As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them...

Psalms 127:4-5, KJV

About ten years ago, the congregation I worship at in this small town had a very typical small-town problem - we were getting older! We were averaging about 80 or so in attendance, but for a town with less than 700 people that was still pretty good. What was not "pretty good" was that we had no babies, no toddlers and only two or three preschoolers. Probably a full quarter of the church was over 75 years in age. Now that was not a problem, because so many were active and it presented us with a tremendous amount of wisdom and experience from which to draw from, but the fact remained that we were looking a lot like so many of the small churches that were just beginning to pass their prime on their way to dying out completely.

But about five years ago, something started to change. We had one or two young couples move into our area, and they had been raised to be faithful. Now, most church leaders can tell you how hard it is to attract youth to a traditional congregation that does not offer entertainment for worship or coffee and donuts for Bible classes but, again, there was just something about the raising of these young people that was done well. In a year or two, we had several more young couples attending - and singles to boot! I was nearing retirement age, and we hired a young preacher with young wife and a baby and a toddler to replace the old gray-haired guy. Then more babies were born and now we are blessed with the problem of trying to get enough classrooms and teachers for our nursery and preschool classes which number over a dozen kids on some Sundays.

The congregation is so different now that a person who had visited ten years ago would be wonder if they were at the same place today. I want to emphasize the fact that we were very blessed ten years ago with an active church in which most people participated in some way, but today it is so much more vibrant and alive than it has been for many years. What happened? How does a church go from looking like it might die out in a few decades to experiencing a youth-movement that is experiencing a full-blown baby boom?

The first and most obvious answer is this: God has blessed us. The Second was we had a church full of people who recognized the symptoms of an aging church and who were active in the work of the church and in prayer. Third, we had elders who were not looking for gimmicks to "grow the membership", but who were looking for spiritual growth. And fourth, we had one of the most friendly and encouraging groups of Christians I have ever seen. But most important (except for the blessings of God) we had the fortunate circumstance of young people who were looking for a church family with which to serve rather than on that would entertain them and give them snacks. Admittedly, this is a most unusual characteristic for many people who are searching for a place to worship whether they are young or old, but it seemed to be the defining trait of these young people.

So, we have grown! We cannot take the credit, so please don't feel like I am boasting about the situation - it is a gift of God! And, I might add, it is a gift that we are trying very hard not to take for granted, nor is it an opportunity that we want to waste. The fact is that many churches are dying out in our modern times and people are often at a loss as to what to do about it. May I offer one small piece of advice to those who have been confronting this very problem? I assure you that it is not offered from a perspective of pride, for I realize all too well that it is not any doing of mine for it has always been God who offers the increase.

So here is the advice for what it is worth: Don't try and lure people to the worship with entertainment, for the people who are looking to be entertained are hard to hang onto. There are just too many places that are doing the same thing, and this type of person is often easily pulled away by the next shining attraction. Instead, just do what the church is commanded to do. Don't compromise with the truth but preach that truth in love! Speaking of love, love these people and look for ways that you can help them feel welcome and needed. And pray to God to help all people - whether young or old - to come and join you if they will be blessed by doing so. By doing these simple things, churches will begin to attract people who want to worship and serve. And such people cannot but help a congregation to grow.