Merritt, Carol Howard. Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation. The Alban Institute, 2007.
Meet the Author
Rev. Merritt is an ordained Presbyterian Church, USA pastor. She has served congregations in Louisiana and Rhode Island. Currently she serves Western Presbyterian Church – an intergenerational church in Washington D.C. She and Bruce Reyes-Chow co-host the Internet talk radio show The God Complex. Tribal Church is Merritt’s first book and the basis of her blog.
Book Basics
Many young adults want to connect with communities of faith with rich traditions and are not at all inclined to attend contemporary worship or other services or programs aimed exclusively at their age group. The Tribal Church is Merritt’s proposal for how mainline congregations can reach out to younger adults, which she calls the missing generation. Her ideas are not intended as theoretical constructs, but as a flexible working model based on her experiences in ministry. Writing as both as a young adult and one with a proven record of ministry that is effective to incorporating increasing numbers of young adults, she suggests six strategies: intergenerational relationships, economic understanding, unambiguous inclusion, affirming traditions, shared leadership, and spiritual community.
So What?
Most mainline congregations are aging. Spiritual community is richest and strongest when all ages participate.
- What have you done to reach out to young adults in their 20s and 30s in the last three years? What do you plan to do in the next three years?
- Are Merritt’s six guidelines reflected in your attempts? If not, how might these be helpful constructs for future planning?
- If you have had success in reaching young adults, what has worked for you? Share your story! Perhaps your challenge is to attract a different age group that is currently underrepresented in your congregation.