate Smart Technology
The younger people in your church are “digital natives,” meaning they have grown up with computers, smartphones, and digital devices from an early age. They never had to “learn” how to use technology like the older generation—it comes naturally to them.
That said, integrating technology into your church is a non-negotiable priority for engaging the next generation. Offering online church services through live streaming, online giving platforms, and a well-designed website and app can make it easier for younger people to connect.
Utilize Social Media
To attract anyone to your church, you need to make an initial connection. While this connection can often be made by a member of your congregation extending an invitation to a friend or family member to attend a service or small group, it can also be made somewhere that younger people spend a vast majority of their time—on social media.
While platforms like Facebook are great for promoting churchwide events and reaching people of all ages, consider expanding to other platforms that appeal to a younger demographic, like Instagram or TikTok, to attract even more youth and young people to your church.
Create Community Spaces
While it’s true that younger generations are savvy social media and technology users, it’s a misconception that they only want to be engaged with from behind a screen. Most young people crave “real life” interactions with others more than ever because of their frequent technology usage in day-to-day life—and there isn’t a better place than church to foster that face-to-face connection!
To encourage people of all ages to stay before or after the service to connect, create plenty of “mingling” spaces, like wide hallways, an attractive outdoor area, a coffee shop with plenty of seating, or a spacious foyer. Additionally, develop and offer a wide range of small groups and serve teams that cater to various interests that young people can join to meet others.
Make Plans to Expand
When you think of “young people,” you might think of teenagers or college students, but the “younger” generation also includes young adults who will—if they haven’t already—eventually get married and have families. This will inevitably result in a growing number of babies and children in your church!
That said, attracting young people to your church is great, but retaining them takes intentionality, planning, and forward thinking. Even if they don’t have kids now, young people will pay close attention to church amenities like childcare as they consider growing their families.
If you don’t already have a robust children’s program, you might want to consider expanding your children’s ministry space to attract more young couples and families.
Offer Flexible Service Times
While most of the older generation has weekends off of work and keeps “church” penciled into their calendar on Sunday mornings—this is not the case with the younger generation. Many young people have jam-packed schedules and have to work in the mornings and on weekends.
So, as you can imagine, if you only offer Sunday morning worship times, you’re not likely to attract as many young people as you would hope for. Try to provide services at other times—like Saturday nights or Wednesday evenings—to attract younger people who have to work or have standing commitments on Sunday mornings.
Reach the Next Generation with a Thoughtful Church Design from Churches by Daniels
Since 1980, Churches by Daniels has been helping pastors build beautiful, purposeful church facilities. For nearly 50 years, we’ve watched ministry trends evolve, helping pastors accommodate each new generation with thoughtfully designed church buildings that foster community, growth, and connection.
We would love to help you think through practical changes to your building’s design to make your church more appealing to younger generations. Contact us to learn more about our construction planning and building services to get started!
