For many young people, "church" is what we do on a Sunday morning and the survey demonstrated public worship to be a crucial but problematic area.

• The survey suggested that public worship matters to our young people, but that they have some difficulties with it. In fact, Ministers too identified worship as the third biggest challenge to youth work in congregations, and Youth Leaders as the fourth biggest,


On a scale of 1-5, how big are these challenges in your:



» Ministers (av.)	» Youth Leaders (av.)
Attracting y.p. (4.11)	Attracting y.p. (4.26)
Keeping y.p. (3.97)	Keeping y.p. (4.13)
Worship (3.31)	Leadership nos. (3.32)
Leadership nos. (3.24)	Worship (3.24)

(Highlighting only top 4 issues)


• Ministers and leaders and young people each ranked sermons the least benefit of a range of church activities, ministers scoring them lowest of all!


"Church is sometimes like stepping back in time, where else do you sit in pews? And as soon as you go to church it's so different, it's not like real life, it's like a wee bubble for Christians." - Young Person


• When it comes to preference in worship 61% of young people prefer modern worship but a significant 38% preferred a mixture of modern and traditional.


"The older people in the church really appreciate the young people getting involved in (praise) and we mix modern songs with the hymns just to keep a balance." - Young Person

'Worship is the single most important act in which Christians engage …. Worship repeatedly and insistently locates the centre of God's majestic rule and meaning in a world of trivial and competing sovereignties. Every act of worship promises fresh and accessible witness to God's revelation and presence. Unfortunately not all the acts make good on the promise.'
- Eugene Peterson in the forward of 'Sing a new song' by David Montgomery

What a wonderful reminder of what we are doing each Sunday morning as those words 'Let us worship God' are said at the start of thousands of church services. Also, what a timely reminder of the responsibility we have as we construct those worship services that our aim is to lead all of our members in the worship of the Living God.

Churches that demonstrated growth and a healthy thriving spiritual life, while realising that growth is not dependant on the size of a local fellowship, or the number of full-time staff they had, were concerned about the following principles, principles which were seen in action in small, medium and large fellowships.

• Communication. The style and vehicle for the communication of the message takes seriously the means by which the listener will 'hear'. This is especially important with young people who today are trained to learn through the visual and experiential.
• Participation. In growing churches worshippers are not pew sitters. They are invited to participate in leading worship and actively enter into the worship through personal interaction.
• Music. Growing churches have recognised that no style of music is sacred. Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church said 'there are only Christian lyrics, not Christian music.' Did you know that John Calvin hired secular musicians to put his theology to modern tunes? Spurgeon called church music the 'war department'. Rick Warren again: 'To insist on one style of church music is idolatry'.
• Inter-Generational Leadership. Involvement of young people, young adults and older members in the development and leading of worship services has been a crucial element in the growth of many congregations because it develops ownership and belonging.
• Evaluation. Asking honest questions about their effectiveness and Being prepared to take risks, while learning from their mistakes.