Church with young adults, ideally mainline Protestant (Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran)

4/12/2009 Jaime "way too colorful" M. says:

Check out the churches around UT. They attract lots of people in their early 20s. Can't reccommend anything specific as I wouldn't go to them no matter the age group, but University Lutheran, University Christian, University UMC and possibly Hyde Park Baptist could fit your description.

4/12/2009 Carrie "Carrie C." C. says:

The church that is behind Dobie Mall always gave off a youthful vibe to me, I think it's Catholic though.  Probably most of the churches around the University have young congregations, possibly recent graduates.  I know there's a University Presbyterian right behind the Co-op on Guadalupe I think.

4/12/2009 Carrie "Carrie C." C. says:

The Presbyterian church is right behind the Co-op, on the street that runs parallel to Guadalupe.

4/12/2009 Jack "my dog has no nose" N. says:

I suggest asking Nick M.

4/12/2009 daryl "too hot for the Hot tub" f. says:

Shoreline is HUGE but there is a lot going on with all age groups.

4/12/2009 Conrad H. says:

Thanks for the feedback so far. Strangely, proximity to a campus with 50,000 young adults is not necessarily reflected in the composition of nearby churches. I have been to University Presbyterian several times. There are a handful (maybe two handfuls) of young adults but scanning the congregation on a Sunday morning you would never guess that they are two blocks from campus.

Keep the suggestions coming. I would be especially interested if anyone has actually witnessed a mainline church in town with many young adults present. So far it seems like the possibility of getting candy at Halloween that has been tampered with. It could happen and we have hunches about the possibility but no one seems to have a first hand account.

4/12/2009 Jack "my dog has no nose" N. says:

Conrad, the handful of times I've been to services at Bethany Methodist Church in far northwest Austin (Anderson Mill Road), there have been quite a few young adults present.

4/12/2009 Jaye "Sweetheart" J. says:

How about St. David's Episcopal downtown? I have heard that they have a pretty big, active young adult population.

4/12/2009 Conrad H. says:

I don't know anything about St. Davids but I see from their website that their young adult group is defined as "folks 20 to 40ish." With such a broad age range, I wonder if they might have many more in their 30s and 40s than 20s. It seems several Episcopal churches in town have such groups advertised on their websites, typically with this kind of broad age range. Anyone know how young these young adults actually are?

Thanks Jack for the suggestion about Bethany Methodist. They don't have pictures of the congregation posted or young adult events listed but there is a good young adult constituency, that would be very interesting. I would be interested to learn about how/why young adults might be drawn into this church more than other similar churches.

4/13/2009 Whitney "legally speaking, of course" F. says:

I've kinda been wondering this too, and thinking about checking out First United Methodist in downtown myself...they have a "singles" group that is designated 20s and 30s, plus I happen to know one of the ministers (he does the praise service) and he is in his 20s, so at least that's something.

4/13/2009 Conrad H. says:

Whitney,
Please let us know what you find at First UMC. Their web site (http://www.fumcaustin....) lists a class for "individuals in their 30s and 40s (give or take)" under their singles program. The sole review for the church on Yelp is by someone described as 23-27 and unable to find a similar person at First UMC. It may be a great church but these two clues suggest a dearth of post-college age 20 somethings.

4/13/2009 Christine "sweet smartypants" A. says:

There is a large contingency of 23 - 30 year olds--singles and families at FUMC (First United Methodist Church).  If you have detailed questions, send me a PM.  This has been our home church since we got married 23 years ago. I highly recommend it for an open, accepting, diverse, loving church. Some of the outreach programs they support are those such as Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Hands on Housing and Crop Walk.  Whitney, the praise service is great.

4/13/2009 Conrad H. says:

Hi Christine,
Tried PM but I am not sure it worked. Can you tell me whether there are particular services or activities that this large contingency of 23-30 year olds cluster in?
Thanks for the info. Your insider perspective on the church provides helpful info that differs from the Yelp review and from what might be inferred about the fact that the advertised class for singles that is aimed at those over 30.

4/13/2009 mars k. says:

by the way, the church someone referred to as "behind Dobie" is the University Catholic Center, which is affiliated with St. Austin's Catholic Church on the Drag . . .

4/13/2009 Duane "Making the merry-go-round go faster..." D. says:

Here is the church that my brother attends; they've got quite an emphasis on younger people.  The page I've linked is the "history" page, which talks a little about how the church came into being, and how it is specifically geared toward the younger demographic to which you've been referring.  

http://www.tnova.org/w...

4/13/2009 meredith g. says:

i'm a UU so don't know about the protestant churches in Austin,  but i saw in the Chronicle last week an ad for some type of Protestant service starting soon on Sunday mornings (i believe-could be Saturday) at La Zona Rosa. It seems to me the intention is to attract a young crowd, so you may want to look into that.

4/13/2009 meredith g. says:

ps-many churches have "young adult" groups. you may want to check out the websites of local churches for such info

4/13/2009 Jaime "way too colorful" M. says:

Maybe it's a UU thing (hi fellow UU!), but I've noticed at other churches as well that there's often a gap between teens and young-ish families -- people in their 20s seem to go back to church when they 'settle down' or they'll go if there is specific programming oriented toward them, but it's just not a priority on Sunday mornings (not judging, just saying).
The church I went to for a while eliminated its post-college meeting group when all its members got too old and too few young adults were coming in to keep it going.

That is to say: If you don't find a social network for youngish people at the church you otherwise like (isn't the message the most important part anyway?), why not create one? Sometimes that's all it takes.

4/13/2009 Erica V. says:

Don't churches offer masses at other times? I don't think Sunday mornings seem the most appealing to people in their 20s. If I went to mass, I'd probably go in the evening, afternoon at best.

4/13/2009 meredith g. says:

hey fellow UU!

4/13/2009 J J. says:

You've already got some great suggestions in the replies.  For the denominations, you're most interested in Jaime may have the best suggestion in picking out the church you like and trying to develop a group around it.  It happens a lot - of course it helps if you've got a few friends to help in getting it started.  A few others you might give a try, if you're willing to bend a little.

Riverbend Church - http://www.myuntitled.com/
Hyde Park Baptist - http://www.hpbc.org/pa...
First Evangelical Free (EV Free) - http://www.fefc.org/
Austin City Life - http://www.austincityl.../
Shoreline - http://www.myspace.com...
Lake Hills Church - http://www.lhc.org/dow...

4/14/2009 Conrad H. says:

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am still very interested in any mainline Protestant churches that have a significant portion of 20 somethings participating. So far I have 3 mainline churches to investigate and many more evangelical churches, including the terranova church started to reach this group. Please let me know you have further ideas. In fact, if you are part of a mainline church and you know that it does not have much of a young adult presence, this confirmation would be nice also. You could just post, "I go to X church and I am one of the youngest at age 43" or whatever the case may be.

I am seeking out churches reaching these young adults as part of a national research project. As Jaime notes, 20 somethings are a "missing group" in many churches, especially the theologically liberal/moderate Protestant churches. A lot of churches would like to involve people in their 20s but have no idea how to do so (and might be unwilling to do so if they knew what it could take). So the task of this project is to find a few mainline churches that somehow attract and involve people in their 20s, then I will participate in and observe the congregation, and describe their practices.

I agree that for many people in their 20s the most feasible way to join a group of others in their 20s in a church-based group could be to start such a group but for my purposes, I am only interested in churches where some kind of young adult presence is already well-established.

It is true that many churches mention young adult groups on their websites. However, these groups tend to have a certain amount of age drift. They may start as a group for people in their 20s and 30s and maybe the initial age range is 29-42. Five years later, it may have the same core group of people and an age range of 34-47. It can be hard for these groups to kick out "graduates" and to attract new, young members. On the web, it is hard to discern the actual age range of young adult groups but my initial assumption is that these groups are more likely to have members in their 30s and 40s than 20s. So, here I am, tapping into the wisdom of people like yourself at Yelp. I get helpful info about the Austin restaurant scene here and so far, useful info about churches too. Of course, it seems like for someone in their 20s, it is a lot easier to find similar people and a good place to hang out in Austin at a restaurant, club, or coffeehouse than at a church.

4/14/2009 Christine M. says:

Who is conducting this research project?

4/14/2009 Conrad H. says:

A half dozen researchers (sociologists mainly) in different parts of the country are doing this research. It is funded by the Lilly Endowment, which supports research on various facets of religion in America.

4/14/2009 J "vaXzine" P. says:

Church is in the streets. Think for yourself. Question authority. TRUST in those that SEEK the TRUTH... run from those that say they've found it.

4/14/2009 Jaime "way too colorful" M. says:

Oh, now I feel duped. You're seriously doing this for a 'research project'? I think doing your own research would be helpful in this case.

4/14/2009 Conrad H. says:

Jaime,
Sorry if you feel I misled you. I am just looking for help getting started on this project. It is not feasible for me to visit all the churches in town in person (it would take years) and if I were to call each church asking about the presence of young adults, I am not sure whether the information received would be reliable. If you have another suggestion about how I could locate mainline Protestant churches with strong young adult presence, please let me know. As I mentioned above, church websites are not very informative about the age composition of young adults groups.

Although I happen to be interested in this question for research purposes, I expect many others who will read this thread who will be interested in the answers generated as they search for a church where they can find people their age or a church that is innovative enough to attract those in their 20s, even if the reader of this thread happens to be older.

4/20/2009 Conrad H. says:

This weekend I visited First United Methodist and St. James Episcopal. Both are interesting churches and seemed to have folks present in their 30s. I didn't find much of a twenty-something presence in either congregation.

6/12/2009 Jim "Padre" M. says:

Twenty somethings are hard because they are going through lots of major life changes such as getting married, children, graduation and career to name a few. I would be interested in what you find out with your study. We have a broad range of ages at Elgin Methodist Church. One of our pastors is a 20 something (I am the other one and I am a 50 something). We talk about this issue a lot. We have several  young families with small children who come to the 11 am service on Sunday and the 6:45 service on Wednesday. 8 am Sunday is mostly older and the 9 am is boomers and their children.  There have been some great comments made in this thread worth giving some serious thought. In response to Jaime We try to start a new group every six months because groups of all ages become tight and develope a history together which makes it harder to "break in".  I just found this site tonight and it is now 3 am so I am going to keep this short. God's peace, Jim

6/18/2009 Conrad H. says:

Just a quick update -
St. David's Episcopal and First UMC in downtown Austin indeed have young adult groups that are relatively large for a mainline Protestant congregation, though not as big as might be expected in large congregations in a city with a large young adult population. St. David's has a new young adult minister and she is organizing a lot of activities. An interesting evangelical/emergent church is Mosaic, which is a group of about 150 that meet on Sunday nights. They have a high volume worship service with a distinctly Austin vibe. All the adults present seem to be in their 20s or early 30s.

Anyone who has read this far in this thread may be interested in checking out the blog of a guy who routinely visits new churches in town and writes up his comments here: http://austingospel.bl.../ .

6/18/2009 Nick "Apple-Eatin' Heathen" M. says:

I'm 26, think god is a lie, church is a pyramid scheme and Christianity is destroying this country.

Does that help you with your research?

6/18/2009 Carrie "Carrie C." C. says:

I think it's alright that you're doing research and asked for leads here.  I also think it's alright for people to have blind faith in something bigger than themselves unless they get fanatical about it.  There's plenty of non-religious fanatics too.

6/19/2009 Duane "Making the merry-go-round go faster..." D. says:

Carrie, you are right on with your last sentence; interestingly, the non-religious fanatics I've been exposed to are universally less tolerant of other worldviews than are the religious fanatics I've been around.  

Oh, and Nick...thanks for making my point.

6/19/2009 mars k. says:

Alot of young adults I know ARE searching for something . . . they can't quite put their finger on it. Sometimes they are specifically fleeing the traditions of their childhood, and sometimes once they have their own children they find themselves edging back into the traditions they grew up in, and sometimes it's a good fit and sometimes it's not.

Alot of people I know join a church because they are longing for a sense of purpose and community. Sometimes just a group of people to work on a project with, sometimes just a group to sing with, sometimes a group to pray with.

Some people find their tribe at work, some with their friends, some with their faith community. We're lucky in Austin that we do have so many different traditions, and so many choices. But it's all good, and if it feels like home, and it helps them find peace and gives them time to contemplate, it's all good.

6/19/2009 Nick "Apple-Eatin' Heathen" M. says:

Duane... you belong to a religion whose main doctrine says that I, as an atheist, am deserving of everlasting torture simply because I don't believe in your god.

Your religion is intolerant, based on an ancient book of half truths and outright lies - and has murdered, oppressed and been the enemy of progress for thousands of years.

6/19/2009 Nick "Apple-Eatin' Heathen" M. says:

http://rumplo.com/tees...
Best. Shirt. Ever.

6/21/2009 Jim "Padre" M. says:

I thought that I already replied to this but it was late. I like the shirt. Maybe we may be asking the wrong questions. Were are places, times events that 20 somethings go to connect with others and things greater than themself? My generation was probably best represented by "Mary Tyler Moore" then maybe "Cheers" then "Friends" then I have been told "OC". Now what? What show or sitcom best represents our current post modern community? As for operas, I would suggest "Rent". Also, our associate says Terra Burgers are good and I should go.

6/22/2009 URWhatUEa "moon bomb" T. says:

You kids need to all get together and eat psychedelic mushrooms or something and have the 'love-ins' like they had in ye olde hippie tymes.   You'd find something you've been searching for there.  No, not really.

Here's the answer.  Everybody is always searching for something.  it cannot be found or pinned down with a finger.  Accept that and be happy with that.  It is unknowable, and that's for the best, you can't handle it.  Just be happy swimming in the overwhelming philosophizing of trying to figure it all out.  Express yourself and don't lie.  No use trying to fit it all into a pre-conceived notion which is forever doomed to be totally inadequate.  The eternal element of dis-satisfaction is hard-wired into all of humanity and probably the rest of the animals, just to keep us surviving and striving.   Get with that as a good thing.  Open your heart and mind.  Practice Empathy, Do Unto Others... (no, not like that)      Peace love & understanding and all that funny shit.

6/27/2009 Jim "Padre" M. says:

I heard a song on Letterman last night I am thinking about using tomorrow. Do you mind listening to it and letting me know what you think? Is it by Regina Spektor on her Far album. It is titled "Laughing With" http://explorefar.warn.../

6/27/2009 IRENE D. says:

There is a church on jones road not sure they call themselves the Christian Warriors they are all young as 20-25 year olds and they meet on sat at 6 pm .

6/29/2009 Kyle "retuning the flavor" S. says:

God is indeed Great, but why do we have to keep giving Him money whenever we gather to tell Him how Great He is?

This Deity Bailout has been going on far too long.

6/29/2009 Kyle L. says:

Kyle S. lol... the guy managed to create the universe but just cant seem to manage money...

6/29/2009 mars k. says:

it does take alot of money (and hours of work) if your mission is to help people with rent assistance, feed street people, operate programs for runaways . . . there is an amazing network of churches of all flavors on the Drag (and elsewhere, of course) doing just that, and cooperating across religious lines.

7/5/2009 Jim "Padre" M. says:

Money is simply an abstract concept used to convey value. The question becomes what do you value and how much do you value it compared to something else. Is my meal worth one hour of legal service? Also, is it good to simply give something of value away as a statement of gratitude for receiving it in the first place if that is what the original giver asked you to do when they gave it? Let's get back to 20 somethings. How do they express value? 60-70 year olds sometimes want to help foreign agencies. Boomers help things they can see a direct benefit from. Some say post moderns base their giving on relationships.