"Suffer the Children to Come Unto Me" or "Hey, You Kids, Get Off My Lawn!"

Wondering Why You are Losing Youth Members?
There Might be a Stewardship Connection.     

By Bill Clontz, UUA Stewardship Consultant

Many congregations report that after their Youth graduate from high school, the congregation and the denomination lose them. Some return in a few years, some not until they have children of their own, some never return. This is not a uniquely UU problem, but that is cold comfort, and we should not be willing to accept this as inevitable. How you approach stewardship with these valued members may be a part of the problem you may not have considered.

I am struck how many congregations have no approach at all to engage their Youth in stewardship. The dominant thought, to the extent it has been raised at all, is that teens don’t have many resources; expecting any financial contribution is unrealistic.  This is problematic.

First, it communicates that a Youth member is not a real member, but some sort of junior affiliate. Membership should entail some commitments; to exclude an entire group from this part of membership leaves them outside the circle that connects the rest of the members.

Second, this devalues membership. People value something to which they commit resources more than something that comes free and without commitment. I worked for several years on programs providing training for developing countries. Without exception, we found the recipients far more committed and more demanding of themselves and others when they made even a modest financial investment in the program. The same usually applies to individuals as well as communities and governments.

Third, this approach fails to start a life-long pattern just when it should be in place. It is certainly true that most teens have very few resources; the amounts are relatively unimportant.  Living the ideal that we share what we have and we invest in those values is what is important. Not doing so communicates we don’t mean it when we say being a part of a UU community is a major decision.

Some congregations get this; the difference it makes is striking. I have visited congregations in which even very young children are a part of the stewardship process, helping collect food donations for special Sunday collections. It is clear to Youth members at the time of joining that they are expected to share and contribute as they can. Young members serve on the stewardship committee, provide testimonials, and serve as visiting stewards. In other words, they are full members. Their contributions are valued. Youth who mature in such an environment know they are respected and are full members of their communities. How about your young members?

Bill Clontz is the Southern Region’s UUA stewardship consultant and a member of the Congregational Stewardship Network. You can reach Bill through the CSN, through the Southern Region staff, or at bclontz@uua.org. 
 Learn more about the CSN at http://www.uua.org/finance/fundraising/index.shtml. 

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